Although the use of asbestos was not banned in the UK until 1999, buildings constructed since the mid 1980’s are unlikely to contain any of this substance.  However, if you’re doing any building work, refurbishment, maintenance or remodelling, then checking for asbestos is an essential part of the process. 

Nobody in the UK these days can be unaware of the potential dangers of asbestos, there’s plenty of information available.  However, how do you identify asbestos and discover if you have asbestos in your home?  Asbestos was commonly used in building materials right up until it was banned in the UK in 1999.  Even worse, asbestos was also used in many household products, so we’re taking a look at the most common uses of asbestos so that you can identify whether asbestos poses a health risk to you and your family.

Although we’ve been aware of the dangers of asbestos for many years, the use of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) was not banned in the UK until 1999.  This means that even modern buildings (any building constructed or refurbished before the year 200) may contain ACMs and present a risk to workers and contractors.

Employers have a legal requirement to protect employees who work in these buildings on an everyday basis.  Any refurbishment or remodelling plans need to take ACMs into consideration.

Asbestos has been in the news so much in recent years and we all know that it’s a dangerous substance that can cause serious health problems leading to disability and death.  However, as mentioned in a previous blog post, asbestos is not a modern substance; it’s been around seemingly throughout history.

Asbestos has had some really unusual applications and we’re taking a look today at some of the more surprising uses for asbestos that you may not have heard about.

1  LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

Any building in the UK that was constructed before the year 2000 may well contain asbestos which means that before any refurbishment or demolition work can be carried out an Asbestos Refurbishment and Demolition Survey will be required.  Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK and the Health and Safety Executive is determined to prevent more workers being exposed to this dangerous substance.  The Refurbishment and Demolitions Survey is aimed at ensuring that people who may be expos

In recent years we’ve seen so many news reports on the dangers of asbestos and asbestos removal is vital as we bring our buildings in the UK up to modern standards.  The first UK epidemiological study of the asbestos industry (The Merewether Report) was published in 1930 and asbestosis was deemed a work-related disease.  Even so, asbestos continued to be used in the building industry the world over and has resulted compensation cases in courts in many countries.  Asbestos materials were banned outright in the UK