Asbestos Matters - no other matters just Asbestos Matters

Historically training your employees in any form has always been seen as an expensive, time consuming and at sometimes-inconvenient burden on even the smallest of organisations. As the UK comes out of one of the hardest recessions in history and companies are finding their way into profitability again, training is just another consideration for budgetary considerations.

The traditional method of classroom-based training is now beginning to be seen as an unsatisfactory and non cost effective means of education for employees………now alternatives are available. When setting training programmes and allocating budgets for training, companies need to consider the cost of training against other areas of expenditure within the business.

So what is the alternative?
In recent times it has become evident that e-learning can play a significant role in organisational learning strategies and in turn can have a major impact on company performance. E- Learning’s ability to reduce costs and provide a more efficient delivery of learning is fast becoming a necessity for many organisations. This is backed by the HSE’s recent recognition of e-learning as a viable delivery method for Asbestos Awareness Training.

So what are the benefits of e-learning?
• Self-paced 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
• Self-paced 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
• There is no travel time.
• No subsistence costs.
• Training at times to suit you.
• No downtime.
• Proven increased knowledge retention.

The Asbestos Specialists have developed an innovative UKATA approved Asbestos Awareness e-learning course, replicating the classroom-based training they provide both in technical content and style. The course is both cost effective and operationally beneficial to organisations with the assurance that the content is both engaging and of the highest industry standards. If you have a requirement for asbestos awareness training, there’s no one better placed to help you comply with your legal duties than The Asbestos Specialists………we know training, so you’ll know asbestos.

As the death rates from asbestos exposure continue to increase it is another sad fact that this deadly fibre and the diseases associated with it are not just restricted to the older industries and today’s refurbishment industries. Lately another story has come to light, which details the disturbing effects of asbestos exposure to those people who lived near the factories and industries producing the many thousands of tons of Asbestos Containing Materials throughout the UK.

The Cape Asbestos Company was a major employer in the small mining town of Bowburn County Durham. As the mining industry went into decline Cape provided alternative employment for hundreds of local people from in an around the County Durham areas. The sad legacy of asbestos related diseases contracted by these workers employed by Cape has been a well-known known fact since the factory closed many years ago. In fact controversy still exists today regarding the land where the factory once stood due to wrangles over potentially contaminated land from the demolition of the plant.
I have read with interest the story recently of Caroline Wilcock who is now currently suffering from Mesothelioma.......not because she worked in the plant but simply due to her childhood exploits as a youngster playing in the streets of the village where she grew up. Here is the article which tells of Caroline’s sad plight:


A woman who has terminal cancer after making asbestos "snowballs" with dust from a local factory as a child has received a "substantial" payment from its parent company.

Caroline Wilcock grew up by an asbestos plant in Bowburn, County Durham.
Now living in London, she said: "I feel I had a responsibility to the community I grew up in to pursue my claim." Cape Intermediate Holdings Plc - previously known as The Cape Asbestos Company - settled out of court.

Miss Wilcock's claim stated she suffered from asbestos poisoning between 1967 and 1983.
The 51-year-old was diagnosed with the fatal lung condition mesothelioma three years ago.
"My case establishes that the people of Bowburn were exposed to the dangers of asbestos over forty years ago and were largely unaware or unable to do anything to protect themselves and their children," she said.

"I am angry that I and other children came into contact with asbestos whilst playing in our village and around our homes and feel certain that my case will not be in isolation."
Local knowledge gathered for the case included recollections of children using asbestos dust on window ledges and cars for "snowballs". Others are said to have written messages in it, or used lumps that fell from the plant's wagons as an alternative to chalk.
The firm that operated the factory no longer exists so Miss Wilcock's claim was made against its successor.




Source: BBC

“So how much asbestos does it take to result in an asbestos related disease or death” After 20 years in the asbestos related training industry I must have had that question asked numerous time! Experts have never established a safe level nor have they have ever established a level at which the diseases or deaths are caused at.

Of course its imperative that we always avoid any exposure to asbestos at all times, in fact it’s a legal requirement that as an employee your employer has a very strict legal requirement to ensure that you are protected from asbestos at all times whilst at work. If you are self-employed, then that legal requirement also extends to you.

The protection of others not in your direct employment such as members of the public, other sub-contractors and even tenants is also strictly controlled by statutory acts of Parliament such as The Health & safety at Work 1974 and many others.

With over 4,500 deaths each year from asbestos related diseases equating to over 20 trades persons a week dying from this deadly fibre.....its quite easy to understand why and how these deaths can happen.

Millions of tons of asbestos were used in millions of properties in all sectors throughout the UK including, schools, hospitals, public buildings, industrial and commercial properties and of course domestic properties.
The peak periods of the use of asbestos in buildings was between 1950’s and 1980’s and subsequently buildings of that age group have been constantly worked on, maintained and demolished since those times.

Subsequently thousands of workers have disturbed the materials or of course have been involved in the installation of asbestos products.....resulting in large scale exposure to asbestos fibres over sustained periods of time or perhaps even short periods of time but constant smaller levels of exposure?

But sometimes asbestos-related deaths and disease strike at those who don’t fit into any of those criteria? The story of Jane Garner and her fight against asbestos related disease is sadly one of those cases.

Described by the coroner as “unusual” it’s a tragic tale yet again of the un-predictable nature of asbestos and the extent of related deaths not attributed to the industries where workers were exposed in ‘heavy’ amounts of ‘long periods of time’....

Here is Jane Garners story:
A popular mum developed an incurable cancer after ‘the lightest dusting’ of exposure to asbestos as a teenager – an inquest has heard.
Penny Jane Garner, 46, died in March this year, after a three-year battle with malignant mesothelioma, a terminal cancer linked to exposure to asbestos.

At an inquest, lung cancer specialist Dr Simon Taggart described the case of Ms Garner, who lived on Woodlands Avenue, Peel Green, Salford, as one of the most unusual he has ever seen.
He said the mum-of-three may have been exposed to a ‘sudden burst’ of asbestos or could have come into contact with the substance in several places, which had an accumulative effect.
He said: “It’s unusual, but Penny is unusual. She died at 46 and her lungs were healthy. The average age of mesothelioma sufferers in Salford is upwards of 70 years old.
“This is the lightest dusting of exposure I have ever seen.”
Bolton Coroners’ Court heard that Ms Garner was ‘devastated’ when an attempt to sue Salford council and Ardwick-based building firm P McGuiness and Co, which demolished Seedley swimming baths, was unsuccessful.
The seamstress believed demolition of the baths had exposed her to deadly fibres while she was a child playing at neighbouring Seedley Primary School, but a High Court ruling found neither party was responsible.
Ms Garner was initially given antibiotics for pneumonia before doctors discovered she was suffering from mesothelioma.
The inquest heard she may have been exposed to asbestos while working at a textiles factory in her late teens. Deborah Hopwood, who worked with Ms Garner at a factory during the 1980s, said ‘cracked’ floor tiles, clothes presses and heating pipes used at the workplace may have contained asbestos.
Coroner Jennifer Leeming said Ms Garner’s ‘shocking’ death was a result of industrial disease and added: “I was so touched by what you said about Penny and how cruel what had happened to her was.”
Speaking after the inquest, Ms Garner’s mum Jane Garner, 66, said she was shocked her daughter could have developed a terminal illness from such a low exposure to asbestos.
She said: “It’s just so sad that with such a low exposure she passed away.
“She was a lovely, hard working mother, who adored her children and loved her jobs.”

Source: Manchester Evening News

It’s not a secret that some of the highest rates of Mesothelioma and other asbestos related deaths are centred in and around the North East of England. Being a former ‘heavy industry and construction worker’ myself and with hands on experience of this deadly substance, I read with interest a story of a local man from our region who is urging trades men and women to be aware of the ‘hidden killer whilst carrying out work on buildings.

I also read this month the findings of a fascinating research report carried out by the Health & Safety Executive which has highlighted many concerns about workers true perception of the risk from asbestos in buildings.

Having over 20 years experience in the training industry and travelling the length and breadth of the UK training the construction, refurbishment and engineering industries certainly back that study up. The ‘it wont happen to me’ perception is a hard one to break, however when you see and read stories like that of Simon Clark it certainly strikes home a sobering message that even today.......despite the perceptions shown by many, asbestos is still the biggest occupational killer this country has ever experienced or probably will ever experience!

Here’s the article published recently within the Newcastle Evening Chronicle. Read on it certainly made me think.

A former electrician suffering from an industrial diseased has urged people to be cautious of asbestos as figures reveal Tyneside tradesmen could come into contact with the substance more than 100 times a year.

Simon Clark was diagnosed with mesothelioma - a life-threatening, aggressive form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos - in 2012, aged just 52.

The Health and Safety Executive has said tradesmen in Newcastle could come into contact with asbestos an average of 115 times a year following a new survey.

On hearing the figures Simon made a plea to fellow tradesmen.
He said:

“When I was younger I didn’t think of the dangers of asbestos and I must have been exposed to it frequently. Since being diagnosed, I’ve had to give up my work and let some of my employees go - which is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It is vitally important that everybody knows when they might be exposed and takes the correct steps to protect themselves.”

As well as illustrating how often trades people in Newcastle can be exposed to asbestos, the survey revealed some common myths believed by those at risk, with four per cent believing that drinking a glass of water will help protect them from the deadly dust and 33 per cent thinking that opening a window will help to keep them safe.

Asbestos can be found in walls and ceilings, or the structure of a building, as well as a host of other places like floor tiles, boilers, toilet cisterns, guttering and soffits.
It can be disturbed by basic maintenance work like drilling holes and sanding and once disturbed, the microscopic fibres can prove lethal if breathed in, causing lung disease and cancer.

The research, undertaken by Censuswide in September 2014, shows that while more than half (53 per cent) of trades people in Britain knew that asbestos could be in old buildings built before 1970, only 15 per cent knew that it could still be found in buildings built up to the year 2000.
To encourage trades people to think about asbestos on every job the HSE has launched a new safety campaign.

Philip White, HSE’s Chief Inspector of Construction, said: “Asbestos is still a very real danger and the survey findings suggest that the people who come into contact with it regularly often don’t know where it could be and worryingly don’t know how to deal with it correctly, which could put them in harm’s way.

“Our new campaign aims to help trades people understand some of the simple steps they can take to stay safe. Our new web app is designed for use on a job so workers can easily identify if they are likely to face danger and can then get straight forward advice to help them do the job safely.”

Source:Evening Chronicle

Its not exactly ‘cloak and dagger’ or ‘Agatha Christie’s latest murder mystery’......but often enough their presence on site can sometimes make the difference between life or death! Curious...? read on.

Here is the second blog in our series of blogs telling you all you need to know about the Health & Safety Executive

Health as well as safety’ is the message during this year’s Construction Initiative being undertaken by the HSE. As poor standards and unsafe practices on Britain’s building sites are being targeted during a nationwide drive aimed at reducing ill health, death and injury in the industry.

During October this year the HSE Construction Inspectors will carry out unannounced visits to sites where refurbishment projects or repair works are underway.

This is the ninth annual Initiative and building on previous campaigns, HSE Inspectors will ensure high-risk activities particularly those affecting the health of workers, are being properly managed.

What the initiative does
The main aims of the initiative are:
• to achieve an improvement in industry standards, in particular at small sites
• to increase awareness of HSE’s expectations of the industry
• to demonstrate that HSE will use the enforcement tools at its disposal to prevent immediate risk and bring about sustained improvements

What inspectors look for?
During inspections, HSE inspectors will consider whether:
• risks to health from exposure to dust such as silica are being controlled
• workers are aware of where they may find asbestos, and what to do if they find it
• other health risks, such as exposure to noise and vibration, manual handling, hazardous substances are being properly managed
• jobs that involve working at height have been identified and properly planned to ensure that appropriate precautions, such as proper support of structures, are in place
• equipment is correctly installed / assembled, inspected and maintained and used properly
• sites are well organised, to avoid trips and falls, walkways and stairs are free from obstructions and welfare facilities are adequate
HSE uses the inspection initiatives to reinforce its message to the construction industry that poor standards are unacceptable and liable to result in HSE taking enforcement action.

And of course just to finish off........any action taken against the employer can result in the implementation of intervention fees which have just recently been introduced by the HSE, for more information on these, see our previous blog?

If you are breaking health and safety laws, HSE may recover its costs from
you by charging a fee for the time and effort it spends on helping you to put
the matter right, investigating and taking enforcement action.
This is called....Intervention Fees introduced from October 1st 2014.

What is fee for intervention (FFI)?
HSE’s inspectors inspect work activities and investigate incidents and complaints.
If, when visiting your business, they see material breaches of the law, you will have to pay a fee. The fee is based on the amount of time that the inspector has had to spend identifying the breach, helping you to put it right, investigating and taking enforcement action.

Why is FFI being introduced?
HSE and the government believe it is right that businesses that break health and
safety laws should pay for HSE’s time in putting matters right, investigating and
taking enforcement action. Before FFI was introduced, this was paid for from the
public purse. FFI will also encourage businesses to comply in the first place or put matters right quickly when they don’t. It will also discourage businesses who think that they can undercut their competitors by not complying with the law and putting people at risk.

Will FFI apply to me?
If you comply with the law you won’t pay a fee. FFI only applies to work carried out by HSE’s inspectors so if your business is inspected for health and safety by another regulator, such as local authority environmental health officers, it will not apply.

FFI will apply to all businesses and organisations inspected by HSE, except for:
• self-employed people who don’t put people at risk by their work;
• those who are already paying fees to HSE for the work through other
• arrangements; and
• those who deliberately work with certain biological agents

Need to know more?.......check it all out by visiting:

HSE

In this latest series of blogs we would like to tell you about The Health & Safety Executive.
We will look at who they are and what they do to protect you and your employees and of course even members of the public from accidents and ill health.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness. They are an independent regulator and act in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces.

The HSE was formed in 1975 with the remit to undertake the requirements of the Health and Safety Commission and to enforce health and safety legislation in all workplaces, except those regulated by Local Authorities.

The HSE was set up in order to support the Government’s strategic aims and current targets for health and safety at work. Its main aim is to secure the health, safety and welfare of people at work and protect others from risks to health and safety from work activity.

The HSE’s mission is:
“The prevention of death, injury and ill health to those at work and those affected by work activities”

What Powers does The HSE Have?
The HSE can visit any workplace at any time to carry out a health and safety inspection. They can investigate following a report of an injury or a suspected unsafe working practice, which may breach health and safety legislation.

If a HSE inspector considers that health and safety law is being broken, or activities give rise to a serious risk, they can if necessary place upon the employer or indeed the employee the following notices or even prosecute where required......so if you didn’t know just exactly what powers the HSE have read on..

Informal Warning
Where the breach of the law is relatively minor, the inspector may tell the duty holder what he needs to do to comply with the law.

Improvement Notice
Where the breach of the law is more serious, the inspector may issue an improvement notice to tell the duty holder to do something to comply with the law. The notice will say what needs to be done, why, and by when (at least 21 days). The inspector can take further legal action if the notice is not complied with within the specified time period.

Prohibition Notice
Where an activity may or does involve, a risk of serious personal injury (or worse), the inspector may serve a notice prohibiting the activity immediately and not allowing it to be resumed until suitable remedial action has been taken. This may include closing the whole site down.

Prosecution
In some cases the inspector may consider that it is also necessary to initiate a prosecution. Health and safety law gives the courts considerable scope for punishing offenders and deterring others.

The maximum penalty possible under health and safety legislation depends on the offence. For example, a failure to comply with an improvement or prohibition notice, or a court remedy order, carries a fine of up to £20,000, or six months’ imprisonment, or both. Unlimited fines and in some cases imprisonment may be imposed by higher courts.

Recent cases have seen one company fined £160,000 for a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which led to a worker falling to his death; another company was fined £30,000 for a breach of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 for failure to plan, supervise and carry out lifting safely.

Keep checking back to our blog site.....theres more coming your way about the HSE!

The Asbestos Specialists in another asbestos training industry first today are proud to announce the launch of The Duty to Manage online and face 2 face training courses.

The Duty to Manage Asbestos training course is directed at those who manage non-domestic premises: the people with responsibility for protecting others who work in such premises, or use them in other ways, from the risks to ill health that exposure to asbestos causes.

RoSPA Approved
The e-learning (on-line) course

The Asbestos Specialists can offer you the opportunity to undertake the Duty to Manage Asbestos training course through two routes; traditional face-to-face training or our industry leading online version. Both courses are examination based and are fully certificated. The course will assist building owners to comply with The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and ACoP L143 (second edition). This course is suitable for delegates who already have attained an approved asbestos awareness qualification.

Face-to-Face Option
Available as both in-house and at locations throughout the UK. The in-house option can accommodate up to a maximum of 15 delegates. It follows all relevant guidance published by the HSE. The course includes specific information contained with HSG 264 and ACoP L143. This course is a 2-day training course that includes a tutor-led practical exercise on asbestos risk assessments and use of the priority assessment – HSG 227. The course is also inclusive of a 1-hour examination externally marked. Certification is issued on successful completion of the course.

This course is available in the following training centre locations:

South East, South West, Midlands, North West, North East and Central Scotland.
Call us for dates and booking details

If you are interested in either of our industry leading asbestos management Duty to Manage courses......just give our expert training advisers a call, we will guide you to the most cost efficient route to gaining this vital qualification to enable you to comply with The Control of Asbestos Regulations.

Another first for the UK’s most innovative asbestos training provider.
”...we would rather fail in originality than succeed in imitation...”

Every trainer employed by The Asbestos Specialists undergoes stringent knowledge and industry experience background checks to meet our criteria. The United Kingdom Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) will also approve each Asbestos Specialists trainer; only after receiving this approval will we allow them to provide your training courses.

Asbestos is an emotive issue, asbestos is the ‘hidden killer’ and as such training in asbestos awareness has to be carried out in a way that doesn’t over exaggerate and misinform you of the dangers, it is important to remember asbestos is perfectly safe in most circumstances. Asbestos in good condition, or not going to get damaged, is perfectly safe!

The handling and disturbance of asbestos is a very tricky business, this is why we will make sure that when you train with us we make it very clear of what you can and can’t do - as well as what you must do to protect you, your employees, or even, your family from this hazardous fibre.

Every course we provide is thoroughly checked and audited by UKATA. We believe in providing you with clear and concise information on asbestos.

Originality and professionalism are our ‘watch words’ and our company maxim is: ‘we would rather fail in originality than to succeed in imitation’; We stand by it.


Not sure which training course you need? Call us now, we will be happy to discuss your requirements.

5 surprising facts about asbestos.

With graphic descriptive terms used to describe it, such as ‘the hidden killer’ and ‘deadly fibre’, the discovery or presumption that you may have asbestos in your workplace or even in your home is enough to strike fear into the minds of many people – and rightly so. Despite there being legislative controls to protect workers and members of the public from the 1930s right up until 2012, asbestos is still the single greatest cause of UK work related deaths and to this day it also remains a source of misery and ill-health the world over.

Here are 7 of some of the most surprising facts about asbestos…

1. Asbestos is a natural product – and still mined today:
Yes, asbestos is actually a mineral, unlike many other dangerous materials and substances found in the workplace, asbestos is not manmade. It’s not made in ‘asbestos factories’ - it is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin needle fibres or soft silky strong fibres held within the rock which is mined from the earth – a practice which is still carried out in many countries such as Russia, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan and, up until 2011, in Canada. In 2009, there were still two million tonnes of asbestos fibre mined worldwide.

2. Asbestos refers to a group of minerals:
The term ‘asbestos’ actually refers to a set of six minerals. All six are strong, heat resistant and chemically inert – properties that originally made it such a desirable material for a range of products and applications. Of the six types, three were commonly used in the UK:
chrysotile (white asbestos),
amosite (brown asbestos) and
crocidolite (blue asbestos).
All six have been found to harm human health due to the long term damage that breathing microscopic asbestos fibres causes to the lungs.

3. We have used asbestos for almost 5000 years:
The earliest known use of asbestos was in about 2,500 B.C in what is now Finland, where fibres were mixed with clay to form stronger ceramic utensils and pots. Since then it was used by most of the world’s major civilisations, including the ancient Greeks, Romans and Persians, where its fire-resistant properties were heralded by many as a form of ‘magic’. However, it wasn’t until 1858 that the asbestos industry formally began, when the Johns Mannville Company in New York began mining asbestos for use as industrial insulation.

4. Remarkable but true:
It might seem absolutely incredible to us now that we are aware of its dangers but, during the 1950s, asbestos was used as a medium in cigarette filters. Between 1953 and 1957 it is estimated that over 13 billion ‘Kent Micronite’ cigarettes were sold worldwide, mostly in the USA. Blue asbestos was used within the filter material to remove the heat from the smoke and tar from the tobacco.
Actually within the first half of the twentieth century asbestos was used in a variety of surprising applications. Back in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, for example, asbestos was within a fake snow product that was used as a Christmas decoration. Its heat-resistant properties meant it was thought of much lower fire risk than alternatives – and it was even used on the film sets of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’


5. Asbestos exposure kills somebody every five hours:
As early as the 1930s it was understood that exposure to asbestos fibres could cause the disease which is known as asbestosis. However since then we have also discovered other diseases associated with being exposed to asbestos fibres.
The most serious disease is mesothelioma – cancer of the outer lining of the lung which is invariably fatal. Due to the risks posed by other people such as family members and ancillary workers who may have been subject to indirect exposure, it is difficult to put an exact figure on the number killed. However, the British Lung Foundation and the Health and Safety Executive estimate that more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma every year in the UK and someone dies every five hours. What’s more, in a report called the ‘Projection of Mesothelioma Mortality in Great Britain’, produced for the HSE, around 91,000 deaths are predicted to occur in the UK by 2050 as a direct result of exposure to asbestos.