Asbestos was once the darling of UK industry. Its fireproofing quality and flexibility, and the fact that it could be easily added to a range of materials from textured wall coatings to gaskets for ocean liners, made it seem a miracle substance. Just like many apparent blessings, though, it had a terrible consequence. As we…

Health and safety gets a bit of a raw deal sometimes. There is a popular image of the officious health and safety person stopping workers doing their jobs for no reason, or the overzealous school issuing safety goggles to kids playing conkers. While there are incidents of people taking their responsibilities a little too far,…

For most of us here in the UK, asbestos is a dark presence that haunts our houses, schools and public buildings. It is a known carcinogen, and yet it is potentially present in any building constructed before 2000. Disturbing or breaking materials that contain it will likely release a cloud of poisonous fibres that will…

The issue of asbestos contamination is a difficult one, to say the least. While it is clear that there is a link between the inhalation of asbestos fibres and the development later in life of a number of respiratory problems, the issue of when and where and indeed if the contamination occurred is a thorny…

If you are an employer who works in any area where there is a chance your employees could encounter asbestos or Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs), then you most likely have a responsibility to ensure that they are trained in Asbestos Awareness. The governing legislation on the area of asbestos training is very clear, and can…

You may well be aware that asbestos is a dangerous and potentially fatal material. For anyone working in trades that could come into contact with it, asbestos presents a very real health risk, and it is a legal requirement that a suitable level of training is provided to minimise the danger. The first rule of…

Albert Square can be a dangerous place at times. With character deaths currently standing at well over 100, the poor residents have been impaled on spikes, killed in speedboat accidents, crushed in cars, taken overdoses, and even murdered by hitmen. The high drama of the soap opera has taken its toll over the years, and…

The chances are you have seen or been in a CLASP building. They are easily recognised because they have that distinctive ‘60s pre-fab look you often see in schools and similar buildings. CLASP construction was fast, easy, cheap, and provided what seemed to be suitable accommodation for classrooms. Unfortunately, they were usually constructed from Asbestos…

Hindsight, as they say, is always in 20/20 vision. Looking back now, it seems perfectly clear that asbestos should not have been used in construction. Not only is it a known toxin, it is a Class 1 carcinogen, which means it is known to cause cancer in human beings. To have taken such as toxic…

Being an employer isn’t always as easy. This is particularly true in that broad category of business we call ‘tradespeople’. As a business owner, you find yourself responsible for contractors, employees, premises and the other paraphernalia of a successful company. It is easy to make a small mistake in all the noise of running a…