Tradesmen warned about asbestos by insurers
Posted by James Mace at 09:48 on 02 Jul 2008
tradesmen, asbestos, hidden killer campaign, british lung foundationThe insurance firm Norwich Union Risk Services is today warning that tradesmen cannot rely on property owners and managers to ensure that asbestos is properly dealt with in areas where they work.
The news comes after the Asbestos the hidden killer campaign enters into its fifth month. The campaign was set up by the National Health and Safety Executive to warn people of the dangers of the substance. According to the British Lung Foundation, 20 tradesmen per week are said to die from exposure to asbestos.
Phil Grace of Norwich Union said:
"Although property owners have a duty to identify the presence of asbestos and take steps to reduce the risk, the material can still be present and workers must be vigilant. The law cannot cover every eventuality and therefore workers must be aware of the precautions they need to take.
There appears to be a growing sense of complacency regarding the risks associated with asbestos. Studies have shown that while many of the 'most at risk' workers know of the dangers of residual asbestos that remains in buildings, they do not believe that they would come into contact with it or they believe there's a safe limit."
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