Clearview National February 2015 - Issue 159 | Page 22

INDUSTRYNEWS

Asbestos Safety
Campaign Launched
Health and Safety Executive has launched a new
safety campaign, as an average of 20 tradespeople
die every week from asbestos related diseases.
»»Tradespeople, including
construction workers and carpenters, could
come into contact with deadly asbestos on
average more than 100 times a year according
to a new survey commissioned by the Health
and Safety Executive (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 (14%)
believing that drinking a glass of water will
help protect them from the deadly dust and
one in four (27%) thinking that opening a
window will help to keep them safe.
Only a third (30%) of those asked, were
able to identify all the correct measures for safe
asbestos working, whilst more than half (57%)
made at least one potentially lethal mistake in
trying to identify how to stay safe.
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.
The research, undertaken by Censuswide in
September 2014, shows that while more than
half (53%) knew that asbestos could be in old

buildings built before 1970, only 15% knew
that it could still be found in buildings built
up to the year 2000.
To encourage tradespeople to think about
asbestos on every job, so they are prepared
to deal with the danger, HSE has launched a
new safety campaign. Mark Harper, Minister
responsible for Health and Safety, launched
the campaign at the TradePoint store in
Cricklewood in October 2014. TradePoint
is supporting the campaign by distributing
asbestos safety kits to tradespeople through
their stores across Great Britain.
A key feature of the campaign is the
creation of a new web app 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.
The web app is incredibly easy to use and
works by asking the user a series of questions
to help them identify the risk of asbestos being
present before they set to work on a particular
job.
For example the app will ask, ‘When was
the building built?’ and then informs the user
that asbestos can be found in any building
built before 2000. Further questions include,
‘What are you working on?’ for example,
insulation, and ‘How long for?’ It will then

reveal the level of risk of asbestos being present
and either tells the user to find a licensed
asbestos contractor (if the risk is high) or gives
practical step-by-step advice on the right kit to
wear and the necessary precautions to take.
The web app can be accessed online and
on phones, tablets and laptops. It such an
important tool because it really can save a life.
It’s so easy to use and provides a handy guide
to help protect every tradesperson on every
job.
Mark Harper, Minister responsible for
Health and Safety, said:
“The number dying every year from asbestos
related-diseases is unacceptably high. Despite
being banned in the construction industry,
asbestos exposure remains a very serious risk to
tradespeople. We hope the safety kits and the
web app will encourage people to be aware of
the risks, think twice, and take precautions to
stay safe.”
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.”
To download the web app please visit www.
beware-asbestos.info/news
For more information on asbestos safety
please visit www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos

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