FEATURE
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST WORKPLACE KILLER
An innovative team of asbestos experts at Acorn Analytical Services is appealing to FMs to spread awareness about asbestos to help reduce the number of fatalities and prosecutions related to the substance. Here, Tomorrow’s FM speaks to two members of Acorn’s team.
Every year, around 90,000 individuals die from asbestos- related diseases around the globe and asbestos exposure remains the world’s number one cause of work-related deaths.
The use of asbestos in the UK was banned in 1999 but experts estimate the life-threatening substance remains in around 1.5m properties here. As a result, tragically on average more than 5,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases in the UK every year.
Asbestos can also bring businesses to a grinding halt. Every year UK businesses end up facing crippling fi nes and court costs for failing to comply with asbestos laws and for some this will spell the end of trading. In certain cases, company owners and managers will also be personally prosecuted and fi ned or even given a prison sentence.
Asbestos experts at Acorn Analytical Services are convinced the biggest hurdle we face when it comes to eradicating the danger of asbestos is a lack of knowledge about the substance and awareness of the risks it presents to people going about their everyday lives.
As a result, its team is now turning to the UK’s facilities managers to help them spread awareness about asbestos.
Company Director Neil Munro said: “At Acorn we’re so aware of the dangers of asbestos that our team is constantly on the lookout for places where asbestos may not be being managed properly. This is second nature to us and extends far beyond our normal working day into our everyday lives.
“To make a real difference to the numbers of asbestos- related fatalities and court cases in the UK we need everyone to start questioning asbestos management in their everyday lives.
“We’re appealing to facilities managers to help with this because they’re already tuned in to the importance of maintaining buildings and making sure they meet the legal requirements and health and safety standards. Although the nuances of the role may vary from one organisation to the next their ultimate priority is the same as ours – to keep people alive and safe.
“We’re asking facilities managers not only to question asbestos management in their everyday lives but to encourage their colleagues to do the same so we can get asbestos higher up the agenda for change.
44 | TOMORROW’S FM
“We need people to start thinking about asbestos when it comes to the schools their children attend, their doctors, hospitals, places of worship as well as other workplaces and public buildings that they visit.
“If we all begin to ask if the places we’re visiting are ‘asbestos safe’, we can make a real difference and potentially save thousands of lives every year.”
To fully evaluate if a building is completely compliant with asbestos laws and regulations an all-encompassing asbestos compliance audit would need to be undertaken.
However, Acorn has produced a list of simple questions that anyone can ask to help evaluate if a building is ‘asbestos safe’. If the following questions about non-domestic properties can be answered confi dently, with robust up-to- date information, then this will be a good indication that the organisation is managing its asbestos safely.
1. Do you have an asbestos management plan and if so, can you provide a copy? All non-domestic premises built before the year 2000 must have an asbestos management plan.
2. Has asbestos been identifi ed at your site? Can you provide up-to-date records? Asbestos that has been identifi ed is usually detailed in an asbestos register.
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