Protection for building and maintenance workers against asbestos-related diseases will be bolstered when a new duty to manage asbestos comes into force tomorrow, said the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
The duty to manage asbestos will require anyone responsible for the maintenance of commercial, industrial or public properties or for the common areas of domestic properties to check for asbestos and properly manage the risk.
Minister for Work Jane Kennedy said: “With the government's whole hearted support, the Health & Safety Executive is engaged in a campaign to get the message on asbestos in buildings across to the huge audience who need to know about it, and to encourage them to take effective action.
“It must surely make good business sense to find out whether your premises contain asbestos, and then make certain that building and maintenance workers are warned in advance.”
Deaths from asbestos-related diseases are expected to reach an annual figure of 4,000, peaking between 2011 and 2015, said the HSE. Most of these deaths are from mesothelioma or lung cancer.
HSE chairman Bill Callaghan said: “Asbestos is not yesterday's problem. We must now meet the challenge of managing the risks from asbestos, if we are to prevent another generation of workers suffering an early death at its hand.
“Sadly, we can't turn the clock back for the people who breathed in asbestos fibres in the shipyards, docks and factories of 30 years ago. But what we can and must do is to make every effort to prevent any more exposure to this terrible material.”
