Asbestos Awareness Week

Summary: Global Asbestos Awareness Week runs from 1 to 7 April and raises awareness of the ongoing risks associated with asbestos exposure. Although asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, asbestos-containing materials can still be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000. Asbestos remains the greatest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain, with around 5,000 people dying every year from asbestos-related diseases.

Key points:

• Global Asbestos Awareness Week runs from 1 to 7 April each year.
• Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, but asbestos-containing materials can still be present in older buildings.
• Around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases in Great Britain.
• Asbestos-related diseases can take decades to develop and cannot be cured.
• Workers may still be exposed when asbestos-containing materials are disturbed during maintenance, repair or refurbishment.
• Employers, building owners and dutyholders should ensure asbestos risks are properly managed.

Why asbestos awareness still matters

Today, the risks associated with asbestos are well and widely known. We know that even a single airborne fibre risks triggering the development of a range of respiratory conditions, years or even decades later. Whilst the risks from asbestos were well known by the medical field as early as the mid-1920s, public awareness of risk (and therefore our wider societal response) remained low until the early 1990s. The UK went on to ban asbestos in 1999, almost seventy years after its first use.

Asbestos-related deaths: the scale of the problem in the UK

In the UK, around 5,000 people die from asbestos-related conditions (including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis) each year. While annual fatalities have remained around the 5,000 mark for several years, the long shadow cast by asbestos has not yet reached its full height.

We know that, since the introduction of regulation and legislation around the use, maintenance, and management of asbestos, public exposure has been reduced. Additional provisions and precautions should be in place, from PPE and respiratory equipment to physical barriers preventing access to spaces where work is being undertaken.

The long latency of asbestos-related disease

Many asbestos-related conditions present decades later (known as long-latency) meaning that the bulk of the cases being diagnosed today come from the 1960s–1980s.

The asbestos time bomb: why cases may rise in coming years

Many health and safety practitioners expect an asbestos-related time bomb which sees presentation numbers, and therefore fatalities, rise sharply to cover asbestos exposure in the late 1980s and 1990s — before the UK ban was introduced. The UK continues to have one of the world’s highest rates of mesothelioma, reflecting historic asbestos use and the long latency of asbestos-related disease.

Where asbestos exposure risks remain in UK buildings

Still present in workplaces across the UK, the risks from asbestos exposure have not changed. What has changed is our level of knowledge, our response, and our vigilance around the safe management and maintenance of asbestos.

The risk to tradespeople working in residential properties

Asbestos risks can also arise in residential buildings. While a home may not be a workplace day to day, it may become someone's workplace when tradespeople carry out repairs, installations or refurbishment — from electricians installing smart meters to glaziers refitting windows.

The legal duties differ depending on the type of property and the work being carried out. The duty to manage asbestos applies to the common parts of domestic premises, such as foyers, corridors, staircases, roof spaces, gardens and yards. In owner-occupied homes, the legal responsibility for assessing and managing asbestos risk sits with the tradesperson carrying out the work, not the homeowner. Employers and contractors must ensure risks are properly assessed and managed before work begins.

HSE's Asbestos Awareness Week campaign

This week, for Global Asbestos Awareness Week, we support HSE's call on businesses occupying older buildings to properly manage the risks associated with the presence of and exposure to asbestos.

Running from 1 to 7 April, HSE says asbestos can still be found in a wide variety of materials in factories and manufacturing premises built before 2000.

HSE's and others' work is central to raising public awareness, reducing risk, and, we hope, reducing future cases of asbestos-related issues.

What employers and dutyholders should do during Asbestos Awareness Week

Asbestos Awareness Week is a timely reminder for employers, building owners and dutyholders to review how asbestos risks are being managed. Practical steps include:

• checking whether buildings were built or refurbished before 2000
• reviewing the asbestos register and asbestos management plan
• making sure contractors are given asbestos information before work begins
• ensuring workers know not to disturb suspected asbestos-containing materials
• providing asbestos awareness training where relevant
• using HSE guidance to understand legal duties

British Safety Council's call to action

Asbestos-related diseases are the single biggest cause of work-related deaths in Britain, though their historic nature often means that they are overlooked in year-on-year comparisons. That's a shocking statement and one that we cannot let continue.

Learn more about asbestos risks, awareness and management:

• Asbestos Awareness online course for workers who may encounter asbestos during their work.
• Asbestos: a growing challenge for the future? on why asbestos remains a long-term public health and workplace safety challenge.
• Asbestos Management: Time to Improve the Skills Base, a Health and Safety Uncut podcast episode on asbestos management and competence.
• HSE asbestos guidance: official guidance on asbestos risks and legal duties.

When is Global Asbestos Awareness Week?

Global Asbestos Awareness Week runs from 1 to 7 April each year.

Why is Asbestos Awareness Week important?

It raises awareness that asbestos is still present in many older buildings and can cause fatal diseases if asbestos fibres are released and breathed in.

Is asbestos still a risk in the UK?

Yes. Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, but asbestos-containing materials can still be present in buildings built or refurbished before 2000.

How many people die from asbestos-related diseases each year?

Around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases in Great Britain. HSE also reported 2,218 mesothelioma deaths in 2023 due to past asbestos exposures.

Who is most at risk from asbestos today?

Workers who maintain, repair or refurbish older buildings may be at risk if asbestos-containing materials are disturbed. This can include builders, electricians, plumbers, decorators, roofers and maintenance workers.

Who needs asbestos awareness training?

Asbestos awareness training is relevant for workers who may encounter asbestos during their work. It helps people understand where asbestos may be found and what to do if they suspect asbestos is present. It does not qualify someone to work with asbestos-containing materials.

What should someone do if they think they have found asbestos?

They should stop work, avoid disturbing the material and seek advice from a competent person. Employers and dutyholders should follow HSE guidance and ensure suspected asbestos-containing materials are properly assessed and managed.

Sources: HSE asbestos guidance; HSE Asbestos and You campaign; HSE key figures for Great Britain; HSE duty to manage asbestos guidance.