HUB4 on 20th August 2007 reported that the president of the Institute of Demolition Engineers has accused local authorities of putting price before professionalism when demolishing structures containing concrete contaminated with asbestos.
Davd Turner, believes that there is a "serious lack of knowledge of the CDM Regulations" at local authority levels and has called upon the Environment Agency to work with the Institute and the National Federation of Demolition Contractors to resolve the issues surrounding the disposal of concrete and hazardous waste. Speaking at the Institute's Southern regional meeting in London, Turner said that recent de-regulation had done professional demolition companies a disservice.
"Best practice is the removal of contaminants such as asbestos prior to the commencement of demolition work. This, of course, relies on the employment of professional and competent contractors using trained and preferably licensed staff, he says. "However, problems immediately arise because clients, aware that Artex and asbestos removal could exceed demolition costs, push for the asbestos to stay or favour the cheapest tender for its removal. In either of these scenarios the demolition contractor or engineer is at risk of financial loss or prosecution."
The president of the institute of Demolition Engineers, believes there is Local Authority ShortcomingsTurner also highlighted his concern over interpretation of regulations relating to the disposal of contaminated concrete. "Concrete is denoted a hazardous waste if it contains a dangerous substance above threshold concentrations but this is open to wide interpretation among officials," he says. "Some say that if sampling throughout the building shows an asbestos level below the threshold of below.01%, the concrete is contaminated rather than hazardous waste. But others say that any asbestos level, irrespective of whether the asbestos is white or blue, defines the concrete as ‘hazardous'. There needs to be clarification from the Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive."
To read the full account please click on the following link:
http://www.hub-4.com/news/674/ide-confronts-contaminated-concrete-crisis
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Landmark Ruling - Employer's Client Pays Compensation
Workplace Law 9th August 2007, reported a landmark ruling in which a steel erector with pleural thickening is to receive compensation from his employer's clients.
The employee, from Leeds worked for a contractor in power stations across the UK, and it was in these power stations that he was exposed to asbestos, which led to him developing pleural thickening which has left him breathless, and unable to carry out certain tasks.
His job involved pulling asbestos lagging off pipes in power stations at Kirkstall, Skelton Grange and Ferrybridge, and he was never given protective overalls or a dust mask to wear, even though he was surrounded by asbestos.
The ruling is a landmark, because the man's employer is no longer in business and was not insured.Thompsons Solicitors claimed compensation from the power stations where the man had worked. A spokesman for the firm said "This was a difficult case. Mr Walton was unwittingly exposed to asbestos while working in power stations. As a result Mr Walton is now debilitated in his daily life. But his employer no longer exists, so we pursued his claim against the occupiers of the power stations and their insurers. We are pleased we have been able to win his claim. It is only right that he be compensated for his condition."
To read the full details click on the following link:
http://www.workplacelaw.net/display.php?resource_id=8941
The employee, from Leeds worked for a contractor in power stations across the UK, and it was in these power stations that he was exposed to asbestos, which led to him developing pleural thickening which has left him breathless, and unable to carry out certain tasks.
His job involved pulling asbestos lagging off pipes in power stations at Kirkstall, Skelton Grange and Ferrybridge, and he was never given protective overalls or a dust mask to wear, even though he was surrounded by asbestos.
The ruling is a landmark, because the man's employer is no longer in business and was not insured.Thompsons Solicitors claimed compensation from the power stations where the man had worked. A spokesman for the firm said "This was a difficult case. Mr Walton was unwittingly exposed to asbestos while working in power stations. As a result Mr Walton is now debilitated in his daily life. But his employer no longer exists, so we pursued his claim against the occupiers of the power stations and their insurers. We are pleased we have been able to win his claim. It is only right that he be compensated for his condition."
To read the full details click on the following link:
http://www.workplacelaw.net/display.php?resource_id=8941
Crewe and Nantwich - Capitals of Mesothelima
This is Cheshire.co.uk reported on 13th August 2007, that Crewe and Nantwich have the highest mortality rates in Cheshire from meosthelioma, an asbestos related cancer.
People who worked in heavy engineering such as the railway engineering yards at Crewe, were at particular risk of being exposed to the material before it was banned during the 1980s.
The steady rise in mesothelioma deaths in the borough over the last twenty years, can be explained by the long gestation period of the cancer, up to 60 years. Areas where heavy engineering such as shipbuilding took place, are particularly susceptible to asbestos related diseases and Crewe and Nantwich are ranked 16th in the UK for recorded deaths from mesothelioma in the UK.
To read the full story click on the following link:
http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/display.var.1613288.0.asbestosrelated_cancer_deaths_peak.php
People who worked in heavy engineering such as the railway engineering yards at Crewe, were at particular risk of being exposed to the material before it was banned during the 1980s.
The steady rise in mesothelioma deaths in the borough over the last twenty years, can be explained by the long gestation period of the cancer, up to 60 years. Areas where heavy engineering such as shipbuilding took place, are particularly susceptible to asbestos related diseases and Crewe and Nantwich are ranked 16th in the UK for recorded deaths from mesothelioma in the UK.
To read the full story click on the following link:
http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/display.var.1613288.0.asbestosrelated_cancer_deaths_peak.php
Asbestos in Bexley Gardens
Newsshopper.co.uk 15th August 2007 reported that people living on a housing estate in Kent have been advised not to dig their gardens for fear of turning up asbestos.
The Wallhouse Road estate in Slade Green was built orginally as a council estate in the 1950s. It is now owned by Orbit Bexley Housing Association, which commissioned a soil investigation now being carried out by a specialist company.
There have been asbestos scares in the area before. Ten years ago, a whole series of discoveries of buried asbestos were made close to the street. All the sites were near the former TAC asbestos factory which used to be located in Manor Road, Erith.
In 1997, a former TAC worker claimed to News Shopper the company had dumped waste asbestos all over the Slade Green area and beyond.
To read the full story, click on the following link:
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.1618823.0.asbestos_fears_return_to_area.php
The Wallhouse Road estate in Slade Green was built orginally as a council estate in the 1950s. It is now owned by Orbit Bexley Housing Association, which commissioned a soil investigation now being carried out by a specialist company.
There have been asbestos scares in the area before. Ten years ago, a whole series of discoveries of buried asbestos were made close to the street. All the sites were near the former TAC asbestos factory which used to be located in Manor Road, Erith.
In 1997, a former TAC worker claimed to News Shopper the company had dumped waste asbestos all over the Slade Green area and beyond.
To read the full story, click on the following link:
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.1618823.0.asbestos_fears_return_to_area.php
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
New York cleans up after asbestos-tainted blast
July 19th 2007, Reuters reported that some New Yorkers doubted official assurances on Thursday that the air surrounding a deadly steam pipe explosion in midtown Manhattan was safe to breathe despite the discovery of asbestos-tainted debris.
The explosion shook buildings and unleashed a geyser of steam and boiling, brownish water.
Police wearing breathing masks closed off a large area around Grand Central Station. Air tests showed that debris in the area contained asbestos, though authorities insisted that no airborne asbestos had been detected.
Many new Yorkers remained sceptical however, remembering the false assurances that were given after the 9/11 attacks when dust samples were found to contain dangerous levels of asbestos.
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1921430920070719
The explosion shook buildings and unleashed a geyser of steam and boiling, brownish water.
Police wearing breathing masks closed off a large area around Grand Central Station. Air tests showed that debris in the area contained asbestos, though authorities insisted that no airborne asbestos had been detected.
Many new Yorkers remained sceptical however, remembering the false assurances that were given after the 9/11 attacks when dust samples were found to contain dangerous levels of asbestos.
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN1921430920070719
Asbestos pushers dealt two serious blows
TUC Risks 4th August 2007 reported that the global asbestos industry suffered two serious blows last month.
In the first, LAB Chrysotile Inc started bankruptcy proceedings on 25 July, a move that should see the closure of Canada's last asbestos mine.
The end of asbestos mining in Quebec could have a dramatic knock-on effect for the industry worldwide. The Quebec-based Chrysotile Institute, the global asbestos industry's main lobbying organisation is financed by the Canadian industry and money from the federal Canadian and provincial Quebec governments.
With the industry's demise in Canada, it could now lose its major backers. If this happens it would deal a serious blow to the asbestos industry's resurgent marketing efforts in developing nations.
In the US meanwhile, a ban on asbestos moved a step nearer. Democrat senator Patty Murray's Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 was passed unanimously on 31 July by the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. It will now move to the Senate floor.
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
In the first, LAB Chrysotile Inc started bankruptcy proceedings on 25 July, a move that should see the closure of Canada's last asbestos mine.
The end of asbestos mining in Quebec could have a dramatic knock-on effect for the industry worldwide. The Quebec-based Chrysotile Institute, the global asbestos industry's main lobbying organisation is financed by the Canadian industry and money from the federal Canadian and provincial Quebec governments.
With the industry's demise in Canada, it could now lose its major backers. If this happens it would deal a serious blow to the asbestos industry's resurgent marketing efforts in developing nations.
In the US meanwhile, a ban on asbestos moved a step nearer. Democrat senator Patty Murray's Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 was passed unanimously on 31 July by the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. It will now move to the Senate floor.
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Cash-starved HSE fails to probe major injuries
Risks August 4th 2007 reported that the The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is failing to investigate hundreds of the most serious workplace accidents every year because of a lack of resources, safety campaigners have found.
Figures obtained by the trade union-backed safety magazine Hazards and featured last week on BBC Radio 4's Face the Facts programme show that an increasing number of major injuries which should according to HSE rules require investigation are overlooked because of 'inadequate resources'.
Figures obtained by Hazards show that HSE inspectors in 2004/05 logged lack of resources as the reason for failing to investigate incidents meeting the investigation criteria on 188 occasions.
By 2005/06 this had risen to 255. Last year the 'inadequate resources' reason was given for a failure to investigate some of the most serious workplace injuries on 307 occasions.
To read a full account click on the following link www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Figures obtained by the trade union-backed safety magazine Hazards and featured last week on BBC Radio 4's Face the Facts programme show that an increasing number of major injuries which should according to HSE rules require investigation are overlooked because of 'inadequate resources'.
Figures obtained by Hazards show that HSE inspectors in 2004/05 logged lack of resources as the reason for failing to investigate incidents meeting the investigation criteria on 188 occasions.
By 2005/06 this had risen to 255. Last year the 'inadequate resources' reason was given for a failure to investigate some of the most serious workplace injuries on 307 occasions.
To read a full account click on the following link www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Hundreds turn out for asbestos screening in Dallas
July 23, 2007, The Associated Press reported that over 500 current and former residents of a West Dallas neighborhood that was home to a vermiculite plant showed up for asbestos screening over the weekend.
In 2005, the federal government determined that the Texas Vermiculite plant could have exposed its employees and neighbors to asbestos.
W.R. Grace & Co. operated the plant from 1953 to 1992 before it was demolished between 2001 and 2002. It produced fire-retardant materials extracted from vermiculite. The process released asbestos fibers, which are small enough to be inhaled, into the air and the surrounding area. Human exposure to the fibers increases the risk of lung cancer and other disorders, including asbestosis, a condition that makes breathing difficult. Most cases occur 15 or more years after initial exposure.
Health officials screened 25 people with chest X-rays in May. Eight of them showed signs of asbestos-related disease. Further testing is needed to confirm those results.
"It was higher than we were expecting," said D. Brad Walsh, a Parkland senior planner, who organized the screening campaign.
In 2005, the federal government determined that the Texas Vermiculite plant could have exposed its employees and neighbors to asbestos.
W.R. Grace & Co. operated the plant from 1953 to 1992 before it was demolished between 2001 and 2002. It produced fire-retardant materials extracted from vermiculite. The process released asbestos fibers, which are small enough to be inhaled, into the air and the surrounding area. Human exposure to the fibers increases the risk of lung cancer and other disorders, including asbestosis, a condition that makes breathing difficult. Most cases occur 15 or more years after initial exposure.
Health officials screened 25 people with chest X-rays in May. Eight of them showed signs of asbestos-related disease. Further testing is needed to confirm those results.
"It was higher than we were expecting," said D. Brad Walsh, a Parkland senior planner, who organized the screening campaign.
Canada: Cancer society wants asbestos stopped
Risks 14th July 2007 reported that the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) has called for an end to Canada's export of asbestos and believes the federal government should stop blocking international efforts to curb the trade in the dangerous mineral.
Although asbestos is internationally recognised as one of the worst cancer-causing materials ever to have been in widespread use, the society's decision is controversial because it undermines the national government's long-standing contention that chrysotile (white) asbestos can be used safely and should be promoted.
An estimated 95 per cent of Canada's production, from several mines in Quebec, is exported, virtually all of it to developing countries, where it is used to make cheap building materials despite safer substitutes being available.
Despite the well-known health risks, the federal government has been a strong backer of asbestos. It spent about Can$19.2 million (approximately £9m) from 1984 to 2007, including regular funding of the Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute, to promote asbestos use. CCS is also urging Canada's federal government to end its bid to block efforts to add chrysotile asbestos to the Prior Informed Consent list of particularly hazardous substances at the Rotterdam Convention's meeting in 2008.
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Although asbestos is internationally recognised as one of the worst cancer-causing materials ever to have been in widespread use, the society's decision is controversial because it undermines the national government's long-standing contention that chrysotile (white) asbestos can be used safely and should be promoted.
An estimated 95 per cent of Canada's production, from several mines in Quebec, is exported, virtually all of it to developing countries, where it is used to make cheap building materials despite safer substitutes being available.
Despite the well-known health risks, the federal government has been a strong backer of asbestos. It spent about Can$19.2 million (approximately £9m) from 1984 to 2007, including regular funding of the Montreal-based Chrysotile Institute, to promote asbestos use. CCS is also urging Canada's federal government to end its bid to block efforts to add chrysotile asbestos to the Prior Informed Consent list of particularly hazardous substances at the Rotterdam Convention's meeting in 2008.
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Payouts at last for T&N asbestos victims
Risks reported on 14th July 2007 that a six-year block on asbestos disease payouts from the notorious asbestos manufacturer Turner & Newall (T&N) had ended, with the first settlements coming through.
Unite's Amicus section says its members are at last receiving compensation from the defunct asbestos company more than six years after their claims were first lodged. The union says it was also able to broker a deal that allowed members to receive payments without incurring penalties from the government's compensation recovery unit All claims against the company were frozen in 2001 after T&N and its US parent company Federal Mogul went into administration.
Since then claimants and their families have been waiting for the administrator to reach agreement with Federal Mogul's creditors and insurers. In October last year the courts approved a deal to give reduced awards to claimants.
Unite joint general secretary Derek Simpson said: 'It has been a long, hard fight to obtain compensation for Unite members who worked in the former asbestos factories for T&N.' Tony Whitston, coordinator of Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group, said: 'Hundreds of former T&N workers have waited more than six years to receive compensation. Sadly many have died during the delay. Now a procedure is in place to pay compensation to victims and their families.' T&N administrator Kroll faced angry criticism last year for claiming an 'obscene' £70 million in fees while acting as administrator for the firm, part of US bankruptcy-of-convenience engineering giant Federal Mogul . Asbestos claimants, cancer sufferers and bereaved relatives will on average receive less than a quarter of the compensation they might normally have expected.
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Unite's Amicus section says its members are at last receiving compensation from the defunct asbestos company more than six years after their claims were first lodged. The union says it was also able to broker a deal that allowed members to receive payments without incurring penalties from the government's compensation recovery unit All claims against the company were frozen in 2001 after T&N and its US parent company Federal Mogul went into administration.
Since then claimants and their families have been waiting for the administrator to reach agreement with Federal Mogul's creditors and insurers. In October last year the courts approved a deal to give reduced awards to claimants.
Unite joint general secretary Derek Simpson said: 'It has been a long, hard fight to obtain compensation for Unite members who worked in the former asbestos factories for T&N.' Tony Whitston, coordinator of Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group, said: 'Hundreds of former T&N workers have waited more than six years to receive compensation. Sadly many have died during the delay. Now a procedure is in place to pay compensation to victims and their families.' T&N administrator Kroll faced angry criticism last year for claiming an 'obscene' £70 million in fees while acting as administrator for the firm, part of US bankruptcy-of-convenience engineering giant Federal Mogul . Asbestos claimants, cancer sufferers and bereaved relatives will on average receive less than a quarter of the compensation they might normally have expected.
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
NICE back down over mesothelioma drug
Risks 14th July reported that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which has been referred to by some health professionals and the National Institute for Curtailing Expenditure, has reversed its decision to block a drug for people with asbestos related cancer.
Following a high profile campaign by asbestos groups and unions, Alimta, a drug used in the treatment of mesothelioma is recommended for patients who are able to carry out day to day tasks but whose cancer is advanced making surgery inappropriate.
To read more visit www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Following a high profile campaign by asbestos groups and unions, Alimta, a drug used in the treatment of mesothelioma is recommended for patients who are able to carry out day to day tasks but whose cancer is advanced making surgery inappropriate.
To read more visit www.tuc.org.uk/risks
GMB action call on ship breaking risks
Risks 14th July 2007 reported that India's ship breaking yards are exposing workers to horrific conditions with hardly any safety measures.
After returning from a fact-finding mission to ship breaking yards in Mumbai, GMB national secretary for shipbuilding Keith Hazlewood said there 'were no safety provisions', adding: 'I had never seen anything like the conditions the ship breakers were having to work in.' He said there was 'a constant haze of burning and toxic fumes across the yard, no safety gloves or boots.
Some of the workers were wearing flip-flops and some were in their bare feet. No protective clothing whatsoever. Under foot was thick oil where the plates were being cut, creating yet another hazard.
The removal and handling of asbestos took place with no protection whatsoever.' He said an average ship contains between 100 and 600 tonnes of asbestos and workers remove it with little or no protection. 'We must try and help their union get more organised to protect these workers,' he said. 'The environmentalists who helped drive this industry from Britain must also be asked to help to improve the working conditions of these workers.'
TUC Risks www.tuc.org.uk/risks
After returning from a fact-finding mission to ship breaking yards in Mumbai, GMB national secretary for shipbuilding Keith Hazlewood said there 'were no safety provisions', adding: 'I had never seen anything like the conditions the ship breakers were having to work in.' He said there was 'a constant haze of burning and toxic fumes across the yard, no safety gloves or boots.
Some of the workers were wearing flip-flops and some were in their bare feet. No protective clothing whatsoever. Under foot was thick oil where the plates were being cut, creating yet another hazard.
The removal and handling of asbestos took place with no protection whatsoever.' He said an average ship contains between 100 and 600 tonnes of asbestos and workers remove it with little or no protection. 'We must try and help their union get more organised to protect these workers,' he said. 'The environmentalists who helped drive this industry from Britain must also be asked to help to improve the working conditions of these workers.'
TUC Risks www.tuc.org.uk/risks
Accountant exposed to asbestos during audits
On 21st July 2007, TUC Risks reported that a chartered accountant had died as a result of exposure to asbestos. Raymond Dunn who was 73, died after developing pneumonia caused by the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
He was exposed to the asbestos when he visited a the offices of a factory to carry out the annual audit. He was there for no more than a couple of days each year, more than 50 years ago. He did not visit the factory itself, but he did speak of clouds of asbestos surrounding the Manchester factory in the 1950s and the presence of dust in the offices.
To read the full story go to
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
He was exposed to the asbestos when he visited a the offices of a factory to carry out the annual audit. He was there for no more than a couple of days each year, more than 50 years ago. He did not visit the factory itself, but he did speak of clouds of asbestos surrounding the Manchester factory in the 1950s and the presence of dust in the offices.
To read the full story go to
www.tuc.org.uk/risks
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