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Asbestos
17th April 2008
Download the article on the dangers of asbestos featured in the Spring 2008 edition of Switched On. Download PDF
Asbestos film To view 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer' video provided by HSE on this subject: Click here
Young Tradesmen alerted to Asbestos Risk
Asbestos is the most lethal workplace killer in Great Britain-
Every week twenty tradesmen die simply because they have breathed in asbestos fibres during the course of their work. Recent research conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows that young tradesmen, such as plumbers and electricians, know that asbestos is dangerous but just don’t believe that they are personally at risk.
Every year 4000 people die of asbestos which is more than those in road traffic accidents. In Great Britain we are in the middle of an epidemic and it is expected that asbestos deaths will to peak to nearly 5000 which is a legacy from years gone by.
Launching an awareness campaign, Asbestos-the hidden killer, aimed at young tradesmen, Steve Coldrick, Director of HSE’s Disease Reduction Programme said, “Every week 6 electricians and 3 plumbers die as a result of exposure to asbestos. The problem today is that we associate it with a problem that’s been and gone because asbestos is now banned. We regard asbestos as something a previous generation were exposed to there is a real risk that the younger generation entering the workforce today will think this does not apply to them- but it does, because if they work on any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 it could contain asbestos.”
HSE’s Asbestos campaign will remind tradesmen that unless they take precautions asbestos could kill them too.
Supporting HSE’s campaign Dame Helena Shovelton, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation said, "It is alarming to see that tradesmen know so little about the damage asbestos can do to their health, especially when they are the ones most at risk. The British Lung Foundation is urging tradesmen to make sure they are well informed about asbestos and to follow HSE’s guidance in order to protect themselves from this hidden killer."
