Archive for the ‘Asbestos Surveys’ Category
Cancer deaths from asbestos at all-time high
Deaths from a cancer caused by asbestos dust are at an all-time high, research by BBC Look East has revealed.
Since the 1980s, the male death rate from mesothelioma has increased more than four-fold in the east of England.
High street retailer and two contractors found guilty of safety failings
Marks and Spencer plc and two of its contractors have been convicted for putting members of the public, staff and construction workers at risk of exposure to asbestos-containing materials during the refurbishment of two stores.
Asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK, with an estimated 4,000 people dying every year.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Marks and Spencer plc, Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd and PA Realisations Ltd (formerly Pectel Ltd). The work was carried out between 2006 and 2007 on shops in Reading and Bournemouth.
Winchester Crown Court heard construction workers at the two stores removed asbestos-containing materials that were present in the ceiling tiles and elsewhere.
Asbestos exposure at sheltered housing leads to fine
A Nottinghamshire building firm contaminated an elderly resident’s possessions with asbestos during bathroom renovation work at sheltered housing in West Bridgford.
Abbott and Mason Building and Joinery Contractors Ltd of Mansfield also left asbestos-containing materials outside the building in the open air, putting the public at risk.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the firm after it carried out work at the home of 96-year-old Mrs Ann Jenkins in Musters Road on 4 February 2010.
The company was removing asbestos insulation board (AIB) which had been used to box in pipework behind the bath but many of Mrs Jenkins’ possessions, including clothing and furniture was contaminated with asbestos fibres and had to be destroyed.
Asbestos campaigners launch asbestos awareness survey in conjunction with UKAS
British asbestos campaigners have today launched a national survey exploring general awareness and understanding of asbestos in buildings and the regulations designed to protect UK workers from being exposed to asbestos in their workplace.
The survey can be taken here:
The Great British Asbestos in Buildings Survey 2011
The survey has been developed in conjunction with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) the organisation that currently accredits over 100 asbestos inspection bodies to carry out asbestos surveys. Known as the Great British Asbestos in Buildings Survey 2011, the survey will be promoted across all industries via the UK’s leading trade associations and trade unions, membership organisations and industry institutions. Tradesmen, building occupiers, dutyholders, clients, FM’s, property managers of non-domestic buildings will be encouraged to take the survey.
According to the HSE, asbestos is responsible for an estimated 4000 deaths each year and is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. Results are expected to give an insight into awareness of the Duty to Manage Asbestos and highlight areas for raising awareness of the risks of asbestos in the workplace.
The Survey has the backing of high profile asbestos campaigners across the UK. Annette Brooke MP and Chair of the Asbestos in Schools Group welcomed the survey:
“This survey is a welcome step in the right direction. It is so vital that we highlight the dangers surrounding asbestos and I hope that participation in this survey is as wide as possible. ”
John Richards, Managing Director of analytical and surveying firm, Thames Laboratories said:
“With recent public sector funding cuts and the Government’s review of Health and Safety, we are concerned that this important subject maybe overlooked. Currently in the UK, more people are dying from asbestos exposure than in road accidents and yet our approach to asbestos still ranges from apathy to paranoia.
Recent conflicting reports produced from ATAC and HSE, and the issues of low level asbestos exposure, have led to the development of this research project, aimed at establishing what is really happening”.
Jon Murthy, Marketing & Communications Manager at UKAS said:
“This is the first industry initiative of its kind in which UKAS has participated and we hope to see this repeated annually to measure what improvements are happening within the asbestos sector. UKAS will play its role by ensuring the questionnaire is circulated to as many individuals as possible, from all industry sectors, via Unions, Trade Associations, Industry Institutions and Membership Organisations”.
The survey results will be published in a report in the summer 2011 via the campaign website www.asbestosinspectionbodies.co.uk and should highlight the issues arising from the most comprehensive review of the subject to date.
Source: Asbestos Inspection Bodies
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Co-operative fined £30k for supermarket asbestos exposure
Customers and staff at a supermarket in Oldham were exposed to asbestos when a workman smashed a ceiling panel containing the hazardous substance.
In December 2007, SF Fire Protection Services Ltd was contracted to install a new fire alarm at a Co-operative store in Market Square, Royton. During the work an engineer broke a ceiling panel in order to fit a cable to the alarm. The worker was unaware that the panel contained brown asbestos and the debris fell on to the shop floor. Two of the store’s employees helped clear the debris and left it in an open bag at the rear of the store for two weeks.
Three months later Oldham Council received a waiver application from a separate contractor who was carrying out unrelated work at the store. The waiver allows asbestos work to be carried out without the required 14 days prior notification. An environmental health officer visited the store to consider the application and found traces of asbestos on top of a food cabinet and inside a freezer. It was at this point when he was informed about the incident during the installation of the fire alarm.