Dealing with asbestos is one of the most seriously challenging jobs within the construction and building industry. One of the most common questions raised to the health & safety authorities is ‘what do I do if I think I’ve found asbestos somewhere on the site’. The quickest and only answer is to stop work immediately, clear workers away from the area and get confirmation of what it is or assumed to be. There is a gallery showing many images of different types of asbestos and this helps to determine if there is such a problem. Then it must be dealt with by a licensed contractor. Unlicensed staff can only work on asbestos if they’ve had the appropriate instruction and training. So experts will have to be involved somewhere along the way. Some workers or gangmasters do try to get round the laws and sadly asbestos is still responsible for about 5000 worker deaths per annum – a huge number, bigger than those killed on the road – the normal pointer to deaths from unatural causes.
