Looking to keep the subject high on the agenda for dutyholders, the Health and Safety Executive have revised the asbestos guidance they provide on their website, to include...
- Simplifying the navigation to make finding information easier; and
- Removing outdated content and replace it with up-to-date, refreshed guidance.
The updated website covers 6 major topic areas, these being:
- Introduction to asbestos safety;
- The duty to manage asbestos in buildings;
- A workers' guide to asbestos safety;
- Asbestos essentials task sheets;
- Locations of asbestos and taking the right action; and
- Licensable work with asbestos.
Added to the content is several videos on working safely with asbestos too.
The link to the HSE website is - Asbestos - HSE
Occupational lung disease remains a serious cause of death and ill health in Great Britain, with, in 2023 12,000 people estimated to have lost their lives due to past exposure at work. These figures breakdown into:
- 34% - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- 24% - Non asbestos related lung cancer
- 20% - Asbestos-related lung cancer
- 20% - Mesothelioma and
- 3% - Other diseases
Asbestos remains a significant contributing factor to these figures, with around 5,000 deaths annually attributable to asbestos-related diseases.
Our August whitepaper (24th August 2023) looked at the subject in more detail, together with identifying 5 top tips and 15 questions you should be asking about your asbestos management. The link to this whitepaper is - Putting your asbestos knowledge to the test
It is now almost 20 years since the duty to proactively identify and manage asbestos in non-domestic buildings came into force. With decades of experience across the team and offering truly independent and qualified management advise, if you have any questions or need support with asbestos, please contact us.