Why asbestos awareness is important?

Employers must make sure apprentices are asbestos aware, says UKATA.

In an effort to halt the growing number of tradespeople contracting asbestos-related diseases, the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA), is calling on employers to deliver asbestos awareness training to all apprentices.

Research has shown that younger people, if routinely exposed to asbestos fibres over time, are at greater risk of developing deadly asbestos-related diseases than older workers.

Providing apprentices with key information about asbestos at an early stage will enable them to challenge poor work practices and protect themselves.

Apprentice electricians, plumbers, carpenters. joiners, heating and ventilation engineers, painters and decorators are just some of the 1.3 million tradespeople that are at risk from exposure to the killer building material.

The facts include:

  • Asbestos kills around 20 tradespeople in the UK every week, making it the single biggest cause of work-related deaths
  • Electricians are almost 16 times more likely than the general population to develop the killer lung disease mesothelioma in their lifetime. (Occupational, domestic and environmental mesothelioma risks in the British population: a case-control study)
  • Asbestos exposure kills 4 plumbers every week (Health & Safety Executive)
  • 598 carpenters and joiners died between 1991-2000 as a result of an asbestos disease
  • 1 in 17 British carpenters born in the 1940s will die of mesothelioma (Cancer Research UK and Health & Safety Executive)
  • The UK has the highest death rate from mesothelioma in the world. The risk is highest in people who were exposed to asbestos before age 30. (Institute of Cancer Research)

Despite the well-publicised health risks posed by asbestos, a 2017 survey conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of 500 tradespeople showed that less than a third were aware of the correct ways to deal with and handle asbestos in the workplace.

Read full article here: https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/health-safety-news/ukata-asbestos-aware/71151/

Get Started with Casa Environmental Services

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The training can take place at any of our offices in Bristol, Southampton or Devon or at a venue chosen by you. Please read more here: https://www.casaenvironmental.co.uk/accredited-asbestos-training-courses-in-uk-finding-the-best-asbestos-awareness-training-near-you/

Read more about The UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) – ‘Excellence in Asbestos Training’ here: https://www.ukata.org.uk/