06 Nov - Asbestos risks 'are not a thing of the past'

Friday, 6 Nov 2009

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned public liability insurance customers that asbestos is still a very real danger, as a new campaign gets underway.

Rosi Edwards, HSE regional director for the West Midlands, said that asbestos-related illnesses claim the lives of up to 4,000 people every year, more than the number that die in road accidents.

She added: "The advice is: if employees are not 100 per cent certain that there is no asbestos where they are working, then do not start work. Think of it as not just protecting themselves, but also protecting family and loved ones from unnecessary heartache."

Figures released by the HSE show that between 1981 and 2005, over 1,500 workers died from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by breathing in deadly asbestos fibres.

A new £1.2 million campaign highlighting the dangers of the substance, which is aimed at public liability insurance customers, joiners, plumbers and electricians, was launched today, featuring radio adverts and posters.

Source: ContractorsCompare Nov 09