A new factsheet has been issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which is designed to improve contractor safety for projects on retail sites, which could affect public liability insurance policyholders.
It has issued new guidance to storeholders that is designed to protect customers, workers and contractors from the threat presented by the substance.
The HSE began work with the BHF-BSSA Group in order to draw up the advice due to the low number of companies in the industry complying with their duty to manage under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
Among the details included in the factsheets will include who is obliged to take action, what the essential steps to take part in these duties are and advice on conducting asbestos surveys.
Asbestos programme director at the HSE Steve Coldrick highlighted the number of people who die each year from exposure to the substance.
He said: "Contractors never know what they are walking into when they start work on a job but retailers walk into the same premises day after day after day, so they really need to know what is lurking in their environment."
Earlier this month, north-west regional secretary for Unite, Paul Finegan, told the Lancashire Telegraph that asbestos is both a lethal and indiscriminate killer.