VDI can stop asbestos construction work without a permit from 1 October

Employers that carry out asbestos-related construction work without a valid permit face a work stoppage from 1 October 2026.E TAR The new ground covers construction work involving asbestos exposure — demolition or alteration of structures containing asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, and removal of asbestos or such materialsE TAR — done without a valid permit issued in Lithuania, another European Union Member State or another European Economic Area state to carry out construction work under asbestos exposure (leidimas), or while the permit's validity is suspendedE TAR.

The inspector does not need to establish a danger beyond the missing permitE TAR: finding the case described in point 3.8 of the procedure is itself enoughE TAR for a State Labour Inspectorate (Valstybinė darbo inspekcija, VDI) inspector to order the employer's representative, the employer's authorised person or the self-employed person on a construction site to stop work. The inspector records the decision in the R2 work-stoppage order (Reikalavimas sustabdyti darbus R2), served against signature, with a copy sent to the company administration when the unit is not a legal person.

The protected circle is widened beyond employees: work is stopped and work or personal protective equipment banned to protect employees and persons independently active on construction sites (savarankiškai dirbantys asmenys) wherever safety and health violations and the danger cannot be eliminated immediately. Work may be stopped across the whole company, its division or a specific workplace.

The amendment also adds a new inspection focus. Point 20 of the procedure's annex directs attention, in activities with possible asbestos-dust exposure — demolition, repair, renovation, modernisation or reconstruction of buildings and engineering structures, dismantling or repair of ships, aircraft and engineering installations, waste handling, post-construction cleaning, mining and quarry work including naturally occurring asbestos — to whether the requirements and measures in points 10, 17–21, 27–31 and 41–45 of the Darbuotojų apsaugos nuo asbesto keliamos rizikos nuostatai (Order No A1-184/V-546 of 16 July 2004, in the wording of Order No A1-753/V-1167 of 19 December 2025) are implementedE TAR. Those ranges cover the pre-work notification to the VDI, exposure reduction and protective measures, training, information, health surveillance and the asbestos-work plan duties in that redaction.

Two smaller clarifications accompany the change: the annex's point on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemicals is restated, and the roof-work item now lists missing collective safeguards on pitched or fragile-material roofs, a missing work execution plan with no harness anchor points stated, and workers not using personal protective equipment.

The procedure implements Article 18(1)(13) and Article 22(9)–(11) of the Darbuotojų saugos ir sveikatos įstatymas, Article 9(1)(8)–(9) and 9(2)(5)–(6) of the Valstybinės darbo inspekcijos įstatymas and points 21–23 of the VDI Nuostatai. Legal basis: Order No EV-158 of 22 September 2026 of the Chief State Labour Inspector amending Order No EV-116 of 23 April 2019.E TAR