| "Hidden Killer" Alert to Local Tradesmen |
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| Written by Edward | |
| Saturday, 17 May 2008 | |
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FIVE tradesman die in the North West every week simply because they have inhaled asbestos fibres.
Now Ribble Valley Borough Council is backing a Health and Safety Executive awareness campaign, called Asbestos: The Hidden Killer, to remind local tradesmen of lung diseases, such as asbestosis, cancer and mesothelioma, caused by asbestos. The campaign is aimed specifically at young tradesmen and women after research revealed that, although they were aware of the dangers of asbestos, they did not believe they were personally at risk. The council's environmental health officer, Julie Whitwell, said: "Every week six electricians and three plumbers die in the UK as a result of exposure to asbestos. "People regard asbestos as something only previous generations were exposed to, but there is a real risk that young people entering the workforce do not think it applies to them. But it does. If they work on any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 it could contain asbestos." Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, added: "It is alarming to see that tradesmen know so little about the damage asbestos can cause to their health, especially when they are the ones most at risk. "We are urging tradesmen to make sure they are well informed about asbestos and follow Health and Safety Executive guidance in order to protect themselves from this hidden killer." Ribble Valley Borough Council is distributing hundreds of packs containing information on protection against asbestos and where asbestos materials are usually found to builders' merchants and retail outlets throughout the borough. They can also be obtained by phoning Julie Whitwell on 01200 413213. Further information is also available from the Health and Safety Executive web site at www.hse.gov.uk "How asbestos killed my colleague" by Ribble Valley Borough Council senior environmental health officer Eamonn Roberts In 1993 I started working with Kim Hilliard as an environmental health officer inspecting unfit housing in Stoke-on-Trent. Kim had a fair and pragmatic approach to enforcement. He was not bureaucratic, had a commonsense approach and a cracking sense of humour. He was a role model for myself and the other officers that he helped to train. Five years later, he died a horrible death from mesothilioma in his early-40s. Mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos, is a rare and virulent form of cancer that affects the lining of the lung, abdominal cavity and heart chamber. Kim was exposed to asbestos fibres during the renovation of properties in London during the 1970s and 80s, when he recalled contractors smashing and drilling through asbestos-containing materials, such as pipe-lagging, floor and ceiling tiles, and partitions, without precautions. The disease and treatments he endured to prolong his life were painful and seriously debilitating. To watch Kim slowly die was traumatic for his family and friends. |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 17 May 2008 ) |