Asbestos claims 1,400 West lives

Death toll mounts with more killed each year than on the roads.

Thousands of West men have fallen victim to the biggest workplace killer – asbestos – and more are being killed every year; it has emerged.

New figures issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed the scale of the problem, as it launched a new campaign to prevent further tragedies.

The statistics show at least 1,462 men in the West are known to have died since 1981 of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by breathing in deadly asbestos fibres, and the total is sure to be larger.

There have been 182 deaths in Bristol, 123 in Swindon and 104 in South Gloucestershire, and high numbers in more rural places such as North Somerset, with 90.

West Somerset has seen the fewest killed, with 10, followed by Purbeck (12), Kennet (20) and Cheltenham (22).  Every week about 20 tradesmen die in Britain from asbestos-related diseases, with the numbers increasing.  Most at risk are those most likely to damage or disturb asbestos, such as plumbers, electricians and joiners, and the HSE is targeting them with its “hidden killer” campaign.

Anyone working on a building that dates from before 1980 could be at risk without knowing it, and there are about 500,000 business properties around the UK that contain asbestos.

HSE South West head of construction Andrew Kingscott said: “Asbestos is Britain’s biggest industrial killer.  Contrary to what many people believe, the risks are not a thing of the past – asbestos-related illnesses claim the lives of 4,000 people every year, more than the number who die in road accidents.

“Research shows that many workers, particularly tradesmen, think that since asbestos was banned many years ago they are not at risk, but the reality is very different.

“Asbestos-related diseases can take hold decades after exposure, so it is essential young tradesmen think about their health 20, 30 or 40 years from now.

“We want them to change the way they work so they don’t put their lives at risk.

“The most simple, but important, advice is, if you are not 100 per cent certain that there is no asbestos where you are working then don’t start work, it is not worth the risk.  Think of it as not just protecting yourself, but also protecting your family and loved ones from unnecessary heartache.”

The HSE’s £1.2 million campaign will see more than 500,000 information packs sent out and an advertising blitz.

Across Britain more than 35,000 people died from mesothelioma between 1977 and 2007, with the numbers increasing.

The campaign is backed by trade unions, charities and victim support groups, and TUC leader Brendan Barber said asbestos must not be written off as a 20^th century problem.

“Asbestos has posed a long-running threat to generations of British workers, many of whom have faced an early death because they were not told about the hidden killer in their workplaces,” he said.

“We owe it to the memory of those whose lives have been cut short to get the message through to today’s workers.”

“Western Daily Press” 9.11.09