Global Asbestos Awareness Week run globally every year between 1st and 7th April, and aims to raise awareness around the dangers of asbestos and endeavours to bring experts and victims together to share, learn and act. The week is dedicated to educating people about both the ongoing potential risk of asbestos and how to manage it to prevent asbestos-related diseases.
Here at QHS all our Installers are all ‘Category B’ trained, which means they are qualified to carry out non-licenced work with asbestos containing materials. Category B covers control measures for minimising risks, safe working, risk assessments, personal protective equipment, waste handling, emergencies etc.
UK research shows that although tradespeople know that asbestos is harmful to health, they believe that asbestos is a historical problem, and so sadly do not take enough appropriate action to protect themselves. In fact younger people, if routinely exposed to asbestos fibres over time, are at greater risk of developing disease than older workers.
Asbestos was often used post World War II to help rebuild Britain, and although it has been banned here in the UK since 1999, asbestos can be found in the fabric of many buildings, such as in insulating board, vinyl floor tiles, loose fill insulation, textured decorative coatings, pipe lagging, sealants, fascias and soffits etc and is thought to have been used in more than four thousand products, mixed with other materials, which makes it almost impossible to detect.
Statistics published by Health & Safety Executive in 2020 show that there are still sadly over five thousand asbestos-related deaths every year throughout the UK, including around twenty tradespeople every week, making it the single biggest cause of work-related deaths. These figures include trades such builders, joiners, plumbers, electricians, and interior contractors.
If you, like us here at QHS find these statistics shocking, we thought you may wish to find out more, so here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions About Asbestos compiled by the Health & Safety Executive.