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Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral having excellent fire and chemical resisting properties which found extensive use as a building material in Great Britain from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s. It is estimated that more than 500,000 non-domestic premises still contain some form of asbestos. Any type of building built before 2000 (factories, offices, schools, hospitals, homes etc) could contain asbestos. Unfortunately the microscopic asbestos fibres released when the material is damaged, worn or worked upon can cause long-term health problems when breathed in including cancer.
Around 3500 deaths each year in this country are asbestos-related, making asbestos-related disease the biggest occupational killer in the UK.
A very wide range of workers engaged in building repair, maintenance and refurbishment remain at risk from exposure to asbestos fibres. The table below list the main trades but this list is by no means exhaustive. It is estimated that over 1.8 million workers are involved in the maintenance trades alone.
The Health and Safety Executive and local authorities are contributing to a national programme of education and intervention concerning work with asbestos. The aim is to significantly reduce asbestos-related deaths by reducing the risks posed to workers by asbestos in the workplace, a key strand of this work is improving compliance with the duty to manage asbestos in workplaces. This Authority will be contributing to publicising the concerns over asbestos and supporting the national promotional work by the HSE this year. It is hoped that the collective efforts of the HSE and local authorities will help address the number of asbestos related disease cases over the long term future. You can visit the HSE's asbestos web pages at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm.
Maintenance workers undertaking their normal work activities are often unaware that the materials they are working on contains asbestos and therefore risk being accidentally exposed to asbestos fibres.
The ‘Don’t take the gamble’ campaign aims to raise awareness of the risks associated with asbestos within the maintenance worker group and remind duty holders of their legal duties. The campaign will help raise awareness and to encourage businesses and workers to seek further information and advice from the HSE. The campaign will be aimed at those workers who may carry out work on asbestos that falls outside the licensing regime (it will however remind workers and duty holders that certain asbestos work does require a licence). The campaign will also target duty holders within the small and medium enterprise range and facilities management.
Media adverts in the trade press will target plumbing, heating and ventilation engineers (within the maintenance worker group they are particularly vulnerable to asbestos exposure). The advert will include a pull-off ‘playing card’ with the message:
Press notices to the Black and Ethnic Minority Press will be used to try to reach those who may not have access to, or be able to fully understand, other press.
The current campaign will be just one element of the HSE and local authorities continuing asbestos work. Other activity will include continuing inspections and enforcement, visiting licensed removal work. The HSE will also develop a national ‘one-stop’ shop website for all asbestos information, updating asbestos guidance material (including making more available from the website) and producing new guidance (for instance on textured coatings and work in domestic premises). The HSE are also producing an asbestos risk management tool for businesses.
Asbestos must be properly managed in buildings to prevent people being afected by it. A very useful leaflet has been produced by the HSe in cooperation with other organisations called, "Manage Buildings? You must manage asbestos." The pdf leaflet can be found on the HSE web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/manageasbestos.pdf
A Newsletter (Newsletter number 10 dated September 2006) gives information on the concerns of working with asbestos materials and the planned national publicity campaign can be downloaded from our Downloads page.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fibre found in a number of different forms (commonly called white, brown and blue) that for many years were used in a variety of products in situations where heat and oil were likely to be encountered. This made asbestos containing materials useful in the home in the past and if your property is more than 15 years old it is possible that it could have some materials containing asbestos.Due to the microscopic size and shape of the asbestos fibres breathing in the fibres when the material is improperly handled can lead to a number of associated diseases.
Asbestos is classed as 'special waste' - which means that it has to be disposed off separately from normal domestic refuse. Professionals will be able to take down and remove asbestos cement containing materials and dispose of them under licence. It is your responsibility to check that the contractor you choose has the relevant licence. A "Special Waste Consignment Note" provided by the Environment Agency must accompany each load of special waste. The contractor should provide you with a copy of this.
Alternatively you may wish to hire a special skip for the disposal of the material or contact the Direct Services Department of this Authority to discuss the arrangements for the collection of the bagged material, at cost, from you.
If as a householder, you intend to transport asbestos cement waste in your own vehicle, you do not need to be a registered carrier provided that it is your own waste. However, you should take the following steps to ensure that the asbestos cement does not contaminate your car:
Should you intend to dispose of asbestos cement yourself, please contact Nottinghamshire County Council first on 0115 977 2019 or 0844 9808080.
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