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Employers must act on asbestos risks

Issue date

02 Mar 2007

Employers must act on asbestos risks

The TUC is calling on employers to protect workers from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related disease that kills over 2,000 people every year. It says although the supply and use of asbestos has now been banned in the UK, it is still found in an estimated 1.5 million workplaces, with many employers unaware of its presence. As a result, maintenance and other workers can be exposed if they work in areas where asbestos is present, often ripping out or drilling into material containing asbestos and breathing in the potentially fatal fibres. TUC says the risks can be prevented if employers obey regulations with took effect in November 2006 and find out if there is asbestos on their premises. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, speaking ahead of Action Mesothelioma Day on 27 February, said: 'No worker's life should be put at risk by employers who just cannot be bothered to get a simple survey done. We urge all safety representatives to make sure that their workplace has been checked, and that proper control measures are in place, including providing information and training to both staff and any contractors on asbestos.' TUC says any asbestos discovered in surveys should be clearly marked to prevent anyone working on or near the dangerous material. Damaged asbestos material should always be removed, it adds. It warns that there are too few safety inspectors in the UK to make sure that every employer has checked for asbestos. This means that maintenance, building and demolition workers are being put at unnecessary risk. Thousands of workers, asbestos disease sufferers, family members, bereaved relatives and trade union and health and safety campaigners attended 27 February Action Mesothelioma Day events nationwide. A YouTube film clip prepared for the day and featuring people with mesothelioma and bereaved relatives had had over 1,000 viewings by 1 March.

TUC news release. TUC/HSE asbestos regulations guide for safety representatives [pdf]. Hazards magazine 'Stop! Asbestos!' short guide and asbestos webpages.
Action Mesothelioma short film. Action Mesothelioma podcast featuring Tony Robinson. Action Mesothelioma website.

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