History of Asbestos in the UK

This week sees the release of the asbestos uses and regulations timeline.

The content, in the form of an infographic and detailed article, aims to highlight the ‘History of Asbestos’, the use of asbestos and asbestos legislation, since the first recorded asbestos-related death in 1906.

Silverdell PLC take the lead as the first company, (who major on the management of asbestos and other hazardous materials) to publish an historic timeline on the subject of asbestos, in a visual and easily shareable format.

Read the article here.

Download PDF versions of our infographic – Landscape / Portrait

Click to view The History of Asbestos Infographic

The infographic and article chart the history of asbestos and although it is not exhaustive, it communicates how asbestos has had such a profound effect on society as a whole, since the worldwide consumption of asbestos began.

Silverdell PLC has captured key dates and events, together with covering information in the form of an article.

Silverdell UK is encouraging subscribers to share this infographic here.

Silverdell UK is part of the Silverdell Plc Group of Companies. We work with major organisations both here and overseas, whose executives have a duty to protect people, assets and reputation.

Silverdell UK provides peace of mind through its Specialist Environmental Support Services, majoring on the management of asbestos and other hazardous materials, which means our Clients know that their interests are always protected.

For further information on Silverdell UK please visit www.silverdell.co.uk

Further information on Silverdell Plc can be found at www.silverdell.plc.uk

]]> http://www.asbestos-removal-management.co.uk/2012/02/silverdell-plc-publish-first-history-of-asbestos-timeline/feed/ 0 http://www.asbestos-removal-management.co.uk/2012/02/silverdell-plc-publish-first-history-of-asbestos-timeline/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SilverdellEnvironmentalAsbestos/~3/pMTYU3x9MaU/ http://www.asbestos-removal-management.co.uk/2011/11/silverdell-helps-worthwhile-bbc-children-in-need-diy-sos-big-build-project/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:59:39 +0000 admin http://www.asbestos-removal-management.co.uk/?p=135 Silverdell PLC the Specialist Environmental Support Services Group joined forces with a number of trades to assist with a full refurbishment and extension to a local youth centre in one of the most deprived areas in Liverpool where unemployment levels and crime levels are soaring.
The Children in Need project, is by far the largest challenge that Big Build presenter Nick Knowles and his team have tackled and took nine days to complete. The end result culminated in an exciting unveiling to youngsters on the tenth day. A project of this nature would have normally taken between six and nine months to complete with an estimated value of approximately £1million.

The DIY SOS: The Big Build team was given the challenge of completing it in only ten days. The whole project was made possible by support from local tradesmen and companies, including Silverdell UK.

Silverdell UK Regional Director Wayne Farmer said: “We were approached by the BBC to carry out some asbestos removal works within the existing building to make a particular area safe and allow the planned build to take place. We always support Children in Need and so didn’t hesitate to send a team of asbestos removal operatives and managers to the site to do the removal works.”

He went on to say “The Norris Green Youth Centre was in a dilapidated state and a much needed facility within a very deprived part of Liverpool. The centre offers hope and inspiration to young people and helps them to gain positive life experiences, develop skills and competencies for future life. Silverdell is proud to be part of such a heart-warming project.”

For further information on the Silverdell Group companies please visit:

Silverdell (UK) Limited www.silverdell.co.uk

Kitsons Environmental (Europe) Limited www.kitsons.co.uk

Redhills www.redhills.co.uk

SAFE Training www.safe-training.org

www.silverdell.plc.uk

Concerns over the health of the economy disguise the fact that thousands of businesses across the UK are growing and generating jobs. To highlight their untold story, the Telegraph has mapped out this vital section of the economy. The snapshot list focused on companies with sales of between £5m and £500m. Silverdell were listed under ‘special construction trades’.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/8755546/Telegraph-1000-Britains-Brightest-Businesses.html

The list was published just days after the Specialist Environmental Support Services Group announced the award of new waste remediation and asbestos management contracts in the aviation, housing and municipal sectors.

For further information on the Silverdell Group companies please visit:

Silverdell (UK) Limited www.silverdell.co.uk

Kitsons Environmental (Europe) Limited www.kitsons.co.uk

Redhills www.redhills.co.uk

SAFE Training www.safe-training.org

Further information on Silverdell Plc can be found at www.silverdell.plc.uk

Leading asbestos remediation contractor, Silverdell (UK) Limited announces the launch of a brand new website which will promote their Specialist Environmental Support Services. The new website www.silverdell.co.uk will provide access to their key environmental and hazardous waste services across the asbestos, construction and rail sectors amongst others.

A company called Page Nine have worked with the Silverdell Group to develop and build the new websites

Dave Rhodes, Managing Director said: “In an effort to support our positioning of ‘To Protect Life – we recognise the need to have leading edge websites to communicate what we do. Our core environmental services are outlined in such a way that companies carrying out their due diligence, will be given the necessary confidence and information to avoid compliance issues and help them manage their reputation and give them the reassurance that their duty of care around their compliance issues are being properly managed, in order to protect their interests and those of their stakeholders.”

He went on to say: “The new website will act as an information hub that people will want to visit for all the latest news, information and legislation . We are embracing social media as a measurable marketing tool across the business and hope to reflect our overall market positioning as industry leaders in this field.”

Enquiries can be made via the website at www.silverdell.co.uk or by calling: 020 8591 6677

Services Include:

• Asbestos Removal
• Environmental Management Solutions
• Construction
• Rail Engineering Solutions
• Scaffolding Access

ENDS.

About Silverdell

Silverdell UK is part of the Silverdell Plc Group of Companies. We work with major organisations both here and overseas, whose executives have a duty to protect people, assets and reputation.

Silverdell UK provides peace of mind through its Specialist Environmental Support Services, majoring on the management of asbestos and other hazardous materials, which means our Clients know that their interests are always protected.

For further information on Silverdell UK please visit www.silverdell.co.uk

Further information on Silverdell Plc can be found at www.silverdell.plc.uk

Media Interviews of key personnel can be arranged through our PR agency:

Kirstie Colledge, Managing Director

SMPR (Simply Marcomms Limited)

kirstie@simplymarcomms.co.uk

0870 199 4044

The Gold Award, is an external accreditation offered to organisations that demonstrate a commitment to delivering and implementing strong health and safety management systems. David Rawlins, RoSPA Awards Manager, said: “RoSPA firmly believes that organisations that have demonstrated their commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention deserve recognition.

Silverdell (UK) Limited has once again shown that it is committed to striving for such continuous improvement and we are delighted to honour it through the presentation of an award.” Justin Busk, Head of (SHEQ) Safety, Health, Environmental & Quality, Silverdell (UK) said

“We are delighted to once again receive recognition of by virtue of the RoSPA award. The award reflects the hard work of all employees in maintaining excellent standards of Occupational Health and Safety Management and Performance over the year. We look forward to another 12 months where we embrace all aspects of health and safety management to the highest possible level.”

ENDS.

About Silverdell

Silverdell UK is part of the Silverdell Plc Group of Companies. We work with major organisations both here and overseas, whose executives have a duty to protect people, assets and reputation.

Silverdell UK provides peace of mind through its Specialist Environmental Support Services, majoring on the management of asbestos and other hazardous materials. Which means our Clients know that their interests are always protected.

About RoSPA The majority of RoSPA’s awards are non-competitive, marking achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Organisations maintaining high standards can win gold medals, president’s awards and orders of distinction.

Competitive awards are presented in more than 20 sectors, and specialist awards recognise excellence in specific areas, such as the management of occupational road risk. The RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2011 are sponsored by NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health), the leading health and safety professional examining body.

Three days of award ceremonies and three gala evening dinners will be held in Birmingham from May 17-19, alongside Safety & Health Expo 2011, Europe’s leading annual health and safety exhibition. An award ceremony and gala dinner will also take place in Glasgow in September.

See www.rospa.com/awards/ for more information about the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards. — For further information on Silverdell UK please visit www.silverdell.co.uk

By Rob Blackburn commenting for Silverdell PLC.

Implications from Wednesday’s landmark ruling.

Victims of mesothelioma have a life expectancy of just 18 months from diagnosis. Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer caused exclusively by asbestos. Asbestos does not occur naturally in the urban world, but was shipped into the UK in large quantities and added to over 3,000 products. Asbestos was used extensively in building materials and thus found its way into offices, schools, homes and hospitals. It was used extensively from the start of the last century up to the final ban in 1999.

Compensation is due because, as Lord Kerr succinctly puts it, “… employers had, in any event, been prepared to have their employee run the risk of contracting the disease.” Lady Hale added “employers and occupiers turned a blind eye to those dangers long after they knew” It is for these reasons that almost every case of mesothelioma is entitled to compensation.

Victims normally have to decide whether to accept what is offered by those responsible (if anything) or fight a legal battle that inevitably consumes their last days. This is what makes those that take these fights on so special, it is entirely selfless. Neither Dianne Willmore nor Enid Costello lived to see their victory in The Supreme Court, both passed away at different points in the proceedings. The beneficiaries are those that follow in their footsteps.

Context

Problems arose when those that carry the liability for asbestos victims sought to exploit methods of avoiding their obligations. This has ranged from deliberate procrastination to the current attempts to place the onus on victims to prove that ‘which-cannot-be-proved’. Wednesday’s ruling was a unanimous judgement by the Supreme Court that quashed the appeals against both Dianne Willmore and Enid Costello and, in so doing, allows victims to receive compensation with a fair method of proving the liability of those responsible.

The ground for the appeals was that the victims should have to prove that on the balance of probabilities the defendants – Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Grief (UK) Ltd – had caused the disease. This would be entirely plausible if this were possible, but both science and statistics have their limits and in mesothelioma they are both found wanting. Scientific studies can show probabilities of asbestos diseases occurring given certain environmental conditions; age at first exposure; type of asbestos; length of exposure etc. But the results that can be gleaned from this are only reliable insofar as the exposures encountered are similar to those in the original study. The reality is that with asbestos all of the studies are based on very high levels of exposure, such as manufacturing or mining processes. There are no studies that relate to asbestos exposure at the levels discussed or encountered in these two cases. Experts took little heed of this and continued to state probabilities with no reliable foundation. Lord Bingham referred to this as part of the ‘The Rock of Uncertainty’.

Asbestos victim

The requirement to prove liability on the balance of probability test requires the victim to show that the negligent party has ‘doubled the risk’. Looked at in simple terms, this means that if the risk of any member of the population getting a disease were 1 then the probability that the employer had caused the disease would not occur until such time as the risk had grown above 2. Once the risk exceeds twice the original the probability is that the disease was caused by the employer.

This premise demands that we can define, with certainty, both the risk of developing mesothelioma naturally and the risk created by the negligent act. Our limits of understanding do not allow us to do this. Had such an appeal been allowed, victims would have faced the odious task of creating and defending figures of probability. Such figures would not reflect the real risks and would add an unhelpful subjective element to the proceedings that could add months of legal argument to a case.
The Supreme Court ruled that the test of liability should be ‘material contribution’ which translates to the victim needing to show that they were negligently exposed. This is an inherently fairer ruling for the victim. This will mean that some employers will face liabilities where their actions, although negligent, did not cause the disease; this is a necessary position to protect the innocent victims. The courts would not have turned their attention to this had the companies, insurers and councils not taken such a hard line in the battles they have fought to limit compensation to those that shoulder the legacy.

Asbestos in schools

Dianne Willmore‘s case is exceptional in its own right in that she was exposed to asbestos as a child at school. Studies show that the younger you are exposed to asbestos the greater the risk of contracting mesothelioma. Statistics show an increasing number of teachers diagnosed with this disease. The Supreme Court ruling clearly considers and confirms that pupils were exposed to asbestos while at school and that this was a material contribution to the risk of the disease developing.

Asbestos was used as a building product extensively between 1945 and 1975 when nearly half of all schools were built. There are growing concerns over the management of asbestos in schools. Michael Lees, an ardent campaigner for tougher management of asbestos in schools, has been trying to get government to appraise the risk that asbestos still poses in schools. Michael’s campaign may now receive some much-warranted recognition. Michael’s wife Gina died aged 51 from mesothelioma; she was a primary school teacher.

Dianne and Enid’s cases set the test for legal liability at ‘material contribution’ and liability as ‘joint and several’, in other words when someone is exposed to asbestos they have recourse to each and every employer that exposed them for their full compensation. Asbestos is not a problem of the past it is with us today. Over 500,000 workplaces and over 13,000 schools contain asbestos, this legacy demands to be managed safely if we are to avoid the sins of the past.

Rob Blackburn is a consultant to SAFE Training part of Silverdell PLC.

www.silverdell.plc.uk

For many years, Canada has been a major exporter of white asbestos or ‘chrysotile’, with other major exporters being Russia, Kazakhstan, and Brazil. But in the past two decades, bans on chrysotile (in addition to those long in force for blue and brown asbestos) have existed, either in law or de facto, in many high-income countries, including the United Kingdom, which banned chrysotile in 1999, and Canada itself, which has not legally banned chrysotile but has a de facto ban. As such, more and more of Canada’s asbestos has been going to developing countries, where few or no protections exist and as such a time-bomb of deadly asbestos-related death and disease will continue to grow. Mesothelioma is a specific lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, and diagnosis is almost always a death sentence. In the UK, deaths from mesothelioma have climbed from 895 in 1990 to 2,249 in 2008, with no sign of declining, as the effects of workers’ exposure in the 1960s and 70s continue to manifest. Similar trends are occurring in other high-income nations.

Canada’s chrysotile resources have been dwindling. However, an Indian-led consortium (led by Montreal-based financier Baljit Chadha) is now planning to convert the recently closed Jeffrey Mine in Québec from open pit to underground, which would see Canada produce and export some 10% of the world’s asbestos again. Protests are going on in London (9 Dec), Québec, and Asian cities against the Québec and Canada governments to stop the loan guarantee being given. In London, a coalition of UK anti-asbestos groups are protesting against the reopening of the Jeffrey Mine outside Canada House, London, before handing in a petition to 10 Downing Street. In Québec, an Asian Delegation from affected importing countries (including Indonesia, India, Korea and Japan) is holding a number of public events and press conferences across the province.

Laurie Kazan-Allen, coordinator of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) and producer of the British Asbestos Newsletter says: “For over a decade, we have been engaged in a David and Goliath battle with asbestos lobbyists, stakeholder governments and commercial interests. They maintain that asbestos can be used safely under controlled conditions, but we know this is wrong. A new asbestos mine in Québec would be an abomination.”

For more information asbestos removal and asbestos management, visit our website www.silverdell.co.uk

Kathleen Ruff, Canadian anti-asbestos campaigner, author of Exporting Harm: How Canada Exports Asbestos to the Developing World, and senior human rights adviser to the Rideau Institute, an independent research and advocacy organisation in Ottawa, says: “It’s not too late for the Québec Government to change its mind and deny the loan guarantee. They must set an example to the other asbestos exporters worldwide. If this mine re-opens, the Canadian and Québec Governments will have blood on their hands for generations to come.”

If governments in Canada recognise that restrictions and regulations are essential to protect our citizens from the devastating effects of this hazardous product, why do they allow asbestos to be exported to other countries that may lack the resources to protect their own citizens?” asks CMA president Jeff Turnbull. “We have a social responsibility to protect not only the health of Canadians but that of citizens elsewhere who are being harmed by a Canadian export. Canada should not be abdicating this responsibility,” he adds.

Dr Richard Horton, Editor of The Lancet, said: “The links between asbestos and lung cancer, including mesothelioma, have long been established. The governments of Québec and Canada should not be exporting asbestos to developing nations where there are few or no workplace regulations to protect workers or the general population from its lethal effects. They should, as governments of a high-income nation, be setting an example to other asbestos-exporting nations – such as Russia and Kazakhstan – by declaring this practice is no longer acceptable.

“The Lancet adds its voice to those of the many anti-asbestos campaigners worldwide, the Canadian Medical Association, and others, who are calling for an end to this immoral export of asbestos-related death and disease to some of the most vulnerable people in the world. We call on the Government of Québec not to back re-development of the Jeffrey Mine which would continue asbestos exports for another 25 years. Like WHO, The Lancet will be happy to see asbestos phased out of use of in all parts of the world.”

Laurie Kazan-Allen, coordinator of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) and producer of the British Asbestos Newsletter.

Kathleen Ruff, Canadian anti-asbestos campaigner, author of Exporting Harm: How Canada Exports Asbestos to the Developing World, and senior human rights adviser to the Rideau Institute.

For full World Report see: http://press.thelancet.com/wrcanada.pdf

Source:
Tony Kirby
The Lancet

Pub operator pleads guilty in HSE case

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has been fined £14,000 after building workers refurbishing one of its pubs were exposed to asbestos.

Work was being done to the vacant White Horse in Darlington in September 2007 when workers began drilling into the ceiling of a kitchen that contained asbestos tiles.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that M&B had surveyed the building for asbestos in June 2007 but that it had changed its refurbishment plans before work commenced and that those areas newly due for a refit had not been checked for the deadly material.

M&B was fined a total of £14,001 after pleading guilty at Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ Court to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Regulation 5 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The pub operator was also ordered to pay costs of £11,781.45.

M&B was also ordered to pay a separate ‘15 victim surcharge’, the proceeds of which will be spent on services for victims and witnesses.

The HSE also found that none of the workers involved in the refurbishment had been given asbestos awareness training and served four of the contractors hired by M&B with notice that they should provide such training.

HSE Inspector Victoria Wise said M&B knew asbestos was in the property and should have taken the necessary steps to exclude exposure to workers.

“Everyone who owns or operates commercial premises built prior to 2000 must ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment for asbestos has been carried out prior to any construction work starting,” she added.

After the judgment M&B apologised for not doing enough to ensure workers at the site were adequately protected from asbestos and said measures were now in place to prevent such an incident re-occurring.

Last week M&B posted a 26 per cent rise in annual pre-tax profits, on turnover of nearly £2bn.

(Source: The Publican)

For more information asbestos removal and asbestos management, visit our website www.silverdell.co.uk

East Anglian Construction, a subsidiary of Peter Colby Commercials, was fined £30,000 after it pleaded guilty to six charges of breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. Norwich City Council was also awarded its full costs of £10,203, a statement by the council said.

The charges related to two separate occasions in early 2007 and 2008 when employees of the company were carrying out work in Diamond House, Vulcan Road, Norwich – a property owned by Peter Colby Commercials.

While working on the property employees removed asbestos insulating board tiles from the ceilings, work which the company was not licensed to carry out.

“The magistrates clearly viewed this as a serious breach of the regulations,” Susan Thomas, a city council health and safety officer, said. “Six charges in total were laid and the maximum fine available to the court was made in each case.

“These were not trivial health and safety matters and I hope that others who may be thinking of acting in the same way think again. The dangers of working with asbestos are well known and have been for many years and those in control of premises should know what they are dealing with.”

(Source: FMWorld Online)

For more information asbestos removal, visit our website www.silverdell.co.uk

Four employees were exposed while removing soffits on a property at Chirbury Gate, Montgomery, Powys, between 16 and 17 June 2009.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Philip Leslie Davies, (54), trading as Meadow View Windows and Conservatories, had failed to take effective measures to prevent or reduce his employees being exposed to the potentially deadly substance.

Mr Davies, of Shrewsbury, admitted exposing employees to asbestos failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment, and failing to ensure adequate information, instruction and training was provided to employees.

He was charged with breaching of Regulations 5, 10(1) and 11(1)(a) of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006.

He was fined a total of £3,000 (£1,000 for each charge) and ordered to pay costs of £1,615 at Welshpool Magistrates Court on 19 November 2010

HSE inspector Chris Wilcox said:

“Four of Mr Davies’ employees were exposed to asbestos in circumstances that were wholly avoidable.

“They now have to live with the fear of becoming ill with a life-threatening lung disease.

“Those working in the roofline products industry must check for the presence of asbestos and be fully aware of the legal requirements for working with asbestos-containing materials.”

Asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK, with an estimated 4,000 people dying every year. Information on working safely with asbestos is available at www.hse.go.uk/asbestos^[1]

The court also ordered the defendant to pay a separate £15 victim surcharge, the proceeds of which will be spent on services for victims and witnesses.

(Source: HSE – 19th November 2010)

For more information asbestos removal, visit our website www.silverdell.co.uk