England Launches “Don’t Take the Gamble” Campaign

September 27, 2006 - The hundreds upon hundreds of asbestos lawsuits clogging Great Britain’s courts have prompted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to launch a campaign warning employers and employees about the dangers of exposure to asbestos.

The “Don’t Take the Gamble” campaign is set to run throughout the months of September and October 2006.  According to British health officials, the campaign is “aimed at those workers who may carry out work on asbestos that falls outside the licensing regime.”  It will also remind workers and managers that certain asbestos work does require a license.

According to the HSE, every day, thousands of workers are “gambling with their lives” by working on buildings where asbestos is still present and where the risks are not managed.  It warns employees to be on the lookout for asbestos in buildings constructed prior to 2000.  It offers hand-outs for employees so that they can better recognize the dangerous material when confronted with it and includes posters to be hung throughout the workplace.  It also features a checklist of regulations for employees, which include the following:

• take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing asbestos in non-domestic premises, and if so, its amount, where it is and what condition it is in;
• presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not;
• make, and keep up-to-date, a record of the location and condition of the asbestos containing materials – or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos;
• assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibers from the materials identified;
• prepare a plan that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed;
• take the necessary steps to put the plan into action;
• periodically review and monitor the plan and the arrangements to act on it so that the plan remains relevant and up-to-date; and
• provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.

The HSE hopes the guidelines will help otherwise uninformed building owners and employees learn to deal with asbestos issues and encourage them to protect their employees so as to avoid future asbestos-related lawsuits.