The UK’s Biggest Workplace Killer
Global Asbestos Awareness Week runs from 1 to 7 April, offering an important opportunity to focus on a hazard that is still affecting lives across the UK. Although asbestos was banned more than 25 years ago, it continues to be responsible for around 5,000 deaths every year, with related illnesses often taking decades to develop.
That long delay is one of the reasons asbestos remains such a serious issue. Exposure may happen during a routine maintenance job, a renovation project or planned refurbishment, but the health consequences may not appear until many years later. For employers, building managers and workers alike, the risk is far from historic. It is current, real and still widely present in the built environment.
Any building constructed or refurbished before 2000 could contain asbestos. It may be hidden in pipe lagging, insulation boards, cement roofing sheets, textured coatings, ceiling tiles or sprayed coatings on steelwork. When these materials are undisturbed and remain in good condition, the risk is lower. The problem comes when they are drilled, cut, sanded, broken or otherwise damaged, allowing harmful fibres to enter the air.
This is why Global Asbestos Awareness Week matters. It is not only about raising awareness. It is about encouraging workplaces to review their controls, improve communication and make sure nobody is put at unnecessary risk.
A workplace issue that still demands attention
Asbestos is often associated with older industrial settings, but the danger extends much further than that. Offices, schools, hospitals, factories, public buildings and communal areas in residential blocks may all contain asbestos-containing materials. Anyone responsible for managing non-domestic premises has a legal duty to manage that risk properly.
At the same time, workers carrying out practical jobs are often the ones most likely to encounter it first. Electricians, plumbers, joiners, maintenance teams, telecoms installers, decorators, demolition workers, and others who disturb the fabric of a building can all come into contact with asbestos during the course of their work.
That means asbestos safety depends on more than policies sitting in a folder. It relies on accurate information, suitable planning, proper training and workers feeling able to stop work when something does not look right.
HSE Executive Guide on Asbestos Worker Safety
If your workforce is likely to come into contact with asbestos, then the employer has a duty to make sure workers and others are not exposed to it. Here we outline the guidance from the HSE Executive on Asbestos worker safety.
Why asbestos is dangerous for workers
Asbestos exposure remains the biggest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain. Diseases linked to asbestos include mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, and these illnesses can take many years to appear. In most cases, they cannot be cured.
One of the biggest challenges is that asbestos fibres are not obvious. You cannot usually see them in the air, smell them or feel them on your skin or clothing. A worker can therefore be exposed without realising it at the time.
If asbestos-containing materials are left alone and kept in good condition, the immediate danger is generally lower. However, once they are disturbed, tiny fibres can be released and inhaled. That is when the real harm begins. Because of this, even tasks that seem small or routine can become dangerous if asbestos has not been identified and managed properly beforehand.
If you think you have found asbestos
If you come across a material that you suspect may contain asbestos, the first step is simple: stop work immediately.
Do not cut into it, move it, break it up or try to investigate it yourself. Instead, report it to your employer, supervisor or the person responsible for the building so checks can be made. The asbestos register or survey should then be reviewed to confirm whether asbestos is present and whether the planned work can proceed safely.
It is also important to remember that an existing survey does not guarantee every asbestos-containing material has been found. Hidden materials can still be present, especially within the building fabric. If the work involves opening up walls, ceilings, risers or other concealed areas, further assessment may be needed before anything continues.
Workers should also never begin asbestos-related work without the correct training. In some cases, the work must be handed over to a licensed asbestos contractor.
If asbestos is accidentally disturbed, work must stop at once and the incident must be dealt with using the correct emergency procedure. Quick action can help prevent wider exposure.
Workers most likely to come across asbestos
Some roles carry a much higher chance of encountering asbestos than others. This is especially true for workers involved in maintenance, repair, refurbishment, retrofitting, demolition and installation work.
The risk becomes greater when:
the area has not been properly checked beforehand
If there has been no suitable inspection for asbestos-containing materials, workers may begin a task without knowing what is hidden behind walls, ceilings or panels.
information has not been shared
Even where asbestos has been identified, problems arise when that information is not passed on to contractors, maintenance teams or others starting work.
training is missing or insufficient
Workers need to know how to recognise warning signs, understand the limits of their role and respond properly if asbestos is suspected or disturbed.
the building predates 2000
Buildings constructed or refurbished before 2000 remain the key risk category because asbestos may still be present in a wide range of materials.
shortcuts are taken on site
Trying to save time, copying unsafe behaviour or carrying on despite uncertainty can expose workers and others nearby to avoidable danger.
This also applies in domestic settings. If tradespeople are working in an owner-occupied home, the responsibility to protect workers from exposure still remains.
What your employer must do
Employers have a duty to protect workers and anyone else who could be affected by asbestos exposure. If a job could disturb the fabric of a building, asbestos must be considered before work starts.
In practical terms, employers should provide asbestos awareness training to relevant workers so they understand the risk and know how to avoid disturbing asbestos. That training does not qualify someone to work on asbestos itself, but it should help them recognise the danger and respond correctly.
Employers must also establish whether asbestos is likely to be present in the work area and whether it could be disturbed by the planned task. If so, the work needs to be properly assessed, planned and carried out by people who are trained and competent for that level of work.
For lower-risk non-licensed work, the employer still needs to carry out a risk assessment, plan the job and put the correct controls in place. Workers must receive task-appropriate training.
For higher-risk work, a licensed asbestos contractor is required. Workers should not be asked to take on licensed asbestos work if they do not hold the appropriate licence and competence.
Before you start work
Before any job begins, there should be a clear conversation between the employer and the worker about how the work will be done safely.
That should include checking whether the building was built or refurbished before 2000, reviewing the current asbestos register and making sure it covers the exact areas where the work is due to take place. Where necessary, employers should confirm that the right type of survey has been carried out, especially if the work involves opening up the structure of the building.
The job should then be planned to avoid disturbing asbestos wherever possible. In some cases, asbestos may need to be repaired, enclosed or removed before work starts. That kind of work will often require specialist support.
No one should start intrusive work on a building simply assuming the area is safe.
What you must do as a worker
Workers also have a direct role in protecting themselves and others. If you are trained to carry out non-licensed asbestos work, you should follow the agreed safe system of work exactly as instructed.
That means planning the task properly with your employer, using the controls provided to reduce dust release and wearing the correct personal protective equipment. If respiratory protective equipment is required, it must be worn properly and matched to a face fit test for the specific mask being used. Suitable disposable overalls should also be worn for asbestos work.
Waste should be handled correctly and double-bagged so it can be disposed of safely through the right channels.
Workers should also be clear on what not to do. You should never use power tools without suitable dust control measures, never sweep up asbestos dust or debris dry, never reuse disposable protective clothing or respiratory equipment, and never eat or drink in the work area.
Just as importantly, if you discover or accidentally disturb asbestos, do not carry on. Stop, report it and follow the correct emergency steps.
What self-employed workers need to remember
Self-employed workers have the same practical responsibilities as both an employer and a worker under asbestos regulations. That means checking the information available, planning the job properly, using the right controls and refusing to carry out work that is unsafe or beyond their level of training and competence.
Being self-employed does not remove the duty to work safely.
Awareness must lead to action
Global Asbestos Awareness Week should serve as more than a reminder of a historic problem. It should prompt workplaces to act on a continuing risk that still affects thousands of people every year.
For employers, that means reviewing surveys, registers, training and communication procedures. For workers, it means staying alert, asking questions and stopping work where necessary. For dutyholders, it means making sure asbestos is being managed as an active safety issue, not a paperwork exercise.
Asbestos may be a legacy material, but the responsibility to control the risk is entirely current.
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