Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related death in the UK, killing around 5,000 people every year. It was widely used in buildings constructed before the year 2000 and can be found in roofing sheets, insulation, floor tiles, pipe lagging, and textured coatings. Disturbing asbestos-containing materials releases invisible fibres that cause fatal lung diseases including mesothelioma. Every operative must know how to recognise suspect materials and what to do if they find them.
Inhaling microscopic asbestos fibres causing fatal lung diseases
Disturbing hidden asbestos during drilling, cutting, or demolition tasks
Contaminating large areas if asbestos materials are broken or damaged
Long latency period means disease appears decades after initial exposure
Check the asbestos register and management survey before starting work in any building.
Attend asbestos awareness training before carrying out any work that could disturb building materials.
Stop work immediately if you discover any material you suspect may contain asbestos.
Do not drill, cut, sand, or break any material unless it has been confirmed asbestos-free.
Report all suspect materials to your supervisor and keep other workers away from the area.
Ensure a refurbishment and demolition survey is carried out before any invasive work begins.
Never attempt to remove or handle asbestos materials yourself under any circumstances.
Follow the site asbestos management plan and check material labels before disturbing anything.
Use RPE if directed to by a competent person and ensure you have been face-fit tested.
You cannot see, smell, or taste asbestos fibres, but a single exposure can prove fatal.
If in doubt about any material, stop work and treat it as asbestos until confirmed otherwise.
Asbestos is still present in most buildings constructed or refurbished before the year 2000.
Only licensed contractors may remove high-risk asbestos such as insulation and sprayed coatings.
Asbestos awareness training is a legal requirement for anyone who may disturb these materials.
Mesothelioma is incurable and takes between 15 and 60 years to develop after exposure.
Applicable Legislation: Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 · Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · CDM Regulations 2015
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