Analyses of mesothelioma deaths indicate that many deaths are due to heavy asbestos exposures in industries like shipbuilding and railway engineering in the past. If current control measures are not adhered to, asbestos removal workers are now potentially at the highest risk, as are workers involved in the refurbishment, repair or maintenance of buildings - such as plumbers, carpenters and electricians.

Asbestos still kills!

Asbestos was used extensively as a building material in GB from the 1950s through to the mid 1980s. Although some of this material has been removed over the years, there are many thousands of tonnes of asbestos still present in buildings. It is estimated that over half a million non-domestic premises currently have some form of asbestos in them. There is extensive repair and removal work, which will continue for the foreseeable future.

These pages give details about the hazards and effects of asbestos and explain the role of HSE in applying measures to control the risks from asbestos.
The information on these pages will be of particular interest to employers, contractors and workers involved in the building trades, such as plumbers, carpenters and electricians and for anyone else who may come into contact with asbestos material during their work, for example, computer installers, cabling engineers.

A key part of HSE's work is to help raise awareness and provide guidance on how to comply with regulations and reduce risk. An example of this is our Asbestos Campaign, where HSE is providing material to help raise awareness of and provide training on how to meet the new “duty to manage” regulation.

The making of the Control of Asbestos at Work 2002 Regulations in October 2002 introduced the new “duty to manage” asbestos risk in non-domestic premises. The regulation is at the core of the Governments continuing strategy to eradicate asbestos related disease.

Nick Brown (the then Minister responsible for health and safety), in his speech to the House of Commons during the debate on the Regulations in October 2002, reinforced the Government's support:

“If current levels of exposure to asbestos are allowed to continue over the next 50 years, nearly 5,000 additional people will be exposed to asbestos fibres and will die from asbestos related diseases. These Regulations should go a long way towards preventing human suffering and misery, and they deserve the full support of the House."

The duty to manage asbestos came into force on 21 May 2004 following an 18-month lead-in period. The asbestos campaign messages during that time were emphasising the need for dutyholders to take urgent action to work towards compliance. For some full compliance will have been achieved but for others much may still need to be done.

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