HSE Asbestos campaign backed by former England footballer Ian Wright

Asbestos still has a major impact in the building and demolition industry with awareness and understanding key issues in the workplace.

It's good news then, that former England and Arsenal football player Ian Wright has stepped up to help support the HSE's Asbestos: The Hidden Killer campaign. Being a former tradesman himself, Ian Wright reacted when he found out so many individuals were dying from exposure to asbestos. He said:

I used to be a plasterer before becoming a professional footballer, and was really surprised to learn that the number of deaths is actually on the increase year on year. If that was footballers dying, the whole of the premiership would be wiped out in just three months.

He will now become an ambassador for the campaign in a bid to increase awareness and knowledge of the dangers of working with asbestos.

Steve Coldrick, director of the HSE Disease Reduction Programme commented:

We need to educate tradesmen about how asbestos and its dangers are relevant to them. We want them to change the way they work so that they don't put their lives at risk ... Exposure to asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths, with around 4,000 people a year dying from asbestos-related disease. The overall number of deaths is rising because a large number of workers who have already been exposed to asbestos dust around 40 years ago will go on to develop mesothelioma, a terminal cancer or other asbestos related diseases.

Learn more about the HSE Asbestos: The Hidden Killer campaign at the HSE website.

C&D Consultancy offer the course Asbestos & Demolition Safety Awareness in a bid to help increase awareness in the workplace and keep people safe. If you are interested in attending this, or any of our other courses, we run them regularly throughout the year.

For more information please contact Harpreet on 0121 270 0865 or harpreet@demolishdismantle.co.uk