Law needed to rid workplaces of asbestos

The UK needs a new law on asbestos with a clear timetable for the eradication of asbestos from every single workplace, says a group of MPs.

A new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health says that asbestos should be removed from all commercial, public and rented domestic premises by 2035 and from all public buildings and educational establishments by 2028.

The MPs say that regulations requiring the safe, phased and planned removal of all the asbestos that remains in Britain is the only way to “ensure that future generations will not have to experience the same deadly epidemic from asbestos-related diseases that we suffer today”.

Some 5,000 people in Britain are likely to die prematurely as a result of exposure to asbestos this year, according to official figures. The report, The asbestos crisis: why Britain needs an eradication law, makes clear that asbestos is not a problem of the past. It is still with us and still as dangerous as ever, in half a million non-domestic premises, including 75% of schools and around a million domestic premises.

The TUC is urging unions to raise the issue with employers and seek negotiated agreements for the planned and safe removal and disposal of all asbestos within the workplace.

https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/asbestoseradication.pdf

http://strongerunions.org/2015/10/16/asbestos-time-to-grasp-the-nettle