News

New generation of tradesmen 'at risk from asbestos'

Monday, 2 Nov 2009

A new generation of tradesmen is at risk from asbestos, Britain's biggest workplace killer, safety campaigners warned today. More than 35,000 Britons died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma between 1977 and 2007, and the annual rate of deaths is increasing. Around a quarter of the 4,000 people in the UK… Read more

UPDATE... 'Hidden Killer' Campaign

Wednesday, 28 Oct 2009

Asbestos-related disease accounts for around 4000 deaths a year, the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain. More people die as a result of exposure to asbestos than in road accidents. The Hidden Killer asbestos campaign was launched in October 2008 following a regional pilot in the North… Read more

“Persistent mishandling of asbestos” exposed staff to risk

Wednesday, 28 Oct 2009

A waste-management business has been fined £40,000 for continually poor handling of asbestos, which put its staff and the environment at risk of harm. Biffa Waste Services Limited was sentenced on 14 October under the s33(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, in relation to two charges of breaching its… Read more

Warehouse asbestos exposure worst seen in 15 years...

Tuesday, 13 Oct 2009

Two companies have been criticised for falling “woefully short” of the required safety standards by ordering renovation works to continue following the discovery of deadly brown asbestos fibres. Southwark Crown Court heard that Noble Gift Packaging Ltd had contracted A&T Roofing Ltd to remove a roof at a warehouse in… Read more

Europeans feel H&S is suffering in the recession

Thursday, 8 Oct 2009

Six out of 10 people in Europe think the economic crisis is adversely affecting health and safety conditions in the workplace, but British and Irish citizens are more optimistic on this issue than most. This could be explained by the fact that in the UK and Ireland, a far greater… Read more

Company fined GBP12500 for unlicensed asbestos removal

Wednesday, 7 Oct 2009

The Health & Safety Executive has successfully prosecuted three contractors who carried out unlicensed asbestos removal at Kelford School in Rotherham in 2006. Mansell Build Ltd (previously Birse Build Ltd) of Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire,was fined £12,500 and ordered to pay £12,500 costs. Andrew Brightmore, a former manager of ARB Agriplant… Read more

Safety regulator disappointed by ‘killer’ advert ruling

Wednesday, 7 Oct 2009

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today expressed its deep disappointment at a decision by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to uphold a complaint about its ‘Asbestos: The hidden killer’ awareness campaign. The ASA has upheld one complaint from a single source challenging HSE on the numbers of workers it… Read more

Safety regulator disappointed by ‘killer’ advert ruling

Wednesday, 7 Oct 2009

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today expressed its deep disappointment at a decision by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to uphold a complaint about its ‘Asbestos: The hidden killer’ awareness campaign. The ASA has upheld one complaint from a single source challenging HSE on the numbers of workers it… Read more

Asbestos found in dumping probe

Wednesday, 7 Oct 2009

Asbestos has been found at a County Durham quarry during an investigation into illegal waste dumping. The discovery was made at Hangingstone Quarry, near Burnhope, after dawn raids by 150 police officers and 50 experts from the Environment Agency. Twelve sites, including a scrap yard, farm and a planned caravan… Read more

Asbestos fears over factory fire

Wednesday, 7 Oct 2009

A massive factory fire in the West Midlands may have led to asbestos being released into the environment, fire chiefs said. People living near the Hawthorns Trading Estate in Cornwall Road, Smethwick, were urged to shut their windows and stay inside. Up to 200 firefighters have been tackling the fire,… Read more