Union body the TUC has backed calls to create a national database to map the presence of asbestos in buildings.
The campaign group Asbestos Information CIC has analysed more than seven million pieces of data drawn from more than 381,000 individual asbestos surveys to create a picture of the prevalence of the material in the UK and the danger it poses.
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Of the 2.5 million asbestos items examined, 25% were found to be in the highest-risk categories.
It has turned this data into an interactive map showing the prevalence of asbestos and mesothelioma, the incurable cancer caused by inhaling the material’s fibres, in each area of the country.
Asbestos Information CIC has called for the survey data to be used to develop a safety certificate for the material, much like energy efficiency certificates displayed on household appliances such as fridges.
It has also called for all data to be held centrally as part of a national register, enabling the Health and Safety Executive to easily identify those buildings which represent the greatest risk to human health and for inspectors to assess and ultimately prioritise the removal of asbestos.
It is this that the TUC has thrown its weight behind, arguing it will help to create a regime where asbestos can be more safely managed, and ultimately removed, from all buildings.
The current legal framework allows for asbestos in buildings to be managed in situ, rather than removed, the TUC has pointed out.
But this approach is now widely recognised as insufficient, as the number of people diagnosed with the fatal cancers it causes remains at an all-time high, it argued.
The TUC is also calling for a new legal duty to safely remove asbestos, with a clear timetable for 40 years for its removal from all public buildings.
It has highlighted comments from work and pensions minister Stephen Timms last year in a report for the charity Mesolthelioma UK, where he said: “Removing asbestos from schools and hospitals over a 10-year period would, over 50 years, benefit the UK economy to the tune of around 11.6 billion and benefit the Exchequer by around 3.6 billion.”
Of today’s report, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Everyone should be safe where they work. But asbestos is still present in hundreds of thousands of workplaces across Britain, including most schools and hospitals. Many workers aren’t aware it’s there, and many aren’t aware of the very serious dangers.
“Britain has the highest rate of asbestos deaths in the world. It’s time to end this national scandal. The proposed mapping tool would help us know who is at risk from asbestos and would be an important step towards its removal from all public buildings.
“And it would enable us to identify buildings with asbestos which require environmental upgrades ensuring the removal is done at the same time. The only way to protect today’s workers and future generations is through the safe removal of asbestos from every workplace,” Nowak added.
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