Construction staff ignorant of killer asbestos

There is widespread ignorance among workers of the health risks posed by asbestos, a survey has suggested.

A study by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) found that nearly one-third of builders, plumbers, carpenters and electricians wrongly thought it had largely been removed from British buildings, and nearly two-thirds had received no training in how to deal with asbestos.

The poll of nearly 400 people also found that just 12% knew asbestos exposure could be life-threatening, despite the fact that one person dies from mesothelioma every five hours in the UK, said the charity.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

Email(Required)

OptOut

From time to time, we will send you emails about selected products, events and services from Personnel Today - but you can choose to opt-out at any time. If you do not wish to receive these emails, please tick this box.

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

Twenty workers die of asbestos-related diseases every week, and asbestos exposure is Britain’s biggest workplace killer, it added.

“It is a great worry that those most at risk know so little about a killer that could be lurking in the building they’re working in,” said BLF chief executive Dame Helena Shovelton.