Global Asbestos Awareness Week – HSE Reminds of Dangers

Home » News & Knowledge » Global Asbestos Awareness Week – HSE reminds businesses to monitor asbestos

As we step into Global Asbestos Awareness Week (April 1-7), The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding businesses occupying buildings built before the year 2000 to assess, manage and monitor asbestos risks.

Between 1950 and 1980, asbestos was commonly used in buildings and equipment. However, buildings built or refurbished before 2000 could also contain asbestos containing materials (ACMs).

Global Asbestos Awareness Week

Asbestos exposure can have significant human costs, with asbestos-related disease being the highest cause of work-related deaths in the UK.

Chris Newson CFIOSH (Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health), Environment Health and Safety Director said:

“The number of people affected each year by this deadly material within UK manufacturing is still far higher than it need be.”

Despite asbestos being banned in the UK in November 1999, it remains a risk.

David Butter, HSE Head of Manufacturing Sector said:

“It can still be found in a wide variety of materials in factories and manufacturing premises.”

“Dutyholders must identify, assess and manage asbestos in their buildings to keep people safe.”

As part of the Control of Asbestos Regulations, there is a legal duty to manage asbestos. Penalties for failing to do so range from fines to prison sentences.

Six steps to comply with this legal duty:

Find out if asbestos could be present in your building
Arrange an asbestos survey by a competent person or accredited surveyor
Make a register and assess the risks from your asbestos
Write your asbestos management plan
Put your plan into action
Continually monitor and communicate the plan

Asbestos – Why is it dangerous?

According to HSE, asbestos exposure is the greatest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain, and around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases.

However, these diseases typically take decades to develop, which means they can take years to be diagnosed, and they cannot be cured.

HSE explains that when asbestos is left alone and in good condition, the risk of danger is low. However, once asbestos is disturbed, fibres can be released and if they are breathed in, they can cause fatal diseases such as lung disease and cancer.

You cannot see, smell or feel the asbestos fibres in the air or on your clothes, so you do not know asbestos is there.

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring material that is present in soil and rock and was often used in construction and building up until the 1990s. However, it was later found that asbestos exposure can cause fatal lung conditions such as mesothelioma, which led to its ban.

Asbestos comes from mines across the world including Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil and China. The naturally occurring mineral is made up of heat-resistant fibres and there are three main types commonly found in the UK – brown, white and blue.

Between the 1930s and the 1980s, it was mixed into cement, roofing felt, texture walls, ceiling coverings and floor tiles, and used on roofs, gutters and window seals and to lag or insulate boilers and pipes.

There are many buildings still standing today which contain asbestos and could pose a health risk if the material is disturbed.

What does asbestos look like?

Asbestos can have different appearances depending on how it’s used and its form.

Raw asbestos

In its raw form, asbestos often looks like a fibrous mineral with a whitish, greyish, or bluish-green colour. It can appear as thin, needle-like fibres or as bundles of fibres.

Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs)

Asbestos was commonly used in various building materials, so it might be found in different forms such as:

Asbestos cement: This material, often used in roofing, siding, and pipes, may look like ordinary cement but with fibres embedded in it.
Asbestos insulation: In buildings, asbestos insulation might appear as fluffy or fibrous material inside walls, ceilings, or around pipes.
Asbestos tiles: Asbestos-containing floor tiles can resemble vinyl tiles but may have a distinctive fibrous appearance on closer inspection.
Asbestos cloth or fabric: This might look like regular cloth but with a fibrous texture. It was commonly used in protective clothing and insulation.

When was asbestos banned in the UK?

Asbestos was fully banned in the UK in November 1999. This was when it was made illegal to buy, sell, import or export any asbestos-containing materials.

However, the import and use of blue (Crocidolite) and brown (Amosite) asbestos was banned in the UK more than a decade before in 1985. All six types of asbestos can be deadly if you are exposed.

Asbestos disposal

Asbestos is hazardous when disturbed, as it releases microscopic fibres into the air that can be inhaled and cause serious health issues, including lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Therefore, it’s crucial to handle any suspected asbestos-containing materials with caution and seek professional assistance for proper identification and safe removal.

The Health and Safety Executive issues guidance on asbestos regulations, including when you need to use a licensed specially trained contractor to remove the hazardous material.

Symptoms of asbestos exposure

According to the NHS, symptoms of asbestos exposure include the following:

Shortness of breath
Persistent cough
Wheezing
Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
Pain in your chest or shoulder
In more advanced cases, clubbed (swollen) fingertips

However, it can take 20 to 30 years after being exposed to asbestos before symptoms appear, and sometimes there are no symptoms.

How to make a claim

If you have read the above and feel that you may be suffering from any of the symptoms whilst exposed to substances at work or school, call Oakwood Solicitors to speak to a member of our dedicated Industrial Disease team.

Asbestos guidance

The HSE website issues guidance on how to handle asbestos.

Global Asbestos Awareness Week – HSE reminds businesses to monitor asbestos