Health and Safety

Introduction

Regulation 5 (2) of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires all businesses that employ 5 or more persons to record their Health and Safety policy and Arrangements. In addition, under Regulation 7 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required to appoint a competent person to discharge the duties recorded in the policy and arrangements.

ARK ENVIRONMENTAL can help you with all aspects of health and safety consultancy. We can help you with general risk assessments, health and safety management systems, policies, inspections and audits, guidance and sound advice.

Diseases caused by asbestos

As early as 1898 the Chief Inspector of Factories of the United Kingdom reported to Parliament in his Annual Report about the “evil effects of asbestos dust”. He reported the “sharp, glass like nature of the particles” when allowed to remain in the air in any quantity, “have been found to be injurious, as might have been expected” (Report of the Select Committee 1994).

In 1906 a British Parliamentary Commission confirmed the first cases of asbestos deaths in factories in Britain and recommended better ventilation and other safety measures. In 1918 a US insurance company produced a study showing premature deaths in the asbestos industry in the United States. In 1926 the Massachusetts Industrial Accidents Board processed the first successful compensation claim by a sick asbestos worker. Many American injuries from asbestos exposure came from shipbuilders working during World War II.

The problem with asbestos arises when the fibers become airborne and are inhaled. Because of the size of the fibers, the lungs cannot expel them. - Casarrett & Doull’s Toxicology (2001),

Asbestosis – A lung disease first found in naval shipyard workers, asbestosis is a scarring of the lung tissue from an acid produced by the body’s attempt to dissolve the fibers.  The scarring may eventually become so severe that the lungs can no longer function. The latency period (the time it takes for the disease to develop) is often 10-20 years.