Asbestos dangers suffer a lack of awareness, research reveals

New research has revealed that almost half of UK tradespeople don’t regard asbestos as a modern-day issue, with over a quarter of those surveyed admitting to ignoring correct removal procedures upon encountering it.

Training provider, High Speed Training, conducted a survey in September 2024. It questioned 500 tradespeople about asbestos, and the results found that 49% of the respondents believed that the highly dangerous material was an issue that belonged in the past.

Additionally, 50% of those surveyed said that it had become less of a concern to them as their careers progressed. 26% of the overall respondents said that they hadn’t bothered to follow correct procedure to remove asbestos when they did encounter it.

Around 5,000 people a year lose their lives to asbestos-related disease in the UK, which – according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – is the biggest cause of work-related deaths.

Disturbed asbestos can cause the release of invisible fibres, which when inhaled, may lead to the development of such incurable cancers as mesothelioma. conditions that don’t manifest themselves until decades after exposure.

Even though it was banned over two decades ago, estimates believe that asbestos can still be found in anything up to 1.5 million UK buildings.

In early 2025, the Health and Safety Executive launched an awareness-raising campaign to highlight the dangers of asbestos. The intention being to guide tradespeople regarding the risks still presented by asbestos, as well as the legal obligations in place for dealing with it.

Looking at High Speed Training’s survey results, it would seem that the urgency of this message is not making it through to those working on the frontline. 55% of those surveyed were either unaware of or disagreed with the fact that asbestos is currently responsible for the most workplace deaths.

Of the aforementioned 26% of those who haven’t been following the correct procedures for removing asbestos, 55% said that the expense of removing it properly was too great, with more than a quarter saying that they had been instructed by a boss or supervisor to dispose of it themselves.

46% of tradespeople surveyed were of the belief that there was insufficient training in place with regards to asbestos safety and awareness.

In addition to the tradesperson survey, 500 members of the public were also quizzed regarding their thoughts on asbestos. Of the responses, almost 70% stated that worries about asbestos had never concerned them in the home or the workplace.

As a result of these findings, Mesothelioma UK, High Speed Training and Independent Asbestos Training Providers (IATP) have been prompted to write to the UK education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, which urges the Department of Education to make training compulsory regarding asbestos for future generations of tradespeople.

Head of learning and development at High Speed Training, Dr Richard Anderson, said:

“The purpose of this open letter is to ensure that those entering into careers that have the highest chances of encountering [asbestos] have all the necessary information embedded into their education, so that they can protect themselves and those around them, now and in the future,”

“This is a public interest issue and we’re asking for the relevant government body to do its part in aiding the future safety of everyone that could be impacted.”

Asbestos guidance 

The HSE website issues guidance on how to handle asbestos.

Further reading

Mesothelioma and asbestosis – Oakwood Solicitors

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