Tradespeople, including joiners and carpenters, could come into contact with deadly asbestos on average more than 100 times a year according to a new survey commissioned by HSE.
As well as illustrating how often tradespeople can be exposed to asbestos, the survey revealed some common myths believed by those at risk, with one in seven believing that drinking a glass of water will help protect them from the deadly dust and more than a quarter thinking that opening a window will help to keep them safe.
Only a third of those asked, were able to identify all the correct measures for safe asbestos working, whilst more than half made at least one potentially lethal mistake in trying to identify how to stay safe. The research, undertaken by Censuswide in September 2014, showed only 15 per cent knew that asbestos could still be found in buildings built up to the year 2000.
On average, twenty tradespeople, including a large number of joiners, die every week from asbestos related diseases. A part of their new campaign, HSE have launched an app for phones, tablets and laptops that helps tradespeople easily identify where they could come into contact with the deadly material as they go about their day-to-day work and gives them tailored help on how to deal with the risks. You can download the web app here: www.beware-asbestos.info/news and find more information on asbestos safety here: www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos.TradePoint is supporting the campaign by distributing asbestos safety kits to tradespeople through their stores across Great Britain.
Asbestos can be found in walls and ceilings, or the structure of a building, as well as a host of other places like floor tiles, boilers, toilet cisterns, guttering and soffits.
It can be disturbed by basic maintenance work like drilling holes and sanding and once disturbed, the microscopic fibres can prove lethal if breathed in, causing lung disease and cancer. Although many of those surveyed could pinpoint some asbestos-containing materials, others were clueless, with only 19 per cent recognising it could also be hidden in common fixtures such as toilet seats and cisterns.
Philip White, HSE’s Chief Inspector for Construction, said:
“Asbestos is still a very real danger and the survey findings suggest that the people who come into contact with it regularly often don’t know where it could be and worryingly don’t know how to deal with it correctly, which could put them in harm’s way. Our new campaign aims to help tradespeople understand some of the simple steps they can take to stay safe. Our new web app is designed for use on a job so workers can easily identify if they are likely to face danger and can then get straight forward advice to help them do the job safely.”
Former electrical consultant Simon Clark, who in 2012 was diagnosed with mesothelioma – the life-threatening and aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos – when he was just 52, said:
“When I was younger I didn’t think of the dangers of asbestos and I must have been exposed to it frequently. Since being diagnosed, I’ve had to give up my work and let some of my employees go – which is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It is vitally important that everybody knows when they might be exposed and takes the correct steps to protect themselves.”
