One of the first things you should understand and pay great attention to when you start working in the construction industry, especially drylining and plastering trades, is the dangers of asbestos. The safety precautions that you MUST undertake when working an environment that has asbestos are as serious as living a long healthy life, or ignoring them and taking an early grave.

Most of our customers and clients are working in an area of the construction industry that is one of the most exposed to asbestos - plastering and drylining. Asbestos is the name used for a group of naturally occurring minerals that are used in a lot of products. The substance is used to strengthen materials, and also provides fire & chemical resistance.

In the production process, asbestos is usually mixed
with other substances to create different asbestos-containing
materials (ACMs), but it has also been used on its own.
Respirable asbestos fibres are invisible to the naked eye.
When breathed in they can become stuck in the lungs. Over
time, this can cause serious illnesses, including fatal cancers.

In this post we are sharing our top five statistics you need to know about asbestos and the importance of taking serious precautions against the substance.

1. ASBESTOS RELATED DISEASE ARE MORE PREVALENT IN THE NORTH

Although asbestos related deaths are widespread and found in every region of the country, in the UK the biggest increase in asbestos related deaths were found in more northern areas like Tyne & Wear, Glasgow, Barrow-In-Furness and West Dunbartonshire according to the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

2. ASBESTOS RELATED ILLNESSES CAUSE 4,000 DEATHS IN THE UK EVERY YEAR

Inhaling asbestos over long periods can be a heavy cause of lung and organ diseases, cancers and failures. In fact, on average, 4,000 people die every single year in the UK and 104,000 worldwide, due to unknowingly inhaling harmful amounts of asbestos and suffering the consequences of that.

3. IT IS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF WORK RELATED CANCER.

If you didn't already know, the repercussions of inhaling and not being safe around asbestos, can put you at an extremely high risk of lung cancer. In fact, asbestos is the number one cause of work related cancers, including mesothelioma.

4. IT IS ILLEGAL TO USE ASBESTOS IN THE UK & EU SINCE 2005

Although still a direct threat to construction workers and basically anybody around asbestos, in 1999 the UK banned the production of asbestos and the EU shortly followed in 2005. Meaning that you should not find asbestos in new buildings, but must take great caution in buildings built around 40-50 years ago, as they hold some of the most dangerous levels of asbestos.

5. BLUE AND BROWN ASBESTOS ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS

Working in the construction industry you will unfortunately come into contact with asbestos quite regularly, whilst it's unhealthy to inhale any level of asbestos, with the right protection and guidelines you should be able to take the correct precautions to minimise your contact with it. If you come face to face with either blue or brown asbestos it is important to take extra caution and contact the relevant health & safety association for assistance on removing it as these two colours present the most dangerous levels of asbestos.