At a recent Health and Safety Executive board meeting, it was announced that the award winning Hidden Killer campaign would be relaunched in 2012.
The decision to resurrect the asbestos awareness campaign has been welcomed by construction union UCATT. George Guy, Acting General Secretary of UCATT, said:
“This is excellent news, the Hidden Killer campaign saves lives. A fresh phase of the campaign is long overdue. All the feedback shows that the campaign has been successful in educating construction workers on the dangers of asbestos.”
The Hidden Killer campaign was launched by the HSE in 2008 and warned construction workers, particularly those involved in maintenance and refurbishment work, of the dangers of asbestos. Although construction workers are particularly at risk of exposure to asbestos fibres, there is still a very high level of ignorance of the ongoing dangers.
A further phase of the campaign was due to have taken place in October 2010 but was postponed. In January 2011 the HSE were quoted as saying: “there is no intention to run the Hidden Killer campaign again.”
Once it became clear that the Hidden Killer campaign would not continue, a lobbying campaign of relevant ministers and assisting MPs was initiated. At the HSE’s Board meeting earlier this month it was announced that a new phase of the campaign would be launched in 2012.
Natascha Engel, MP for North East Derbyshire, who raised the proposed cancellation of the campaign in Parliament, said:
“It is good news that the Hidden Killer campaign is being reinstated, it should never have been frozen in the first place. Far too many people every year die from asbestos diseases, the vast majority of these deaths could easily have been prevented.”
With the HSE’s budget under pressure, it became questionable as to whether it was able to run campaigns as it has done in the past. Mr Guy of UCATT, added:
“It is vital that despite the HSE’s financial constraints this is a fully funded information campaign which reaches its target audience.”
On average each week approximately 8 joiners, 6 electricians and 4 plumbers die from asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK.
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