Asbestos Exposure in the Construction Industry

In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that every week twenty people die of asbestos related diseases and asbestos compensation claims are on the increase.. The most deadly of these is mesothelioma, which is a fatal cancer of the lining of the lung, followed by bronchial cancer which is fatal in a large majority of cases.

Although the use of asbestos in industry was banned some years ago, it remains in the environment. Left undisturbed, generally it poses little danger, apart from possible release of asbestos fibres from environmental erosion of asbestos containing structures. It is when asbestos is disturbed that the problems start.

Often it is the construction industry that encounters this asbestos time bomb. Activities such as refurbishment of premises containing asbestos, demolition work and uncovering buried asbestos whilst digging foundations are typical of how construction workers can be exposed to this highly carcinogenic material. Neither is it easy to identify the material. Whilst asbestos board is easily spotted, the material was often incorporated with other materials such as cement, insulation materials and various composite materials, and these are considerably more difficult to identify.

Any building constructed before 1999 may contain asbestos in some form. Anyone who needs to work on such a building should ensure that a thorough survey for asbestos is undertaken before the work commences. If asbestos is discovered, then it is essential that proper precautions should be observed.

Anyone not adhering to these rules is likely to face prosecution. Recently a company director who was deemed responsible for the exposure of 15 of his workers to asbestos has been fined £35,000. The men had been exposed over a two month period during the refurbishment of a building. The director had been warned that there was a possibility that the building contained asbestos, but he failed to have a proper survey carried out.

Another company that failed to detect asbestos that was present in two schools was fined £40,000. They had undertaken an asbestos survey, but it was inadequate. As a result a number of construction workers were exposed to the material.