Safety regulator disappointed by 'killer' advert ruling

Date:

23 September 2009

Release No:

E080:09

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today expressed its deep disappointment at a decision by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to uphold a complaint about its 'Asbestos: The hidden killer' awareness campaign.

The ASA has upheld one complaint from a single source challenging HSE on the numbers of workers it quoted as dying as a result of exposure to asbestos fibres.

The ASA agreed that the use of numbers of asbestos-related deaths was an effective and appropriate tactic to bring home to tradesmen the serious risks they face in disturbing asbestos, but decided that HSE should have made clear in its radio advertisements that the figures were based partly on estimates.

The ASA also said that the numbers of deaths per week quoted in relation to certain trades should be revised as it considered that they had been overestimated according to the raw data

'Asbestos: The hidden killer' is one of HSE's most effective and successful campaigns. Almost three-quarters of tradesmen who saw or heard the campaign said that they had already taken more safety precautions or plan to take them.

Said Steve Coldrick, HSE's asbestos programme director:

"We are obviously very disappointed with the decision by the ASA to uphold this sole complaint made against our award-winning campaign, but we do consider it to be only on a technicality.

"This campaign is clearly in the public interest and we are now looking to seek an independent review of the adjudication.

"HSE has made no deliberate attempt to mislead the public. Our advertising is based on the same robust statistical evidence and scientific understanding that underpins government policy on asbestos. Whatever the slight differences on interpretation of the figures, there are facts about risk from asbestos that workers should not be denied.

"We do recognise, however, that there been no criticism of our general approach to the 'Asbestos: The hidden killer' campaign and the changes suggested in the adjudication do nothing to affect the key message we want to get out there, namely that asbestos can kill tradesmen if precautions aren't taken.

"Asbestos is Britain's biggest work related killer and significant exposure to asbestos fibres leads to illnesses that currently kill an estimated 4000 people every year - more than die in road accidents.

"Asbestos can be present in buildings built or refurbished up to the year 2000. There is no dispute that asbestos is dangerous to those workers, who are repeatedly exposed to airborne asbestos fibres from deliberate or accidental disturbance without taking proper precautions.

HSE will shortly be leading the next phase of a national campaign to raise awareness amongst tradesmen of the dangers of asbestos and to inform building-related trades about the precautions they should be taking.

Print advertisements which formed part of last year's £1.48 million campaign won an ANNA 'ad of the week' award (Awards for National Newspaper Advertising)' and were nominated for 'ad of the year' under the same scheme.

The campaign has also been shortlisted for a PR Week award.

For more information on the campaign visit www.hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller

Notes to editors

1. The 'Hidden Killer' campaign was launched in October 2008 and is aimed at raising awareness of the risks posed by asbestos to high risk groups of tradesmen, including plumbers, joiners and electricians.
2. The complaint to the ASA was made under RASC section 2 rule 3 which says that "advertisements must not contain any...claims... which might directly or by implication mislead... "and" advertisements must clarify any important limitations or qualifications, without which a misleading impression of a product or service might be given."
3. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.

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