Maintenance workers warned - don't take the gamble with asbestos

E091:06 7 September 2006

"Don't take a gamble with your life" is the message to maintenance workers from Steve Coldrick, Director of the Health and Safety Executive's Disease Reduction Programme.

These workers, including plumbers, carpenters and builders, account for more than one quarter of the 3,500 asbestos-related cancer deaths each year. To raise their awareness of the dangers of working with asbestos, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today launched its "Don't take the gamble" campaign.

More than half a million non-domestic premises and houses still contain some form of the material, posing a real threat to unwary maintenance workers. These workers are at risk because they may unknowingly drill or cut into material that could contain asbestos and breathe in the deadly fibres.

At the launch of the campaign at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health's annual conference, Steve Coldrick said:

"Exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and an early death. There are around 1.8 million maintenance workers in Great Britain, many of whom don't realise that asbestos could be present and therefore a threat. While current deaths are due to asbestos exposure that happened many years ago, we need to make today's workers aware that they are at risk.. This campaign focuses on how important it is for those working with asbestos not to gamble with their lives."

Colin Stainer, South West Area Co-ordinator of the Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, said: "The IPHE is very happy to support HSE's 'Don't take the gamble' campaign. It is essential that maintenance workers are aware that asbestos is still present in many buildings and that they know what precautions to take to help prevent the appalling deaths caused by asbestos-related disease."

Some key points for maintenance workers are:

• Ask if asbestos is present before starting work
• Check that the work does not require a licence
• Work safely with asbestos: wear a suitable mask, vacuum up any dust with a special Class H vacuum cleaner and do not drill or cut into asbestos with power tools

"Don't take the gamble" also reminds dutyholders of their obligations under asbestos law. Dutyholders are those responsible for the maintenance and repair of non-domestic buildings, either through a contract or tenancy agreement, or because they own the building. Under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations, dutyholders have to manage the risk from asbestos in their buildings.

Some key points for dutyholders are:

• Manage the risk from any asbestos in the building
• Make and keep a record of its location and condition
• Tell people who may work on the building that asbestos is present, especially maintenance workers.

HSE has created a 'one-stop shop' asbestos website, giving a central source of comprehensive advice, at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos.

Notes to editors

Photographs of the campaign launch event are available on request.

1. Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in Great Britain from the 1950s through to the mid 1980s, with some forms used up until 1999. Most asbestos containing material in good condition is safe. Asbestos is dangerous when it is in a loose form, disturbed or worked on as this may release asbestos fibres into the air. If these fibres are inhaled, they may damage the lungs and cause fatal diseases, including cancer.
2. Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The latest detailed analysis of mesothelioma mortality provides an indicationof which occupations are associated with the highest risk of mesothelioma in Great Britain. These are: plumbers and gas fitters; electricians; managers in construction; painters and decorators; steel erectors; roofers and glaziers; carpenters; construction workers (not otherwise specified); builders etc; scaffolders; plasterers. Occupations such as joiners, shopfitters, fire and burglar alarm installers, cabellers and telecommunication installers are also within the at risk group because the nature of the work involves disturbing the fabric of the building. (Mesothelioma Occupation Statistics: Male and Female Deaths aged 16 - 74 in Great Britain 1980 - 2000 (excluding 1981), available on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/occ8000.pdf)
3. The Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering is the UK's professional and technical body for plumbing and heating professionals. A registered educational charity, the Institute's prime objective is the improvement of plumbing and heating engineering standards in the public interest.

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