Asbestos Kills

Asbestos killer

Download the article on the dangers of asbestos featured in the Spring 2008 edition of Switched On. Download PDF


Asbestos film: To view 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer' video provided by HSE on this subject: Click here

For further information visit the HSE dedicated website

HSE’s Infoline Tel: 0845 345 0055

E-mail: hse@connaught.plc.uk

You are more at risk than you think …

It’s hard to believe that six electricians are amongst the 20 tradesmen who die from asbestos-related disease on average every week.

Asbestos accounts for an estimated 4,000 deaths a year in Great Britain, making it the UK’s single biggest work-based killer.

The number of deaths continues to rise and is predicted to peak around 2015.

Asbestos can be found in any building built or refurbished before 2000. It is estimated that more than half a million workplace premises could still contain asbestos.

A quarter of those dying are tradesmen or maintenance workers who, while doing their jobs, had unknowingly disturbed and breathed in asbestos. That is why the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), together with its partners, is continuing to do all it can to continue to raise awareness of the risks asbestos poses to tradesmen.

Last November and this January, HSE together with key partner organisations ran follow-up campaigns to further target tradesmen who are still at risk. The campaign built on the success of the previous one, aiming to raise awareness amongst tradesmen that they are more at risk than they think from asbestos, and prompt them to find out more about asbestos and the precautions they should be taking.


The campaign’s key messages were:

  • Asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000
  • The risks with asbestos still exist – it is not just an issue for former tradesmen
  • You may not realise it, but you may be disturbing asbestos when you work
  • Even today, an estimated 500,000 non-domestic buildings contain asbestos and there is a duty on landlords or owners of non-domestic premises to ‘manage asbestos’ by creating and maintaining a record of where it is etc
  • Generally, asbestos is only a risk if it is disturbed or damaged causing fibres to be released into the air. If materials containing asbestos are in good condition and in a position where they are not going to be disturbed or damaged, then it is safer to leave them where they are
  • The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 require mandatory information, instruction and training for anyone likely to be come into contact with asbestos at work.

Don’t start work if:

  • You are not sure if there is asbestos where you are working
  • The asbestos materials are sprayed coatings, board or insulation and lagging on pipes and boilers – only licensed contractors should work on these
  • You have not been trained to do non-licensed work with asbestos. Basic awareness training is not enough.

You should only continue to work if:

  • The work has been properly planned, the right precautions are in place and you have the right equipment
  • The materials are asbestos cement, textured coatings and certain other materials that do not need a licence
  • You have had training in asbestos work and know how to work with it safely.

According to HSE, the ‘Hidden Killer’ campaign in 2009, supported by a range of bodies including the Electrical Safety Council, was a huge success. Nine out of ten electricians heard or saw the adverts and, of all the tradesmen who recognised the campaign, 90% said that they had taken precautions or planned to do so.