6
OCTOBER 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
ASBESTOS AWARENESS
CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
The British Lung Foundation (BLF) has launched ‘Take 5 and Stay Alive’, a major campaign
designed to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos amongst tradespeople.
Every week, on average,
20 tradesmen die in the
UK from exposure to
asbestos making it the
single greatest cause of
work-related deaths.
Although it is now illegal
to use asbestos, this ban
was only imposed in 2000 –
meaning any building built
or renovated before then
could contain asbestos. Research shows that there is a
worrying lack of information
and training amongst small
employers and sole traders,
with workers not seeing it
as a big risk or worrying
about losing jobs and money
if they raise concerns, and
not knowing how to identify
asbestos and what to do if
they find it.
When disturbed and
inhaled, asbestos fibres can
‘The tiny particles
stick to clothes’
cause a range of illnesses, including the terminal
chest cancer mesothelioma.
The tiny invisible particles
stick to clothes, meaning
that as well as risking their
own lives, workers can be
unknowingly putting their
family members, colleagues
and friends at risk.
The BLF’s Take 5 and Stay
Alive campaign aims to en-
sure tradespeople have the
knowledge to act safely and
responsibly, ensuring they
can identify asbestos and determine what type it is, and
assess whether they have the
training and equipment to
deal with it safely.
British Lung Foundation
Chief Executive Dr Penny
Woods said: “Twice as many
people die from asbestos-related illnesses than on the
roads each year in Britain
and the numbers of deaths
associated with it are rising
each year.
“But it’s not just tradespeople putting their own lives at
risk. If asbestos is disturbed
the particles can affect
Britain’s Healthiest
Profession? Average
Tradesperson Is Six
Times More Active Than
Nhs’ Model Of Fitness
New research destroys
the myth of British
tradespeople leading
unhealthy lives with
beer bellies, living off
junk food, cigarettes
and alcohol.
The study from Direct
Line for Business suggests
tradespeople are amongst
the nation’s fittest workers, typically exercising
for 16.4 hours each week,
over six times the NHS’
minimum recommendation
of 2.5 hours exercise per
week.
The research shows how
41 per cent (1.1 million)
of tradespeople complete
more than ten hours of
physical activity a week at
work. One in four claimed
to complete more than 20
hours a week and the average for all tradespeople
was 11.7 hours per week.
British tradespeople are
also keeping fit outside of
work with an additional
average of 4.69 hours of
physical activity, through
working out at the gym
and sport.
The research also found
that Britain’s 2.8 million
tradespeople have considerably healthier diets than
originally thought, with
only one in fourteen (seven per cent) claiming they
consistently eat more than
their recommended daily
allowance (RDA