Asbestos News

Asbestos awareness and proper procedure seminars are being offered for certain workers in the UK.

Workers such as plumbers, painters and builders in South Yorkshire can attend the seminars being offered by the South Yorkshire & Humber Working Well Together Group, which is a coalition of firms in the building sector along with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain's workplace safety organization.

According to a HSE release, the seminars will focus on helping workers identify asbestos and what to do with the naturally occurring substance, which was once used widely in the construction trade due to its insulating properties and resistance to fire.

Following the proper procedures regarding asbestos is essential as exposure to the substance can cause malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. The HSE estimates that such diseases kill 4,000 people each year in the UK.

"Asbestos can be present in any building built before 2000, so there are literally tens of thousands of them in the region. Asbestos surveys should be carried out before work starts on a construction or demolition project and workers told where asbestos could be found and what should be done if it is discovered accidentally," HSE Principal Inspector David Redman said.