Parker PR

Gary Duce, Managing Director of Reset Training says the imbalance between the funds used to prevent Swine Flu deaths and those caused by exposure to asbestos is nothing short of scandalous.

The UK spent £1.2bn preparing for and responding to the Swine Flu virus, which was responsible for 457 reported and confirmed related deaths across the UK between the outbreak in April last 2009 and March this year.

"There are approximately 4,000 deaths from asbestos related diseases each year in the UK – that's almost 10 times that attributed to Swine Flu. More people will die from in the next six weeks from Asbestosis, Mesothelioma and Asbestos related lung cancer in the next than died from Swine Flu in a whole year. It's scandalous that this situation is being allowed to continue unabated," said Gary Duce.

Although Asbestos related diseases are often associated with heavy industry such as ship building and boiler making, the material is still found in a wide variety of places in buildings. If it is disturbed it can release microscopic fibres that once inhaled, lodge in the lungs like a time bomb waiting to trigger off the diseases.

This means that maintenance staff, electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and construction workers to name but a few are at risk when doing their jobs. Special licences are needed for the safe removal of asbestosis but service providers need to be aware of the dangers of asbestos and how to work safely when it is found.

Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2006 states that 'Those persons who are liable to be exposed to asbestos whilst carrying out their normal everyday work should undergo asbestos awareness training'. This is basically anyone who is likely to disturb the fabric of a building in any way such as drilling, chasing out etc.

"We have tens of thousands of workers exposed to the risk of asbestos every day. If they come into contact with it an inhale the fibres it could be 10, 20, or 30 years before the disease brings about death. The fact is with the right awareness training exposure can be massively reduced if not eradicated but we need the Government to put more into helping businesses with the training, just as we need businesses to take responsibility for their employees. If we don't we will be living with the legacy of thousands of asbestos related deaths for generations to come," said Gary Duce.

The use of asbestos in building was made illegal in 2000, but with the vast majority of building stock in the UK being from before that date there are still major risks. Asbestos can be found in ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, boilers, sprayed coatings, radiators and fuse boxes amongst other places.

Because asbestos is often mixed with another material it's hard to know if it is part of the fabric of a building. Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material that has been a popular building material since the 1950s. It is used as an insulator (to keep in heat and keep out cold), has good fire protection properties and protects against corrosion.

"A recently published UK Government Reports states that the expenditure on Swine Flue was "proportionate and effective". I'd like to know what the Government thinks would be "proportionate and effective" amount to be spent on diseases that are killing nearly ten times as many people in the UK right now and will continue to do so for years to come," said Gary Duce.

Reset Training provides a wide range of training from its offices in Ecclesfield including Electrical (including 17th Edition online), PASMA and iPAF, IOSH & NEBOSH, First Aid, Asbestos Awareness and many more.

ENDS

Additional information:

Asbestos related diseases

Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) and the lining surrounding the lower digestive tract (peritoneum). It is almost exclusively related to asbestos exposure and by the time it is diagnosed, it is almost always fatal.

Asbestos-related lung cancer
Asbestos-related lung cancer is the same as (looks the same as) lung cancer caused by smoking and other causes. It is estimated that there is around one lung cancer for every mesothelioma death.

Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a serious scarring condition of the lung that normally occurs after heavy exposure to asbestos over many years. This condition can cause progressive shortness of breath, and in severe cases can be fatal.

Pleural thickening
Pleural thickening is generally a problem that happens after heavy asbestos exposure. The lining of the lung (pleura) thickens and swells. If this gets worse, the lung itself can be squeezed, and can cause shortness of breath and discomfort in the chest.

Asbestos Regulations

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
The Control of Asbestos Regulations came into force on 13 November 2006 (Asbestos Regulations - SI 2006/2739)

The major changes are as follows: -
• Single Control Limit of 0.1 f/ml for work with all types of asbestos.
• Specific mandatory training for all trades liable to be exposed to asbestos.
• Fibre counting under new World Health Organisation (WHO) method, from European Reference Method (ERM).
• Deregulation of textured coatings
The Approved Codes of Practice 'Work with asbestos insulation, asbestos coating and asbestos insulating board' L28 (Fourth Edition) 2002, 'Work with asbestos which does not normally require a license' L27 (Fourth Edition) 2002, and 'A guide to the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations' L11 have all been superseded by a new Approved Code of Practice 'Work with materials containing asbestos' L143. The management of asbestos in non-domestic premises - L127 2002, in relation to Regulation 4 will still be applicable.

The Duty to Manage
If you own, occupy, manage or have responsibilities for non-domestic premises, which may contain asbestos, you will either have:
• A legal duty to manage the risk from this material: or
• A duty to co-operate with whoever manages that risk. The person responsible for a building (The Duty Holder) is required to manage the risk from asbestos by:
• Taking reasonable steps to find asbestos on their premises and assess the condition of these materials;
• Presuming that materials do contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not;
• Preparing a record of the location and condition of asbestos, or presumed asbestos, materials and assess the risks from them;
• Preparing and implementing a plan to manage those risks; and
• Providing information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to disturb them. Who will be the Duty Holder?