Asbestos Still A Concern, Warns Manchester Consultancy

May 11, 2009 - PRLog -- Almost three years ago the government banned the supply and use of all forms of asbestos in the UK - but Manchester compliance consultancy Shieldyourself has warned businesses that the threat from asbestos has not yet disappeared.

Shieldyourself, based at Manchester Science Park, are urging business managers to ensure they have an asbestos survey carried out on any of their buildings built before 2000 to ensure they don’t open themselves up to legal action in the future.

Sarah Delaney, Head of Compliance Services at Shieldyourself, explained: “Asbestos was used extensively as a building material from the 1950s through to the mid 1980s and could be found in many products, from floor tiles to cement.

“At the time asbestos was hailed as a quality insulation material but it was subsequently found to be a killer, which can cause fatal diseases such as Asbestosis and Mesothelioma,” Sarah continued.

“As a result, the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos was made illegal in the UK in November 2006 but that hasn’t been the end as any building built before 2000 may still contain asbestos.”

In a warning to businesess in Manchester, Sarah said it was the legal responsibility of the recognised building dutyholder to find out if there is any materials containing asbestos in the building and, if so, how much there is and what state it is in.

The 2006 regulations include a duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises and, Sarah explained, an asbestos survey carried out by a certified practitioner is the first step towards fulfilling that duty, identifying any asbestos materials in a building.

She also pointed out that even if asbestos was found, the best form of action is not always to have the asbestos removed - at a high cost to the building owner.

“It is only when asbestos fibres become airborne, such as when the material is damaged, that there is an issue,” Sarah continued. “It may be that the asbestos materials are in good condition and can be safely managed without removal.”

“The important thing for business owners to remember is that without an asbestos survey they could be opening themselves up to legal action – if it is your building it is your responsibility to manage any asbestos in it; not knowing it is there is no excuse.”

For more information Asbestos visit Shieldyourself’s website www.shieldyourself.co.uk or call Shieldyourself directly and speak to Richard Dawson on 0870 011 8250.
As a legal compliance consultancy, Shieldyourself focus on providing legal compliance solutions across the disciplines of health and safety, food safety and fire safety to businesses across the UK.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), over 4000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases -  more people than are killed on the UK’s roads each year. Link to HSE Asbestos website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/myth-buster3.htm#

For further information on Shieldyourself or to arrange an interview with Richard Dawson, from Shieldyourself, please contact Shirley Kernan, Communications Executive, Manchester Science Parks (msp) on 0161 232 4595 or via email on shirley.kernan@mspl.co.uk or contact Richard directly on r.dawson@shieldyourself.co.uk

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Shieldyourself is an award winning health and safety, food safety and fire safety legal compliance provider. We support a variety of sectors which include caterers, retailers, food manufacturers and non food manufacturers, distributors, general office based businesses and construction companies.