November 2009

It is hard to believe that every week on average 20 tradesmen, including eight joiners, six electricians and four plumbers die from asbestos-related disease…simply by breathing in asbestos fibres while doing their jobs.

Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work related death in Great Britain, accounting for an estimated 4,000 deaths a year, making it the single biggest work based killer.

More people die as a result of exposure to asbestos than in road accidents. The number of deaths continues to rise and is predicted to peak around 2015. A quarter of those dying are tradesmen or maintenance workers who, while doing their jobs, had unknowingly disturbed and breathed in asbestos.

Launched on 2 November 2008, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), together with key partner organisations began a national campaign which aims to help tradesmen and maintenance workers know when they might be working with asbestos and what they can do to protect themselves.

WHERE CAN YOU FIND ASBESTOS?

It is estimated that more than half a million workplace premises could still contain asbestos. If you are working in a building, which has been constructed or refurbished before 2000 then there is a high probability that you might find asbestos on site.

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 following are some of the more common products and locations:

• Asbestos cement roofs are mainly made up of large sheets of corrugated asbestos cement; they are often found on industrial or farmyard buildings, but also can be found as roofs on garages and sheds.
• Asbestos wall cladding is similar in shape and structure to roof sheeting, and is often found on walls.
• Asbestos downpipes and gutters are sometimes attached at the end of cement roofs in warehouse type buildings.
• Textured coatings were used to produce decorative finishes on ceilings and walls. In the past, they have had various trade names such as ‘Artex’. They are hard and were originally white in colour but have often been painted over. Sometimes textured coatings are applied on top of other types of asbestos such as asbestos insulating board.
• Sprayed coatings are found in insulation on the underside of roofs and sometimes sides of buildings and warehouses. They are also used as fire protection on steel and reinforced concrete beams/columns and on underside of floors. It is one of the most dangerous materials containing asbestos. DO NOT attempt to work on this material under any circumstances, unless you are a HSE-licensed contractor.
• Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB) was commonly used as fireproofing material but it had many other uses such as partition walls, fireproofing panels in fire doors, lift shaft linings, ceiling tiles, soffits and panels below windows. It looks like normal building products such as wall panels boards, ceiling tiles and plasterboard. It is difficult to tell the difference between asbestos insulating board items and non-asbestos materials. Work on AIB normally needs a HSE-licensed contractor as fibres are easily released in to the air when disturbed.
• Lagging and insulation is mostly found in or on heating systems such as round boilers or calorifiers and around pipework. This type of asbestos has many different appearances but is usually a fibrous material which flakes and powders easily. When applied to pipes it is often covered in a protective coating (or painted) which can be any colour, and may make it more difficult to identify. This is one of the most dangerous materials containing asbestos. You are more at risk from breathing in asbestos fibres here because disturbance of the lagging or insulation releases fibres very easily in to the air that you breathe. DO NOT attempt to work on this material under any circumstances unless you are a HSE-licensed contractor.
• Loose fill asbestos was used to insulate industrial and domestic premises so can be found in between cavity walls, under floorboards and in loft spaces. It is a loose, fluffy insulation material (similar to candyfloss), which may be blue-grey or whitish in colour. This is probably the most dangerous asbestos containing material. Loose fill is made up of pure asbestos and if disturbed can release large amounts of fibres in to the air, where they can be breathed in. DO NOT attempt to work on this material under any circumstances unless you are a HSE-licensed contractor
   

ASBESTOS DISEASES

When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases which are responsible for around 4000 deaths a year. There are four main diseases caused by asbestos: mesothelioma (which is always fatal), lung cancer (almost always fatal), asbestosis (not always fatal, but can be very debilitating) and diffuse pleural thickening (not fatal).

Remember, these diseases will not affect you immediately but later on in life, so there is a need for you to protect yourself now to prevent you contracting an asbestos-related disease in the future. It is also important to remember that people who smoke and are also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer.

WORKING WITH ASBESTOS

Avoid working with asbestos if you can. If you are not sure if there are asbestos materials where you are working, stop and check. People in charge of workplace buildings have a responsibility to provide you with information on the location and condition of asbestos in the building – ask to see the asbestos register.

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.

To work safely with asbestos:

• Stop and ask if you think something may be asbestos or if you think the work might need to be carried out by a licensed contractor
• Asbestos Essentials task sheets will show you how to do a range of non-licensed tasks safely. They are free to download at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials
• Follow the plan of work and the task guidance sheets; make sure you use the right sheet for the job
  • Use hand tools not power tools
  • Keep materials damp - not too wet
  • Wear a properly fitted, suitable mask (eg. Disposable FFP3 type). An ordinary dust mask will not be effective
  • Don’t smoke, eat or drink in the work area o Clean up as you go – use a special vacuum cleaner (H class) not a brush
  • After work wipe down your overalls with a damp rag or wear disposable overalls (Type 5)
  • Wear boots without laces or disposable boot covers
  • Make sure waste is double-bagged and is disposed of properly at a licensed tip.

Further information

• HSE’s asbestos web pages at www.hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller 
• HSE’s Infoline Tel: 0845 345 0055
• Textphone: 0845 408 9577
• E-mail: hse.infoline@connaught.plc.uk
  

For free advice on any asbestos related matter, please call FMB Information services on 020 7242 7583.

May 2009

A new film demonstrates the behavioural changes businesses need to make to reduce deaths and accidents in the construction industry.

ConstructionSkills and UCATT have joined forces to encourage construction firms to improve on-site communication in a bid to reduce numbers of accidents in the industry.

Through the Worker Engagement Toolkit, a new film developed by ConstructionSkills and the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT), construction firms can learn that communication between employers and workers can dramatically increase health and safety awareness, and therefore lead to a reduction in the number of accidents. In addition, effective worker engagement can help to increase turnover, and help firms to safeguard their business during tough times. The interview-led, 30-minute film examines all levels of a variety of businesses, speaking to managing directors, foremen and workers, and offers working examples of how accidents have reduced over time when worker engagement has been effectively carried out. The Health and Safety Executive was also involved in developing the DVD, which has been identified by the Strategic Forum for Construction Worker Involvement Group as the best toolkit on the market.

Good communication prevents accidents

Recent research by Glasgow Caledonian University, commissioned by the HSE, found that the lack of communication between management and the workforce was an on-going problem that led to accidents taking place when simple communication could have prevented them. As a result ConstructionSkills and UCATT have been working together to address the root causes of the patterns in behaviour that can lead to accidents occurring.

Kevin Fear, Head of Health, Safety and Environment at ConstructionSkills said:

“This Toolkit aims to encourage firms to take on-site health and safety a step further and implement worker engagement at a higher level, in order to help eliminate the number of accidents across the industry. We have already seen evidence that worker engagement is vital in terms of driving down accident and fatality rates, and as the industry’s Sector Skills Council, we want to promote this across the board using this film as a guide. With entire workforces becoming more open and honest, both productivity and safety can be improved.”

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of the Construction Union, UCATT, said: “All the evidence shows that construction sites which are well organised, where workers are directly employed and where there are a high number of independent health and safety representatives, are far safer than casualised sites where bosses pay lip service to safety.

“This new DVD is a useful tool in reinforcing the message to employers that effective worker involvement is a major factor in reducing deaths and injuries at work.”

About ConstructionSkills

ConstructionSkills is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the construction industry. As a partnership between CITB-ConstructionSkills, CIC and CITB Northern Ireland, it is UK-wide and represents the whole industry from professional consultancies to major contractors and SMEs.

About UCATT

UCATT represents 125,000 members employed in the construction industry throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. UCATT’s General Secretary Alan Ritchie is the Chair of the Strategic Forum for Construction (SFfC) Encouraging Worker Involvement Working Group.

The first 20 copies of the DVD are free on a first come first served basis after which it will cost £20 and is available to buy from ConstructionSkills at: http://www.cskills.org/supportbusiness/publications/index.aspx?productid=3537