
For this reason, the CAPEB, the FFB and the OPPBTP, with the support of the PACTE and the State, have joined forces in order to develop the "Rules of the art of routine maintenance and upkeep work on asbestos-containing materials in buildings ”(sub-section 4).
The “Rules of the art asbestos” project is based on the business practice and feedback to propose intervention methods on materials and products containing asbestos in the context of work in sub-section 4. In order to promote these operational solutions to the greatest number of professionals, the partners have developed simple, accessible and educational tools, now available on a dedicated website: www.rulesdelartamiante.fr.
Support all professionals on work in subsection 4 (SS4)
In terms of intervention on materials or products containing asbestos (MPCA), each company is required to train its teams and establish operating methods for carrying out the work in accordance with labor regulations. If companies certified for the removal of asbestos materials and products are experienced, this task is particularly complex for the majority of construction companies, whose core business is not interventions on asbestos materials. The Asbestos Rules of Practice thus aim to support these companies trained in sub-section 4 (service and maintenance intervention for materials and products containing asbestos) so that they take ownership of asbestos prevention measures, in addition to their “business” actions.
Born from discussions within the Asbestos Research and Development Plan (PRDA), the project is managed by the OPPBTP, in partnership with the CAPEB and the FFB. It is also supported by the public authorities (DGT, DHUP) and by the Action Program for the Quality of Construction and Energy Transition (PACTE).
Define intervention methods based on business actions and feedback

The Rules of the Asbestos art are also part of the continuity of the campaign "Not trained, not touch" and the CARTO Asbestos project initiated in 2014 by the profession, led by the OPPBTP in partnership with the General Directorate of Labor and INRS, which made it possible to draw up a representative map of asbestos dust in the most common construction work processes in subsection 4 (SS4). The purpose of the Asbestos Rules of Practice is to make the recommendations resulting from these measures more concrete by implementing them in an operational manner on construction sites. They thus describe recognized and validated intervention methods that companies can appropriate.
In order to turn these intervention methods into true reference practices, the CAPEB, the FFB and the OPPBTP worked on around twenty common situations during service and maintenance interventions in SS4. These concern trades representative of the sector: roofers, painters / floorers, facade workers, plasterers, masons, plumbers, electricians and tilers.
Working groups made up of experts from the OPPBTP and representatives of four volunteer companies in the same profession, recruited by the CAPEB and the FFB, established the first versions of these Rules of Practice, based on feedback from experience and reflection of these business groups gathered in eight distinct regions.
This work then received the approval of a Committee bringing together representatives of the construction industry (CAPEB, FFB, AQC, USH and UNSFA), prevention specialists (OPPBTP), insurers (FFA), and public authorities (DGT and DHUP).
A complete website to disseminate operational solutions to as many people as possible
In order to make the Best Practices accessible to the greatest number of workers trained in SS4, the CAPEB, the FFB and the OPPBTP are launching the dedicated website www.rulesdelartamiante.fr.
Intuitive and offering easy access to operational solutions, the site lists in free access, on PC and mobile, all the intervention methods established in the form of practical sheets "Asbestos rules of the art". These are accessible through a search by trade, by technique or by using an intelligent search engine.
Today, around ten files corresponding to different interventions are already available. Simple and educational, they detail each modality of intervention on MPCA with illustrations particularly focused on the professional gesture, in order to promote optimal appropriation. Thus, professionals will find on each sheet a listing of the equipment, consumables and PPE required for each situation, followed by the main stages of an intervention: preparation, the intervention itself, withdrawal and decontamination.
In order to promote the sharing of best practices, each sheet can be downloaded in PDF format, printed or sent directly by email to an employee.
Intended to evolve, the website will be gradually enriched with new files. It will also be supplemented by two “serious game” simulation modules, allowing stakeholders to visualize and understand the SS4 Asbestos Rules of Practice before an intervention or during training.
Developing intervention methods for asbestos materials and products
The Rules of the Asbestos worksheet are based on the results and technical innovations resulting in particular from the work of the PRDA and CEVALIA.
These new operational solutions make it possible to adapt the collective protection means and the personal protective equipment required for each type of intervention. This is the case in particular for “one-off intervention sheets”, dedicated to short-term, non-repetitive and low dust interventions, for which, due to the very low dust levels observed, only one operator is required, with easier to implement means of intervention, fallback and decontamination. These sheets make it possible to pursue the educational ambition of making professionals aware of the absolute need to put in place protective measures when they intervene in the presence of asbestos.
“Almost 2/3 of our turnover is made in building maintenance and improvement. In almost identical proportions, this work is carried out by craft companies. It can be deduced from this that all our companies may one day or another be confronted with the problem of asbestos. Our duty was to support them in a virtuous and regulatory process and, initially on the site itself, to protect the health of business leaders and their companions. What the PACTE has enabled us to do is truly accessible to all, in clarity and simplicity. It is a fine example of actions carried out in the sector, and we are going to promote this website widely in our network. "
Cécile Beaudonnat, CAPEB lead manager for occupational health and safety issues
“Within the existing regulatory framework, our wish is that the asbestos good practices in subsection 4 allow a better approach to this very complex subject for our businesses. The elements made available can only facilitate this taking into account. All this work will obviously only be useful if companies are made aware and trained. ”
Frédéric Reynier, President of the Prevention Commission of the FFB
“Our ambition is to ensure a high level of protection for professionals while saving them precious time and reducing the risks of work sites, delays and costs of intervention. The Rules of the Asbestos Art combine professional advice and education and thus combine prevention and business performance. "
Paul Duphil, Secretary General of the OPPBTP