The North West has a high number of pre-2000 buildings where asbestos is still present in insulation, ceiling coatings, floor tiles, and pipe lagging. Without the right training, workers risk unknowingly disturbing these materials, putting themselves and others at serious risk.

With awareness levels still worryingly low among property owners and some trades, asbestos training is not only a legal necessity, it’s a critical step in preventing long-term health issues like mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.

Recently, a report in the Hull Daily Mail reported that unskilled workers had attempted to remove asbestos tiles armed with nothing more than hammers at a local shop building. While this may have saved time and money, the costs are genuinely lethal to the people who undertook this task. In this particular case, workers took down a total of 1000m2 of the asbestos board, meaning that the exposure to themselves and anyone in the vicinity would be extensive. They are all likely to see some health impacts from this in the future.