Report prompts government's new asbestos awareness initiative

A new survey conducted by Censuswide for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has further affirmed the importance of asbestos surveying by shedding light on the often misunderstood dangers and prevalence of asbestos exposure, prompting a new safety campaign geared towards fighting the danger and increasing employee awareness.

The initiative was launched by Health and Safety Minister Mark Harper, who has stated: "The number dying every year from asbestos related-diseases is unacceptably high. Despite being banned in the construction industry, asbestos exposure remains a very serious risk to tradespeople. This safety campaign is about highlighting the risks and easy measures people can take to protect themselves."

The survey uncovered the fact that tradespeople working in fields such as interior decoration, construction, carpentry and many more were being exposed to asbestos more than one hundred times a year, and that their awareness of its prevalence and dangers was shockingly rudimentary.

Disclosing the pervasiveness of such myths as the idea that opening windows and drinking a glass of water would offer such tradespeople substantial protection, the research reported that less than one third of individuals polled could identify the correct safety measures for working around asbestos.

More than half were reported to make potentially fatal mistakes while believing themselves to be acting correctly. It was ultimately concluded that a shocking average of 20 tradespeople succumb to asbestos related diseases every week. The number of people suffering from asbestos-related disabilities is sure to be just as concerning.

The asbestos surveying services provided by Trident Surveying exist to minimise the personal, financial, and legal risks for you and your employees. Asbestos can be found in a host of household areas, and fibres can be easily disturbed by basic work. Once breathed in, these fibres can have lethal results, causing diseases like lung disease and mesothelioma – an aggressive cancer of the chest cavity, outer lung, and abdominal insides.

Asbestos exposure profoundly threatens the health of you and your employees. With increased governmental input aiming to improve public awareness, the legal costs of failing to protect employees is set to grow and grow, meaning that both your firm's financial and physical wellbeing could be at risk. Contact Trident Surveying to organise your asbestos surveying today, in order to protect yourself for tomorrow.