The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new asbestos awareness campaign to highlight the serious dangers the material poses to next generation tradespeople.
The campaign, called Asbestos and You, will target all tradespeople with a focus on younger workers in trades such as plastering and joinery, reaching to construction workers who started their careers after the use of asbestos was banned in 1999.
Five thousand people a year still die from asbestos related illnesses and the substance can still be found in buildings built or refurbished before the year 2000.
Asbestos containing materials were used extensively in the construction and maintenance of buildings in Great Britain from the 1950s until the ban. That means construction workers of all ages could still be exposed to asbestos fibres today.
If asbestos fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural thickening.
Sarah Albonm, chief executive of the HSE, said: “Asbestos exposure in Great Britain is still the single greatest cause of work-related deaths. We are committed to protecting people in the workplace and reducing future work-related ill health.
“Everyone working in construction today, of any age, must take the risk from asbestos seriously.
“Asbestos is dangerous when not maintained in a safe condition or if physically disturbed without the right measures in place to avoid fibres being released into the air.”
Mike Calcutt, head of health and work policy at the HSE, added: “These diseases often take a long time to develop, and it can take 20 to 30 years for symptoms to appear.
“It is crucial that all workers know how to recognise the dangers and take the right actions to protect themselves and those around them from being exposed to asbestos fibres.”
>>Read more about asbestos dangers here.
