Asbestos kills around 5000 workers each each, which is more than the number of people killed on the road. Around 20 tradesman die each week as a result of past exposure so it’s not just a problem of the past, it can be present today in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000.
When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. This is why it is important that you protect yourself now.
Asbestos can be found in any industrial or residential building built or refurbished before the year 2000. It is in many of the common materials used in the building trade that you may come across during your work. A few examples are, sprayed coatings, asbestos cement water tank, lagging on boilers and pipes, vinyl floor tiles to list a few.
It’s important to remember you can’t see or smell asbestos fibres in the air and the effects of being exposed may take many years to show up. People who smoke and are also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer. But asbestos is only a danger when fibres are made airbourne and breathed in. As long as the asbestos is in good condition and is located somewhere where it can’t be easily damaged then it shouldn’t be a risk.
The section on ‘Managing and working with asbestos’ by the HSE provides further information on working with asbestos.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/detail.htm
