HSE Targets London in New Inspection Initiative
During January and February of this year, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be undertaking a new construction inspection initiative focussing on asbestos workers in London, UK.
Primarily targeting how asbestos is handled and worker’s health is protected, the HSE will be assessing the kinds of control measures in place to protect employees from occupational lung disease and other asbestos related conditions.
Discussing the reasons behind the asbestos initiative, a spokesperson for HSE said:
“Priority is often given to safety, but thousands more workers suffer ill-health at work than are harmed by at-work accidents.
“Asbestos is a ‘slow killer’, but we estimate that annually there are around 8000 work-related cancer deaths a year – with the construction industry accounting for around 3,500 of these.”
As well as assessing the practical control measurers in place, such as air filtration systems and respiratory protective equipment (RPE), HSE inspectors will be looking to ensure workers are aware of the dangers involved, know the risks, and are aware of the plans and procedures in place for their work.
The HSE asbestos initiative comes in the middle of their healthy breathing campaign #Dustbusters, in which they are promoting respiratory awareness across the UK.
For more information on HSE and their #Dustbusters campaign, please visit their website.