COVER STORY
ASBESTOS STILL KILLS BOHS calls for a responsible approach to asbestos management.
For many people, the fact that asbestos still kills is a surprise. After all, in today’s world of work with its omnipresent ‘health and safety’ culture – aren’t we all protected against everything that’s unsafe? Sadly this isn’t the case, and the continued publication of alarming statistics and incidents relating to prosecutions for unsafe asbestos working practices and exposure to asbestos, is extremely concerning. Even more concerning are the statistics that prove asbestos is still a problem: it kills around 5,000 workers each year, as well as this 20 tradesmen die each week as a result of past exposure to asbestos.
WHY IS ASBESTOS
STILL A PROBLEM? Asbestos was used in abundance between 1940 and 1970, and for this reason it is often thought of as a problem of the past. However, the supply and use of asbestos in the UK was only banned finally in 1999
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though its prohibition, using a phased approach, began in 1985. Therefore, asbestos can be present in buildings, both residential and commercial, that were constructed or refurbished up to the year 2000. At least 500,000 commercial buildings, and one million domestic properties, feature some form of asbestos containing material (ACM). Over the years, ACMs were widely used in the construction of buildings using materials such as lagging, ceiling tiles, flooring, roofing felt, damp proofing materials, and storage heaters to name but a few.
Furthermore, it is not solely construction workers who are at risk of exposure to asbestos. Anyone involved in the maintenance and refurbishment of buildings can be at risk, including, but not limited to heating and ventilation engineers, plasterers, painters and decorators, computer and data installers, shop fitters, building surveyors, general maintenance staff,
telecommunications engineers and many more.
Asbestos is classified as a category 1 carcinogen. The fibres from ACM, if inhaled, can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma; asbestosis; asbestos-related lung cancer. The onset of a disease caused by asbestos exposure can be delayed by anything from around 15 to 60 years - therefore it’s vital to reduce exposure now in order to minimise future risk.
BE RESPONSIBLE – MINIMISE
THE RISKS For premises that contain asbestos, there is a legal responsibility to manage the material; this legal responsibility lies with the ‘duty holder’. Put simply, the duty holder is the owner of the premises, or the person in charge of the maintenance or repair of the premises. Premises can include any industrial, commercial, or public buildings, such as factories, warehouses, office, schools and hospitals.
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