Hazardous Substances & Asbestos: Data Sheets
The crew is stripping an old asbestos-cement roof because the client wants a new one. Nobody has a mask, the sheets shatter into pieces, dust flies.
The crew is stripping an old asbestos-cement roof because the client wants a new one. Nobody has a mask, the sheets shatter into pieces, dust flies. That's not just a fine - it's a criminal case and a real threat of a disease that will surface in twenty years. Asbestos and hazardous substances are an area where the regulations are unforgiving and the inspector doesn't let up. In this post I go through it in order: what safety data sheets are, how to remove asbestos legally and what documents you must have. If you don't want to compile a substance inventory and registers from scratch - at BudoReady you've got ready-made templates for a hazardous-agents register and instructions, to complete with your company details.
Key points at a glance
- For every hazardous substance you must have a safety data sheet (SDS) - the supplier provides it, you store it and make it available to workers.
- Asbestos is removed only by firms with the appropriate authorisation, after notifying the works - it's not a job for a random crew.
- Asbestos works require notification to the competent authority 7 days before starting, plus a works plan.
- Asbestos waste is hazardous waste - with a waste transfer card (KPO) and transfer to an authorised landfill.
- The full set: safety data sheets, substance inventory, risk assessment, instructions, notification and waste documentation.
A hazardous substance on a site - it's not just chemicals in drums
Let's start with what even counts as a hazardous substance. Many foremen think it's about some exotic chemicals. Not true - it's the everyday reality of a construction site: solvents, adhesives, paints, primers, silicones, expanding foams, priming agents, impregnating agents, cleaning acids, cement (an irritant to skin and airways). Anything with a warning pictogram on the packaging is a substance you have to sort out in the documentation.
The rules for using chemical substances are governed by the Act on chemical substances and their mixtures and by the EU REACH and CLP regulations (classification and labelling). For you on the site this means one concrete thing: for every such product you must have a safety data sheet.
The safety data sheet (SDS) - the document the inspector asks about
The safety data sheet (SDS, formerly MSDS) is a detailed description of the substance: composition, hazards, precautions, first aid, what to do in a spill, the required personal protective equipment. It has 16 sections according to a set format.
Who provides it and what you do with it
- The supplier has a duty to provide you with a current safety data sheet in Polish - at the first delivery or on request.
- You store it - in a binder on the site and/or in the office, accessible to workers.
- You make it available to workers - the people working with the substance must know where the sheet is and what it says.
- From the sheet you extract the required protective equipment (gloves, masks, goggles) and enter it into the risk assessment.
A missing safety data sheet for a substance in use is a typical gap caught during an inspection. The inspector asks: "what are you painting with?" and "where's the sheet?". If there's no sheet - you have a breach.
Substance inventory and hazardous-agents register
The sheets are one thing, but you also have to have an inventory of the hazardous substances and mixtures in use. It's a list of what you work with at all, with a reference to the sheets. For carcinogenic and mutagenic agents (and some do turn up on a site) the regulations additionally require a register of works and workers exposed to those agents - a separate, more rigorous obligation.
On top of that comes an occupational risk assessment accounting for chemical agents at the given post and, where needed, measurements of concentrations in the work environment. We wrote about measuring harmful agents themselves in the post on noise and vibration on a construction site - the logic is similar.
Asbestos - a separate league, no compromises
Asbestos is the most dangerous of the "classics" of old construction: asbestos-cement on roofs, facade panels, pipes, insulation. Asbestos fibres are carcinogenic - the inhaled dust causes asbestosis and pleural mesothelioma. That's why asbestos works are hedged with separate, strict regulations.
Who can remove asbestos
Asbestos is removed only by firms prepared for this kind of work - with the right equipment, trained workers and procedures. The workers must have training in the safe removal of asbestos-containing products. This is not a job for a random roofing crew "on the side".
Notifying the works - a duty before you start
Before starting asbestos-removal works, the contractor has a duty to:
- Notify the works to the competent authority (including the labour inspectorate and the sanitary inspectorate) - as a rule 7 days before starting.
- Draw up a works plan - describing the scope, methods, safeguards and how waste will be handled.
- Secure the area - cordon off the zone, mark it, limit dusting (dampening, no breaking of sheets).
- Provide protective equipment - masks with the right filters, disposable coveralls, decontamination facilities.
| Stage of asbestos works | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Before starting | Notification of works (as a rule 7 days in advance) + works plan |
| Workers | Training in asbestos removal, medical checks, PPE |
| During | Cordoning off the zone, limiting dusting, no breaking of sheets |
| Waste | Waste transfer card (KPO), authorised transport, hazardous-waste landfill |
Asbestos waste - it's hazardous waste
Removed asbestos doesn't go into an ordinary rubble skip. It's hazardous waste that must be sealed and packed (film, marking), recorded and handed to an authorised recipient with a waste transfer card (KPO) in the BDO system (the national waste database). It goes to a landfill fit for asbestos-containing waste - not just any tip.
The whole waste chain must be documented. As with demolition works, where waste management is a separate, important topic - the inspector checks where the material from the demolition ended up.
The documents you must have
The full set for hazardous substances and asbestos:
- Safety data sheets (SDS) for all substances in use - in Polish, current.
- Inventory of hazardous substances and mixtures.
- Occupational risk assessment covering the chemical agents.
- Instructions for safe use and for handling a spill.
- Register of issued PPE - masks, gloves, coveralls.
- For asbestos: notification of works, works plan, waste documentation (KPO/BDO), workers' training.
From 8 July 2026 the PIP (Polish Labour Inspectorate) reform tightens penalties - a fine of up to 5,000 zł, and serious breaches go to court within a range of 2,000-60,000 zł. With asbestos there's also liability for endangering health. Details of the changes in the post the PIP reform 2026 - what changes.
Frequently asked questions
Who is to provide the safety data sheet - me or the supplier?
The safety data sheet is provided by the supplier (manufacturer or seller) of the substance, in Polish, at the first delivery or on request. Your duty as the employer is to store it, make it available to workers and use it for the risk assessment and the selection of protective equipment.
Can my crew strip asbestos-cement off the roof themselves?
No, unless it's a firm prepared for the removal of asbestos-containing products - with trained workers, equipment and procedures. Asbestos works require prior notification, a works plan and special safeguards. Stripping asbestos-cement with a random crew is a breach and a real threat to health.
How far in advance are asbestos works notified?
Asbestos-removal works are notified to the competent authority as a rule 7 days before starting, together with a works plan. Asbestos waste is transferred as hazardous waste to an authorised landfill, with a waste transfer card in the BDO system.
What are the consequences of missing safety data sheets during an inspection?
Missing safety data sheets for the hazardous substances in use is a breach for which a PIP inspector can issue a fine - from 8 July 2026 up to 5,000 zł. For more serious chemical or asbestos failings the case can go to court with higher penalties and liability for endangering workers' health.
Ready-made registers and instructions instead of writing from scratch - the STANDARD package
A substance inventory, a hazardous-agents register, instructions for use, PPE templates - you can assemble it yourself or take ready-made ones and enter your data.
The STANDARD package (449 zł, 27 files) includes a risk assessment, registers and instructions - a complete set for a micro construction firm under PKD 43 (the Polish business activity code), in Polish and Ukrainian. Do dangerous works, including with materials requiring an IBWR (safe work execution instruction)? Take FULL (749 zł, 45 files) with a complete set of IBWR in 6 types of works. For starters there's STARTER (299 zł, 10 files).
The promotion runs until 7 July 2026 - just before the PIP reform. See BudoReady packages and have your chemical documentation ready before the inspector asks "what are you painting with?".
This article is informational and does not replace advice from an OSH specialist or the current legal position. Document templates require individual adaptation to the realities of your company and specific job posts, and the current legal position is worth verifying as of the date of use.