Asbestos may have been banned in the UK 20 years ago this month, but it continues to have a devastating effect on people’s lives today. In this post, we explore how and why asbestos is still a problem.
The UK Ban on Asbestos
Following a ban in the 1980s on blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite…
In the past year alone (2014/15), approximately 1.2 million people suffered from a work related disease. To put it into perspective, that’s approximately 1 in 60 people. This is also equivalent to 27.3 million working days being lost because of work-related illnesses and injuries, or over £14 billio…
Despite incessant media coverage and tremulous word-of-mouth horror stories, the risks of asbestos continue to be underestimated.
The fact is that asbestos can be lethal. The lack of immediate symptoms is deceptive, and can often mean that those handling the substance are unaware of the danger th…
There have been several recent prosecutions of employers who have not effectively protected their employees and/or members of the public from asbestos:
Did you know that every week in the UK, on average...
4 plumbers die
20 tradesmen die
6 electricians die
8 joiners die
due to exposure to asbestos?
Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the UK from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s. It was used for a variety of purpose…
A Yorkshire man survived an industrial accident in 1965 only to die 43 years later because he was not protected from asbestos particles in the aftermath, his family has revealed.
Ken Hoggett worked at the giant Ferrybridge power station when three cooling towers collapsed in 100mph winds.
Nobo…
Mesothelioma is a terminal chest cancer that develops between 15 and 60 years after exposure to asbestos.
The British Lung Foundation campaigns to raise awareness of mesothelioma and to improve the treatment and care of people who are affected by it. This campaigning culminates each year on Acti…
Did you know that every week in the UK, on average...