BUSINESSES in Yorkshire are the most well-informed about new laws to control asbestos at work, but tend to do nothing about it, a new survey revealed.

The region shares top place with Birmingham as the area with bosses most well savvied about the recent changes to the Control of Asbestos at Work (CAW) regulations 2002.

A survey by Zurich Risk Services shows that 61 per cent of Yorkshire business leaders are aware of the increased responsibility on firms to manage asbestos in the workplace. That compares with the relatively poor showing of 22 per cent for the north as a whole.The new regulations insist that businesses must be able to prove that they have plans in place to deal with the harmful insulation material and the health and safety executive is sending out clear signals that this is a priority.

But in spite of these good levels of awareness, 74 per cent of companies in the Yorkshire region have no plans in place to deal with the risks.

Other key results from the survey revealed that on a sliding scale of one to five, (with one being a minor concern and five being a major concern), a staggering 68 per cent of Yorkshire businesses rated the threat to health that asbestos can pose as a major concern.

Also rated as major concerns were prosecution (56 per cent) and their company's reputation (45 per cent). Employee compensation for asbestos-related claims, which could easily reach the £100,000 mark, was also a big worry for businesses. Causing least concern was the value of their company's property should asbestos be discovered. Only 28 per cent of businesses named this as their major cause of concern.

Roger Cottell, managing director of Zurich Risk Services, said: "We are urging businesses in the Yorkshire area to put plans in place to deal with the risks associated with asbestos in the workplace. Good risk management could reduce all the biggest causes for concern that appeared in the survey."

Asbestos can be found in many different types of products such as boiler installations, pipe lagging, sprayed fireproofing coatings, thermal insulating boards, roof cladding, wall cladding, asbestos-cement boards and panels and vinyl floor coverings.

Under the new regulations, extended responsibilities on bosses' shoulders include -

- Finding out where, if at all, asbestos is located, how much there is, and what condition it is in

- Keeping an up-to-date record of the above information, in the form of an asbestos register

- Presuming that any materials identified contain asbestos unless strong evidence proves otherwise

- Notifying all parties likely to be exposed to asbestos-related risk

- Preparing, implementing and periodically reviewing a plan to manage asbestos in the premises.

Updated: 10:00 Tuesday, May 27, 2003