May 26, 2004—Protection for British building and maintenance workers from the fatal diseases caused by asbestos was just increased when the new duty to manage came into force in the UK. The duty requires anyone responsible for the maintenance of commercial, industrial, or public properties or for the common areas of domestic properties, to check for asbestos and properly manage the risk.
Many structures built or renovated between 1950 and 1980 still contain asbestos—about half a million buildings across Britain. Asbestos becomes dangerous when disturbed; if maintenance workers are not warned they may dislodge the deadly fibers and unwittingly put their lives in jeopardy. So the risks are great—but effective compliance with the duty to manage will help save about 5,000 lives, explains the UK’s Health and Safety Executive.
Asbestos is the biggest occupational health risk ever faced by workers in Britain, according to HSE. About 3,500 people are dying every year as a result of exposure to asbestos many years ago, before it was banned. This figure is expected to reach at least 4,000 deaths annually, peaking sometime between the years 2011 and 2015. Most of these deaths are from mesothelioma (cancer of the lung lining) or lung cancer. HSE is committed to preventing any more exposure to this “terrible material.”
More information on asbestos is available from HSE; and HSE guides, free and priced, are available from HSE Books.
