Tradesmen asbestos deaths 'on the rise'
Commercial insurance
3rd November 2008
The number of people dying from exposure to asbestos is still on the rise among tradesmen, it has been claimed.
According to the Northern Echo, the north-east of England is one of the worst areas in the UK for asbestos-related fatalities with huge increases in deaths in Sunderland, Newcastle and Gateshead between 1981 and 2005.
Over that period, more than 2,000 men and 300 women died as a result of exposure.
Chris Gillie, principal inspector at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said tradesmen needed to be made aware of the dangers posed to them by the substance.
"Exposure to asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths, with about 4,000 people a year dying from asbestos-related disease," he commented.
The HSE's hidden killer campaign claims 20 tradesmen die from asbestos exposure every week.
Asbestos can be found in everything from toilet cisterns and pipe lagging to wall panelling and fuse boxes.
