Thousands of Avoidable Asbestos Exposure Cases Still Occurring, According to Survey

19 Apr 2019

According to a recent survey that was funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), a significant number of companies and contractors are still not adhering to basic asbestos regulations, despite the danger to life presented by the improper asbestos removal and disposal activities.

Despite asbestos being banned from use in construction for almost 20 years and a huge effort by the governing authorities to raise awareness of the dangers that exist when asbestos is present in buildings, the survey highlighted that out of the 500 contractors (which included a spread of joiners, electricians, electricians and roofers) surveyed, one in three confessed to not checking the asbestos register when beginning work on a new site.

That same group also provided data to suggest that as many as one out of every four contractors have at some point been exposed to asbestos. This is concerning, to say the least, as mesothelioma - the aggressive lung cancer associated with asbestos fibre inhalation - can take as long as 20 or 30 years to develop, meaning that thousands could already have had their health seriously compromised without even knowing it.

Get Aware and Stay Safe
The unfortunate part of stories like this one is that asbestos exposure is so avoidable and just a little awareness can literally save lives. Experienced and professional asbestos companies like ours are constantly striving to raise awareness of the importance of adhering to asbestos regulations, as the consequences of not doing so can literally cost people their lives.

If you’d like to find out more about anything discussed here, please head over to our website www.ohss.ie, where you’ll find lots of information about our entire range of occupational hygiene and asbestos abatement services. At OHSS, we have been assisting companies to keep themselves and their employees safe in the face of all the hidden workplace dangers since 2001, so we have all the expertise to protect you.

If you’d like to talk to us about your occupational hygiene needs, call us now on (01) 6905907 and our expert team will be more than glad to help.

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