Asbestos Regulation in Spain
Asbestos regulation in Spain: a complete guide
Spain banned all use and marketing of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials in 2002 under Royal Decree 1406/1989 and subsequent European directives, formally aligning with EU Directive 1999/77/EC. Spain was among the last EU member states to complete the phase-out, having relied heavily on asbestos in construction during the Franco-era industrial expansion of the 1960s and 1970s. The full ban is now in line with the wider EU prohibition that took full effect on 1 January 2005.
The core working regulation is Real Decreto 396/2006, which transposes EU Directive 2003/18/EC and governs all work involving asbestos exposure. It applies to activities including demolition, maintenance, repair, removal and encapsulation of asbestos-containing materials. Employers must assess exposure levels, implement control measures, provide personal protective equipment, and arrange medical surveillance for all workers exposed to asbestos. The regulatory authority is the Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (ITSS).
Spain requires that any company carrying out asbestos removal work be registered in the RERA (Registro de Empresas con Riesgo de Amianto), maintained by the relevant autonomous community. The RERA registration requires demonstration of technical competence, appropriate equipment, and procedures for asbestos waste management. Workers involved must receive specific asbestos training, and removal activities are subject to prior notification to the labour authorities.
- Full ban since 2002 under EU Directive 1999/77/EC and RD 1406/1989
- Real Decreto 396/2006 is the main operational standard governing asbestos removal work
- RERA (Registro de Empresas con Riesgo de Amianto) registration is mandatory for all companies carrying out asbestos work
- Prior notification to the labour authority (ITSS) is required for all asbestos removal activities
- Workers exposed to asbestos are entitled to periodic medical surveillance, including health records kept for 40 years
- Autonomous communities enforce the regulations independently — requirements may vary between regions
Sources
- Real Decreto 396/2006, de 31 de marzo
- INSST — Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo
- EU Directive 2003/18/EC (minimum health and safety requirements)
Regulation summary
Asbestos is fully prohibited in this country. All use, trade, import and manufacture of asbestos-containing materials is banned. Existing asbestos in buildings still requires certified professionals for safe removal and disposal.
Spain fully banned all forms of asbestos through the Orden de 7 de diciembre de 2001, transposing EU Directive 1999/77/CE. The prohibition was the culmination of nearly two decades of successive restrictions, starting with crocidolite in 1984. Spain never mined asbestos; all 2.6 million tonnes used between 1907 and 2002 were imported, primarily from Canada, South Africa, Russia, and Zimbabwe. The brand Uralita became so pervasive that "uralita" entered colloquial Spanish as a generic term for any corrugated roofing sheet.
Spain's massive construction wave (1960-2002) installed asbestos products decades after the UK and US began restricting them. Social housing, schools, tourism infrastructure along the Mediterranean coast, naval shipyards (Cartagena, Ferrol, Cadiz), Metro de Madrid, and RENFE railways all used asbestos extensively. Any building constructed or refurbished before 2002 may contain asbestos. Millions of tonnes of asbestos-containing materials remain installed across the country.
Only companies registered with the RERA (Registro de Empresas con Riesgo de Amianto) can perform asbestos removal. A Plan de Trabajo must be submitted to the Autoridad Laboral before work begins. Spain has no mandatory asbestos survey for property sales (unlike France) and no dedicated national compensation fund for victims (unlike France's FIVA). Mesothelioma incidence continues to rise and is projected to peak in the late 2020s-early 2030s.
Key dates
1907: Uralita S.A. founded, begins production of asbestos-cement products in Spain
1960-1975: Peak asbestos installation during the desarrollismo period under Franco, massive construction of social housing with fibrocemento
1984: Orden de 31 de octubre de 1984 prohibits crocidolite (blue asbestos), transposing EU Directive 83/478/CEE
1989: Real Decreto 1406/1989 regulates marketing and use of asbestos-containing products, transposing Directive 85/610/CEE. Establishes labelling requirements and product restrictions
1993: Orden de 26 de julio de 1993 modifies RD 1406/1989, banning amosite (brown asbestos) and all amphibole varieties (actinolite, anthophyllite, tremolite). Only chrysotile remains legal. Spain ratifies ILO Convention 162 on asbestos safety
1997: Uralita asbestos-cement factory in Cerdanyola del Valles (Barcelona) closes after decades of worker and neighbourhood exposure
2001: Orden de 7 de diciembre de 2001 bans chrysotile, the last legal form of asbestos. Full prohibition of manufacture, import, marketing, and use of all asbestos types
2003: Metro de Madrid acknowledges asbestos in trains and station infrastructure; hundreds of workers file claims
2006: Real Decreto 396/2006 establishes modern regulatory framework for work with asbestos exposure risk, including mandatory RERA registration and Plan de Trabajo approval
2022: Ley 7/2022 classifies asbestos as hazardous waste under the circular economy waste law
Legislative references
- 1984: Orden de 31 de octubre de 1984 prohibits crocidolite (blue asbestos), transposing EU Directive 83/478/CEE
- 1989: Real Decreto 1406/1989 regulates marketing and use of asbestos-containing products, transposing Directive 85/610/CEE. Establishes labelling requirements and product restrictions
- 1993: Orden de 26 de julio de 1993 modifies RD 1406/1989, banning amosite (brown asbestos) and all amphibole varieties (actinolite, anthophyllite, tremolite). Only chrysotile remains legal. Spain ratifies ILO Convention 162 on asbestos safety
- 2001: Orden de 7 de diciembre de 2001 bans chrysotile, the last legal form of asbestos. Full prohibition of manufacture, import, marketing, and use of all asbestos types
- 2006: Real Decreto 396/2006 establishes modern regulatory framework for work with asbestos exposure risk, including mandatory RERA registration and Plan de Trabajo approval
- 2022: Ley 7/2022 classifies asbestos as hazardous waste under the circular economy waste law
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