Young Tradespeople Need To Know The Asbestos Risk

• Browse By Section
• Health Safety & Personnel
• Young Tradespeople Need To Know The Asbestos Risk

Millennials, Gen Z workers and other younger people who work in the trades where they might unwittingly disturb asbestos need their employers to take the risk much more seriously.

That’s the message from the Health and Safety Executive which has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the risks associated with the dangerous substance.

The campaign, called ‘Asbestos & You’, will target all tradespeople with a focus on younger workers. The HSE wants to reach construction workers who started their careers after the use of asbestos was banned in 1999.

The regulator is concerned the length of time it takes for symptoms to develop after asbestos exposure could lead to a perception among today’s younger workers that it is something that only has an impact on older people who were working before the ban.

Dying in their thousands

Five thousand people a year still die from asbestos related illnesses and asbestos can still be found in buildings built or refurbished before the year 2000.

Asbestos containing materials were used extensively in the construction and maintenance of buildings in Great Britain from the 1950s until the ban. That means construction workers of all ages could still be exposed to asbestos fibres today.

 “Asbestos exposure in Great Britain is still the single greatest cause of work-related deaths. We are committed to protecting people in the workplace and reducing future work-related ill health.”

– Sarah Albon 

Chief executive, Health and Safety Executive

Asbestos related lung cancer

“Everyone working in construction today, of any age, must take the risk from asbestos seriously,” says the HSE’s Albon. “Asbestos is dangerous when not maintained in a safe condition or if physically disturbed without the right measures in place to avoid fibres being released into the air.”

If asbestos fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural thickening. Construction tradespeople of any age are at significant risk if they disturb materials containing asbestos during repairs and refurbishment.

HSE’s head of health and work policy Mike Calcutt says: “These diseases often take a long time to develop, and it can take 20 to 30 years for symptoms to appear. It is crucial that all workers know how to recognise the dangers and take the right actions to protect themselves and those around them from being exposed to asbestos fibres.”  

Picture: Asbestos & You – a quick guides for trades.

www.workright.campaign.gov.uk/

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
30th March 2023

Share

Related Articles