The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new campaign aimed at tradespeople, their managers and supervisors. The campaign material also contains useful information for homeowners, landlords and DIYers.
The HSE says:
Any job, any day of the week, can potentially release lethal asbestos fibres. It’s not like dust – you can’t see, smell, or feel the fibres in the air or on your clothes.
Asbestos can be found in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000. Houses built in fifties, sixties and seventies are very likely to include asbestos. It could be in the house or building you are working on right now.
More than 5,000 people under the age of 75, and many more over that age, die every year from past exposure to asbestos. The HSE aims to reduce this to zero in years to come. The new campaign is a start on that journey, although the only real solution is to completely remove asbestos from the built environment.
The HSE campaign includes a series of guides, advice and online links to guidance designed to ensure that we’re all aware of the danger from asbestos. They contain clear advice and illustrations of what to look for. You can find out more about them here.