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Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP) is first for independent health and safety news.
September 1, 2015

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Asbestos Still Kills – initiative from BOHS

At the Asbestos The Truth event tomorrow (2 September), the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) will promote its new initiative – Asbestos Still Kills – highlighting BOHS’ suite of asbestos qualifications, and the facts around asbestos and its risks.

According to BOHS, asbestos still presents significant risks, killing around 5,000 workers each year. The Society is calling for qualified professionals to help minimise the risks posed by this potentially deadly material.

Asbestos – Why is it Still a Problem?

BOHS explain that Asbestos is classified as a category 1 carcinogen, and around 20 tradesmen die each week as a result of past exposure to asbestos – which can be present in buildings, both residential and commercial, constructed or refurbished up to the year 2000. Many materials regularly used in the building trade contain asbestos, including lagging, floor tiles, and roofing felt.

BOHS add that it is not solely construction workers who are at risk of exposure to asbestos: anyone involved in the maintenance and refurbishment of buildings can be at risk, including, but not limited to: plumbers, plasterers, painters and decorators, computer and data installers, and telecommunications engineers.

Managing the risk

For buildings that contain asbestos, there is a legal responsibility to manage the material: this legal responsibility lies with the ‘duty holder’. The duty holder is the owner of the premises, or the person in charge of the maintenance or repair of the premises, explains BOHS. Premises can include any industrial, commercial, or public buildings, such as factories, warehouses, offices, schools, hospitals etc.

BOSH highlight that, in order to manage the risks posed by asbestos in their premises, the duty holder may need to seek professional help, and this can be provided by consultancies which specialise in the management of environmental issues, such as asbestos.

The Society stress that consultancy personnel must be qualified to the highest standards in asbestos management, so that duty holders can have peace of mind in the levels of service they receive, and specifically: the quality of advice; the correct identification of health hazards; and the adequacy of controls required to be implemented.

According to BOHS, if a consultancy’s personnel have achieved BOHS’ asbestos qualifications, this can help validate their level of professionalism: the BOHS P400 series of qualifications in asbestos are industry-leading and recognised by the HSE and UKAS, and are protected by trademark to BOHS, they say.

BOHS add that the Asbestos Still Kills initiative aims to demonstrate how BOHS continues its international leadership on protection against asbestos, by setting the standards for qualified professionals.

What makes us susceptible to burnout?

In this episode  of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.

We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.

stress

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