Britain Launches Campaign Aimed at Maintenance Workers

September 11, 2006 - After tallying the number of maintenance worker deaths caused by exposure to asbestos, officials in one English town have decided to warn them of the risks caused by their everyday jobs.

According to the Suffolk Evening Star, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in that region has launched a campaign to “highlight the dangers workers continue to face when dealing with asbestos” after it was revealed that in excess of 250 Suffolk residents died from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to the hazardous substance, between 1981 and 2000.

The local government has determined that more than one-fourth of the 3,500 cancer deaths that take place each year in that region are asbestos caused.  Many of the victims are plumbers, carpenters, and buildings, notes the newspaper article.

Figures released show that more than half a million non-domestic premises and houses still contain some form of the material.  Maintenance workers are at risk, the HSE explains, because they may drill or cut into material that could contain asbestos, therefore releasing the fibers which are then easily inhaled.

“While current deaths are due to asbestos exposure that happened many years ago, we need to make today's workers aware that they are at risk. This campaign focuses on how important it is for those working with asbestos not to gamble with their lives,” said Patricia Dair, the HSE’s principal inspector for Suffolk.