It is not uncommon to think that asbestos is just an issue of the past, after all, we don’t use asbestos anymore and the worst forms were banned almost 40 years ago, with a final total ban 24 years ago.
A large number of those currently working in construction will not have been involved when asbestos was widely used in the same way that products are used such as plasterboard, glass fiber insulation, jointing, packing materials, vinyl flooring, decorative finishes and many more.
In the UK we used over 3,000 different types of asbestos products in the construction and maintenance sectors. Although asbestos use may now be seen as a thing of the past, the same cannot be said of the devastation and impact that it has left. Each year more than 5,000 people die in the UK from asbestos–related diseases – a figure that has continued to rise year on year for decades.
A large percentage of this death toll comes from those who have worked in the construction sector or continue to work in the construction sector, where asbestos exposures continue to occur on a daily basis. The risk of exposure to asbestos is high for anyone working on buildings being refurbished, maintained, or demolished. This risk is highest for buildings built before 2000 as the final ban did not occur until 1999.
For decades, health and safety legislation has been introduced to try and combat issues around asbestos. However, these haven’t been as effective as we might have hoped – evidenced by the upward trend in the annual death toll. This in part will be due to the latency period of asbestos related health conditions. This is the lag period between being exposed and then developing one of the associated fatal diseases. Unlike many other fatal hazards, there are no instant signs to show when someone has already been exposed. You cannot see the deadly fibers when they are airborne and you won’t know that you have breathed them in. The fibers are then lodged within your lungs forever. Signs of a disease won’t appear for anything from 10 to even up to 60 years later.
The UK’s current asbestos regulations primarily revolve around responsibilities to manage risks from asbestos containing materials (ACMs). In recent years there have been growing concerns that the UK government isn’t doing enough to deal with this deadly material. As a result, in the latter quarter of 2021 the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) launched a public inquiry into how the UK government regulates and manages asbestos. The public enquiry produced a report of its findings in late April 2022 with 10 key recommendations. The most contentious of these was the removal of all high–risk ACMs within a 40–year period. Along with a national database to highlight where all ACMs are located within public buildings.
The government issued a response that focuses predominately on existing arrangements and a need for everyone to better understand and implement their responsibilities for managing asbestos risks. However, as our increasing death toll demonstrates, existing arrangements are not effective enough and something needs to change.
In the short term this may result in more enforcement action. Those with responsibilities for identifying and managing asbestos risks must increase their knowledge and understanding. We all in the construction trade are a duty holder under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, by being anyone ‘who has by virtue of a contract or tenancy, an obligation of any extent in relation to the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises, or any means of access or egress there from’. Some ACMs will need to be removed, however until such time as everyone fully understands how to assess the risks and properly identify what they must do, then we will most likely continue with our upward death trend which is why it is so important for your employees to be aware of the risks associated with asbestos.
A new asbestos management qualification is due to be launched soon aimed at those with responsibilities for managing construction and maintenance works. It is hoped this will go some way to resolve the lack of awareness.
If you are interested in getting your employees asbestos awareness trained, please visit asbestos training section on this website or contact Zac Norman on 01473 407020 for further information.