Safety and Health practitioner reported that on 12th March 2008 The Court of Appeal in Douai, northern France, upheld the decision to fine a power generation equipment manufacturer that exposed its workers to harmful asbestos dust.
The ruling is a first in France, as the company was also ordered to pay damages to all employees exposed to the risk, regardless of whether they had been directly affected or not.
From 1998 to 2001, workers at Alstom Power Boilers’ site in Lily-lez-Lannoy were exposed to asbestos dust in what the court described as a "deliberate violation" of the firm’s health and safety obligations. The list of Alstom’s failures included not providing sufficient information for workers regarding protection from the harmful substance.As a result of sustained exposure, seven of the company’s employees died, and 30 per cent of the workforce developed some form of asbestos-related disease.
On Thursday, 6 March, the French Court of Appeal ruled to uphold Alstom Power Boilers’ €75000 fine - the maximum penalty available. However, former plant manager Bernard Gomez, had his suspended prison sentence reduced – from nine months in the original judgement at the court of Lille in September 2006 to just three months. His €3000 fine was upheld at appeal.In December last year, civil proceedings saw Alstom ordered to pay €10,000 in damages to each one of the 150 workers who were employed on the site during the three-year period.
http://www.shponline.co.uk/article.asp?pagename=incourt&article_id=7272
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Asbestos scare after head’s DIY
icwales.co.uk 17th March 2008 reported that a head teacher has been rapped for breaking health and safety regulations when knocking down a wall marked as an asbestos risk at his school.
Nick Gannon, headteacher of Cefn Fforest Primary School near Blackwood, Caerphilly, was found guilty by governors of misconduct after carrying out the work himself and not abiding by strict regulations. He was given a written warning.
The verdict was given in January but only came to light days ago – when it was leaked on the internet AFTER school governors decided not to inform parents of the incident or the resulting disciplinary inquiry.
Mr Gannon was keen on doing DIY work on the school himself and was dubbed "Bob the Builder" by parents and colleagues. In 2005 he made the BBC news and local newspapers when he personally built a new path. But in May 2007 he decided to remove a partition wall in the infant block despite it having stickers either side warning the ceiling above was covered in asbestos-containing artex.
All schools have an asbestos log detailing areas of asbestos within the building, and such areas are marked with a sticker. Information from Caerphilly Council’s education department said that the ceiling area above where Mr Gannon knocked down the wall had "identification stickers positioned either side of the partition wall".
Mr Gannon was reported to Caerphilly Council who reviewed the work and concluded asbestos regulations had been broken.
To read the full account click on the link below
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/03/16/asbestos-scare-after-head-s-diy-91466-20629785/
Nick Gannon, headteacher of Cefn Fforest Primary School near Blackwood, Caerphilly, was found guilty by governors of misconduct after carrying out the work himself and not abiding by strict regulations. He was given a written warning.
The verdict was given in January but only came to light days ago – when it was leaked on the internet AFTER school governors decided not to inform parents of the incident or the resulting disciplinary inquiry.
Mr Gannon was keen on doing DIY work on the school himself and was dubbed "Bob the Builder" by parents and colleagues. In 2005 he made the BBC news and local newspapers when he personally built a new path. But in May 2007 he decided to remove a partition wall in the infant block despite it having stickers either side warning the ceiling above was covered in asbestos-containing artex.
All schools have an asbestos log detailing areas of asbestos within the building, and such areas are marked with a sticker. Information from Caerphilly Council’s education department said that the ceiling area above where Mr Gannon knocked down the wall had "identification stickers positioned either side of the partition wall".
Mr Gannon was reported to Caerphilly Council who reviewed the work and concluded asbestos regulations had been broken.
To read the full account click on the link below
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/03/16/asbestos-scare-after-head-s-diy-91466-20629785/
Kings College not so clever on asbestos
Risks 15th March 2008 reported that Kings College, Cambridge, has been prosecuted after painters were exposed to asbestos containing materials while working at the college. It was fined £16,000 with £14,500 costs at Cambridge Magistrates Court last week after pleading guilty to eight breaches of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The college clerk of works Geoff Cunnington was also was fined £1,000 with £500 costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The prosecution arose following an incident on 29 November 2006, when a number of college employees, who were painting asbestos containing material, were exposed to asbestos fibres. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Kings College had allowed its employees to work on asbestos containing materials without taking the appropriate precautions.
HSE principal inspector David Head commented: 'The exposure of employees to asbestos at Kings College could and should have been avoided by straightforward safety precautions. HSE will not hesitate to take action against those who fall short of the law in such a way.' He added: 'Asbestos must be properly managed to prevent people dying from asbestos diseases in the future. If you are responsible for managing the maintenance and repair of a building, you must manage any asbestos in it. HSE has provided guidance to help people understand what they have to do to comply with their legal obligations.'
The prosecution arose following an incident on 29 November 2006, when a number of college employees, who were painting asbestos containing material, were exposed to asbestos fibres. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Kings College had allowed its employees to work on asbestos containing materials without taking the appropriate precautions.
HSE principal inspector David Head commented: 'The exposure of employees to asbestos at Kings College could and should have been avoided by straightforward safety precautions. HSE will not hesitate to take action against those who fall short of the law in such a way.' He added: 'Asbestos must be properly managed to prevent people dying from asbestos diseases in the future. If you are responsible for managing the maintenance and repair of a building, you must manage any asbestos in it. HSE has provided guidance to help people understand what they have to do to comply with their legal obligations.'
$250 Million Settlement Over Asbestos Is Announced
N Y Times March 2008 -
WASHINGTON — W. R. Grace & Company, a worldwide chemical company driven into bankruptcy by hundreds of millions of dollars in asbestos poisoning claims, has agreed to pay the federal government $250 million for environmental cleanup around its mining operations in Libby, Mont.
The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called it the largest payment ever ordered under the federal Superfund program.
The settlement requires the approval of a federal judge overseeing the company’s bankruptcy proceedings and does not resolve a separate criminal case in Montana also arising from Grace’s alleged asbestos contamination of Libby, a small community in the northwestern part of the state.
In February 2005, federal prosecutors charged W. R. Grace and seven senior employees with knowingly exposing miners and residents in Libby to asbestos. More than 1,200 people became ill, and some died, prosecutors said.
An extensive cleanup operation has been under way in and near Libby since May 2000. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001. In 2003, a federal court in Montana ordered it to pay the environmental agency $54 million for investigation and cleanup costs incurred to that point, but the money has not been paid because of the bankruptcy proceeding.
The settlement takes account of that payment and directs that future payments be directed to a special E.P.A. account to be used to clean schools, homes and businesses in Libby that are contaminated with carcinogenic asbestos dust.
The material came from a vermiculite mine and processing plant the company operated in and near Libby from 1963 to 1990. The vermiculite, which is used in insulation and other building materials, was contaminated with high levels of asbestos.
Asbestos is known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a fatal tumor of the lining of the chest and abdomen. Exposure to asbestos also causes scarring of lung tissue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/us/12grace.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1205320231-eJbPKLaU5Se9xnkhcsviJw&oref=slogin
WASHINGTON — W. R. Grace & Company, a worldwide chemical company driven into bankruptcy by hundreds of millions of dollars in asbestos poisoning claims, has agreed to pay the federal government $250 million for environmental cleanup around its mining operations in Libby, Mont.
The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called it the largest payment ever ordered under the federal Superfund program.
The settlement requires the approval of a federal judge overseeing the company’s bankruptcy proceedings and does not resolve a separate criminal case in Montana also arising from Grace’s alleged asbestos contamination of Libby, a small community in the northwestern part of the state.
In February 2005, federal prosecutors charged W. R. Grace and seven senior employees with knowingly exposing miners and residents in Libby to asbestos. More than 1,200 people became ill, and some died, prosecutors said.
An extensive cleanup operation has been under way in and near Libby since May 2000. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001. In 2003, a federal court in Montana ordered it to pay the environmental agency $54 million for investigation and cleanup costs incurred to that point, but the money has not been paid because of the bankruptcy proceeding.
The settlement takes account of that payment and directs that future payments be directed to a special E.P.A. account to be used to clean schools, homes and businesses in Libby that are contaminated with carcinogenic asbestos dust.
The material came from a vermiculite mine and processing plant the company operated in and near Libby from 1963 to 1990. The vermiculite, which is used in insulation and other building materials, was contaminated with high levels of asbestos.
Asbestos is known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a fatal tumor of the lining of the chest and abdomen. Exposure to asbestos also causes scarring of lung tissue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/us/12grace.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1205320231-eJbPKLaU5Se9xnkhcsviJw&oref=slogin
Work cancer's deadly history
TUC Risks March 1st 2008 reported that since the Nixon era, successive US administrations have claimed to be fighting a 'war on cancer'. A new book, however, says for much of its history, the cancer war has been fighting the wrong battles, with the wrong weapons, against the wrong enemies.
'The secret history of the war on cancer', a heavyweight publication by US academic Devra Davis and described in a Lancet review as 'a rattling good read', says while campaigns have targeted the disease, they've singularly failed to address the causes. High on this list, alongside tobacco and alcohol, are occupational and environmental exposures to carcinogens.
Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, says not only did authorities overlook how the world in which we live and work affects our chances of getting cancer, information making the links was routinely suppressed. There was a simple enough reason for this - the official cancer effort was directed by leaders of the industries that generated a host of cancer causing materials and products. Davis says the economic interest lay in making the disease less deadly, but never in preventing it altogether.
The high and increasing death toll in the UK from occupational cancer would certainly appear to prove her right.
The secret history of the war on cancer. Devra Davis. ISBN 978 0 465 01566 5 2. £16.99.
'The secret history of the war on cancer', a heavyweight publication by US academic Devra Davis and described in a Lancet review as 'a rattling good read', says while campaigns have targeted the disease, they've singularly failed to address the causes. High on this list, alongside tobacco and alcohol, are occupational and environmental exposures to carcinogens.
Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, says not only did authorities overlook how the world in which we live and work affects our chances of getting cancer, information making the links was routinely suppressed. There was a simple enough reason for this - the official cancer effort was directed by leaders of the industries that generated a host of cancer causing materials and products. Davis says the economic interest lay in making the disease less deadly, but never in preventing it altogether.
The high and increasing death toll in the UK from occupational cancer would certainly appear to prove her right.
The secret history of the war on cancer. Devra Davis. ISBN 978 0 465 01566 5 2. £16.99.
Evidence of Wood Dust Cancers
TUC Risks 1st March 2008 reported that wood dust exposure at work greatly increases the risk of a range of cancers, a study has found. Wood dust is already rated as a cause of cancer in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is a well-accepted cause of occupational sinus and nasal cancers. Researchers have also linked it to a tripling of the risk of lung cancer in exposed workers. Now a study has linked occupational exposure to wood dust to 'other upper aero digestive tract and respiratory (UADR) cancers'.
US researchers examined the effect of self reported wood dust exposure on 1,522 males with these cancers (241 oral and oropharyngeal, 90 nasal cavity, nasopharyngeal and hypopharyngeal, 124 laryngeal, 809 lung and tracheal and 258 cancers of oesophagus and gastric cardia) and compared them to an identical number of controls, correcting for other risk factors like smoking.
The report, released online ahead of publication in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found 'regular wood dust exposure was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of 32 per cent for all UADR cancers'. The increase was 69 per cent for lung cancer, almost double (82-93 per cent) for squamous cell, small cell and adenocarcinoma of the lung and more than twice the risk for squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity, nasopharynx and hypopharynx. The greater the reported wood dust exposure, the higher the risk.
The team found significant increases in the risk of laryngeal and lung cancers was observed in those with wood dust exposure for more than 20 years. They concluded 'wood dust exposure is a potential risk factor for UADR cancers, especially for cancers of nasal cavity, nasopharynx, larynx and lung.' A major international occupational and environmental cancer prevention conference for trade union officers, union reps, cancer prevention activists, occupational disease victims' advocates and others and featuring top experts from around the world is to take place in Scotland in April.
US researchers examined the effect of self reported wood dust exposure on 1,522 males with these cancers (241 oral and oropharyngeal, 90 nasal cavity, nasopharyngeal and hypopharyngeal, 124 laryngeal, 809 lung and tracheal and 258 cancers of oesophagus and gastric cardia) and compared them to an identical number of controls, correcting for other risk factors like smoking.
The report, released online ahead of publication in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found 'regular wood dust exposure was associated with a statistically significant increased risk of 32 per cent for all UADR cancers'. The increase was 69 per cent for lung cancer, almost double (82-93 per cent) for squamous cell, small cell and adenocarcinoma of the lung and more than twice the risk for squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity, nasopharynx and hypopharynx. The greater the reported wood dust exposure, the higher the risk.
The team found significant increases in the risk of laryngeal and lung cancers was observed in those with wood dust exposure for more than 20 years. They concluded 'wood dust exposure is a potential risk factor for UADR cancers, especially for cancers of nasal cavity, nasopharynx, larynx and lung.' A major international occupational and environmental cancer prevention conference for trade union officers, union reps, cancer prevention activists, occupational disease victims' advocates and others and featuring top experts from around the world is to take place in Scotland in April.
Lung Destroying Disease Reaches UK
Risks 1st March 2008 reported that a union organisation has repeated its call for global action on a lung-destroying occupational disease which has affected hundreds in the USA, after it was revealed the first case had been identified in the UK.
Global foodworkers' union federation IUF said regulatory action and medical surveillance of food workers exposed to the flavouring ingredient diacetyl, the cause of bronchiolitis obliterans, have so far elicited no response by health and safety agencies in Europe. A
new report prepared by UK trade union journal Hazards in close cooperation with the IUF confirms that there is no room for complacency. In 2003, Martin Muir took a job at the Yorkshire factory of the transnational flavouring company Firmenich. Today, aged 38, the father of four has the lungs of an 80-year-old man. His symptoms were only spotted thanks to an alert and informed specialist aware of the US situation. The symptoms of bronchiolitis obliterans are typically misdiagnosed as asthma or other lung ailments, letting the companies and the governments off the hook.'
IUF added: 'The Muir case suggests that we should be speaking of 'food flavouring lung' rather than 'popcorn lung'. An official US government agency has confirmed even low exposures to diacetyl can cause the disease.
Global foodworkers' union federation IUF said regulatory action and medical surveillance of food workers exposed to the flavouring ingredient diacetyl, the cause of bronchiolitis obliterans, have so far elicited no response by health and safety agencies in Europe. A
new report prepared by UK trade union journal Hazards in close cooperation with the IUF confirms that there is no room for complacency. In 2003, Martin Muir took a job at the Yorkshire factory of the transnational flavouring company Firmenich. Today, aged 38, the father of four has the lungs of an 80-year-old man. His symptoms were only spotted thanks to an alert and informed specialist aware of the US situation. The symptoms of bronchiolitis obliterans are typically misdiagnosed as asthma or other lung ailments, letting the companies and the governments off the hook.'
IUF added: 'The Muir case suggests that we should be speaking of 'food flavouring lung' rather than 'popcorn lung'. An official US government agency has confirmed even low exposures to diacetyl can cause the disease.
Asbestos found in dozens of public sites near Nahariya
Ha’aretz.com (Israel), reported on 17/02/2008 that there are dozens of sites contaminated by asbestos in the Nahariya area, including 11 in urgent need of treatment to prevent the carcinogenic dust from dispersing and endangering public health, according to an asbestos pollution survey conducted by the Environmental Union of Western Galilee Municipalities.
However, the survey almost certainly missed some contaminated sites, since it covered only public property, not private property.
For years, Nahariya was the home of Eitanit, a company that made asbestos. Eitanit sold or gave surplus asbestos to local residents, and it was used, among other things, for building and repairing access roads and parking lots. The exposure to asbestos caused a sharp rise in the local rate of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by the penetration of asbestos fibres into the body. About a third of those who came down with the disease were apparently exposed to asbestos near their homes.
Altogether, the survey covered 120 sites, of which 72 were found to contain asbestos. The polluted sites, many of which are agricultural roads in the Koren Valley east of Nahariya, contain an estimated 30,000 cubic meters or more of asbestos. The sites that require high-priority treatment include two asbestos dumps that had been known about even prior to the survey.
To read the full story click on the link below:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/954773.html
However, the survey almost certainly missed some contaminated sites, since it covered only public property, not private property.
For years, Nahariya was the home of Eitanit, a company that made asbestos. Eitanit sold or gave surplus asbestos to local residents, and it was used, among other things, for building and repairing access roads and parking lots. The exposure to asbestos caused a sharp rise in the local rate of mesothelioma, a cancer caused by the penetration of asbestos fibres into the body. About a third of those who came down with the disease were apparently exposed to asbestos near their homes.
Altogether, the survey covered 120 sites, of which 72 were found to contain asbestos. The polluted sites, many of which are agricultural roads in the Koren Valley east of Nahariya, contain an estimated 30,000 cubic meters or more of asbestos. The sites that require high-priority treatment include two asbestos dumps that had been known about even prior to the survey.
To read the full story click on the link below:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/954773.html
Health Canada assessing risk of chrysotile asbestos
Globe and Mail Canada 22nd February 2008 reported that The World Health Organization says the chrysotile variety of asbestos is a health hazard and recommends its use be stopped to prevent cancer. So does the Canadian Cancer Society, and other respected public health agencies. But not Health Canada.
The federal health agency has quietly begun a study on the dangers of the asbestos type, the last remaining variety of the controversial mineral in widespread commercial use and the only one produced by mines in Canada.
The study is to try to determine the relationship between chrysotile fibres and the risk of contracting several diseases -such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma - and investigate the relative dangers of the Canadian variety compared with another type, known as amphibole.
But many public health advocates say repeated scientific reviews by respected international bodies have already found that all types of asbestos, including Canada's, cause cancer.
"Every legitimate world organization ... [has] concluded that chrysotile does indeed cause all asbestos-related diseases," said Richard Lemen, a retired assistant U.S. surgeon-general. The U.S. voted last year to ban all kinds of asbestos, Dr. Lemen said.
In an e-mailed statement, Health Canada said it was undertaking the research "to help further Canada's knowledge of chrysotile asbestos fibres in relation to human health," and to update the World Health Organization's last published assessment on the subject from 1998.
That assessment said all forms of asbestos were responsible for "a high incidence" of lung cancer and were so dangerous the safe exposure level was unknown at the time.
Critics say the government hopes the research might help sway opinion at key international talks, known as the Rotterdam Convention, which are scheduled for later this year and will discuss placing chrysotile on the list of the world's most hazardous substances.
Canada led efforts to scuttle the listing at the last round of these UN-sponsored talks two years ago.
"It would make sense that they would want to bolster their argument since it's coming up again this fall," said Larry Stoffman, Vancouver-based chairman of the National Environmental and Occupational Exposures Committee, an independent, cancer-prevention organization funded by Health Canada.
Mr. Stoffman said that chrysotile should be listed because "the overwhelming evidence is that this material is very dangerous" and that Canada would risk further damage to its international reputation by undermining efforts to control the product.
To read the entire article click on the link below:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080222.ASBESTOS22/TPStory/National
The federal health agency has quietly begun a study on the dangers of the asbestos type, the last remaining variety of the controversial mineral in widespread commercial use and the only one produced by mines in Canada.
The study is to try to determine the relationship between chrysotile fibres and the risk of contracting several diseases -such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma - and investigate the relative dangers of the Canadian variety compared with another type, known as amphibole.
But many public health advocates say repeated scientific reviews by respected international bodies have already found that all types of asbestos, including Canada's, cause cancer.
"Every legitimate world organization ... [has] concluded that chrysotile does indeed cause all asbestos-related diseases," said Richard Lemen, a retired assistant U.S. surgeon-general. The U.S. voted last year to ban all kinds of asbestos, Dr. Lemen said.
In an e-mailed statement, Health Canada said it was undertaking the research "to help further Canada's knowledge of chrysotile asbestos fibres in relation to human health," and to update the World Health Organization's last published assessment on the subject from 1998.
That assessment said all forms of asbestos were responsible for "a high incidence" of lung cancer and were so dangerous the safe exposure level was unknown at the time.
Critics say the government hopes the research might help sway opinion at key international talks, known as the Rotterdam Convention, which are scheduled for later this year and will discuss placing chrysotile on the list of the world's most hazardous substances.
Canada led efforts to scuttle the listing at the last round of these UN-sponsored talks two years ago.
"It would make sense that they would want to bolster their argument since it's coming up again this fall," said Larry Stoffman, Vancouver-based chairman of the National Environmental and Occupational Exposures Committee, an independent, cancer-prevention organization funded by Health Canada.
Mr. Stoffman said that chrysotile should be listed because "the overwhelming evidence is that this material is very dangerous" and that Canada would risk further damage to its international reputation by undermining efforts to control the product.
To read the entire article click on the link below:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080222.ASBESTOS22/TPStory/National
Ford pays mechanic for asbestosis
TUC Risks 23rd February reported that a mechanic from Perth has made Australian legal history by successfully suing the Ford Motor Company for Aus$840,000 (£396,000) after he proved that his job caused his asbestosis.
The Supreme Court of Western Australia ruled that Ford was responsible for the asbestosis now crippling Antonino Lo Presti, 58, and awarded him damages. Mr Lo Presti, an Italian immigrant who struggles with English, worked for a variety of Ford dealerships between 1970 and 1987 across Western Australia, servicing vehicles that were fitted with brakes that contained asbestos in the lining. The trial, held over two months last year, heard that compressed air was used to blow the brakes out during servicing.
Evidence was given by several of Mr Lo Presti's former workmates, who said the process created an extremely dusty environment, with the asbestos dust settling on desks and getting in people's hair, mouth and nose.
Mr Lo Presti did not become aware until 1994 that the method was dangerous and should not have been used. 'Before that, the plaintiff did not know (or believe) that exposure to brake dust and fibres might be dangerous and that measures should be taken to reduce the generation and inhalation of dust,' judge Andrew Beech said in his judgment.
He added that Ford 'ought to have known that if no protective measures were taken, there was a real risk, not merely a far-fetched or fanciful prospect, that asbestos fibres released from the brake linings of Ford vehicles would cause life-threatening injury, including mesothelioma, to motor mechanics.' Mr Lo Presti's wife, Connie, said life had been a struggle since her husband was diagnosed seven years ago with asbestosis and was forced to quit work. She said the financial burden of the disease had forced her to hold down three jobs while caring for her husband.
On March 12th 2008, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported that FORD Australia has lodged an appeal against the decision.
The Supreme Court of Western Australia ruled that Ford was responsible for the asbestosis now crippling Antonino Lo Presti, 58, and awarded him damages. Mr Lo Presti, an Italian immigrant who struggles with English, worked for a variety of Ford dealerships between 1970 and 1987 across Western Australia, servicing vehicles that were fitted with brakes that contained asbestos in the lining. The trial, held over two months last year, heard that compressed air was used to blow the brakes out during servicing.
Evidence was given by several of Mr Lo Presti's former workmates, who said the process created an extremely dusty environment, with the asbestos dust settling on desks and getting in people's hair, mouth and nose.
Mr Lo Presti did not become aware until 1994 that the method was dangerous and should not have been used. 'Before that, the plaintiff did not know (or believe) that exposure to brake dust and fibres might be dangerous and that measures should be taken to reduce the generation and inhalation of dust,' judge Andrew Beech said in his judgment.
He added that Ford 'ought to have known that if no protective measures were taken, there was a real risk, not merely a far-fetched or fanciful prospect, that asbestos fibres released from the brake linings of Ford vehicles would cause life-threatening injury, including mesothelioma, to motor mechanics.' Mr Lo Presti's wife, Connie, said life had been a struggle since her husband was diagnosed seven years ago with asbestosis and was forced to quit work. She said the financial burden of the disease had forced her to hold down three jobs while caring for her husband.
On March 12th 2008, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported that FORD Australia has lodged an appeal against the decision.
HSE Alerts Tradespeople to Asbestos Risks
Every week 20 workers in construction trades die simply because they have breathed in asbestos fibres during the course of their work.
This is the stark warning of a new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) campaign to make people aware of the dangers of asbestos.
The safety watchdog says its research shows young plumbers, electricians and other site tradespeople know that asbestos is dangerous but just don't believe that they are personally at risk.
Launching the 'Asbestos - the hidden killer' awareness campaign, Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), said: 'Every week six electricians and three plumbers die as a result of exposure to asbestos. The problem today is that we associate it with a problem that's been and gone because asbestos is now banned.
People regard asbestos as something only a previous generation were exposed to but there is a real risk that the younger generation entering the workforce will think this does not apply to them - but it does. If they work on any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 it could contain asbestos.'
This is the stark warning of a new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) campaign to make people aware of the dangers of asbestos.
The safety watchdog says its research shows young plumbers, electricians and other site tradespeople know that asbestos is dangerous but just don't believe that they are personally at risk.
Launching the 'Asbestos - the hidden killer' awareness campaign, Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), said: 'Every week six electricians and three plumbers die as a result of exposure to asbestos. The problem today is that we associate it with a problem that's been and gone because asbestos is now banned.
People regard asbestos as something only a previous generation were exposed to but there is a real risk that the younger generation entering the workforce will think this does not apply to them - but it does. If they work on any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 it could contain asbestos.'
Call for schools asbestos survey
TUC Risks 23rd February reported that Teaching union ATL is urging the government to carry out a survey of all schools to check whether asbestos is present.
It is warning that putting a drawing pin into a classroom wall or slamming a classroom door 'could be enough to sign a death warrant' and is calling for asbestos to be removed from all schools by 2010.
Asbestos was used extensively as a building material between 1945 and early 1980s in new and refurbished schools.
Pre-fabricated schools of the CLASP, SCOLA and Hills type commonly used asbestos, the union said.
At its annual conference in Torquay in March, ATL members will be asked to support a demand that the government conducts a survey of all educational establishments to determine whether asbestos is present, and to ensure all asbestos is removed by licensed contractors by 2010.
ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: 'We are deeply concerned about the continuing risk to teachers, support staff and pupils from asbestos in our schools. There is still too little information about asbestos. We don't know how many schools still contain asbestos, so most teachers have little idea of whether they or their pupils are being exposed to it.' She added: 'Schools should keep and maintain asbestos registers to record the locations and condition of any asbestos, and let staff know.' HSE figures suggest at least 182 people working in education died in Great Britain between 1980 and 2000 from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma alone. The figure for asbestos-related lung and other cancers is likely to be higher still.
(Editor's Note: The HSE's recommendation is to manage asbestos rather than to remove it).
It is warning that putting a drawing pin into a classroom wall or slamming a classroom door 'could be enough to sign a death warrant' and is calling for asbestos to be removed from all schools by 2010.
Asbestos was used extensively as a building material between 1945 and early 1980s in new and refurbished schools.
Pre-fabricated schools of the CLASP, SCOLA and Hills type commonly used asbestos, the union said.
At its annual conference in Torquay in March, ATL members will be asked to support a demand that the government conducts a survey of all educational establishments to determine whether asbestos is present, and to ensure all asbestos is removed by licensed contractors by 2010.
ATL general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said: 'We are deeply concerned about the continuing risk to teachers, support staff and pupils from asbestos in our schools. There is still too little information about asbestos. We don't know how many schools still contain asbestos, so most teachers have little idea of whether they or their pupils are being exposed to it.' She added: 'Schools should keep and maintain asbestos registers to record the locations and condition of any asbestos, and let staff know.' HSE figures suggest at least 182 people working in education died in Great Britain between 1980 and 2000 from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma alone. The figure for asbestos-related lung and other cancers is likely to be higher still.
(Editor's Note: The HSE's recommendation is to manage asbestos rather than to remove it).
Pleural Plaques Payouts
There has been outrage at the decision of the Law Lords in 2007 to end compensation for pleural plaques, a scarring of the lungs caused by heavy long term exposure to asbestos. They ruled that pleural plaques had no symptoms, and was therefore not a disease. The condition – a scarring of the lungs – means its victims are five times more likely to develop an incurable asbestos related cancer.
On 23rd February TUC Risks reported that the general secretary of UCATT, (The Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians), Alan Ritchie said:'The only crime committed by victims of pleural plaques was the crime to go out and earn a living.'
A commentary by journalist Kevin Maguire in the Daily Mirror said: 'Law Lords who overturned awards of a few grand each to victims have short-changed men who suffer terrible psychological damage... The only winners are insurance giants who'll save £1 billion, including the Swiss firm Zurich, now bunging Tony Blair £500,000 a year.'
Campaigners from across the country including former Labour Party Chairman and Minister for Pensions, Ian McCartney, are complaining to ministers about the decision.
On 17th March 2008, Building.co.uk reported that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said that the government is to re-examine the decision to end compensation for people with pleural plaques and that a consultation document is to be published on the matter.
The Scottish Executive is already looking at overturning the ban on compensation for the condition.
On 23rd February TUC Risks reported that the general secretary of UCATT, (The Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians), Alan Ritchie said:'The only crime committed by victims of pleural plaques was the crime to go out and earn a living.'
A commentary by journalist Kevin Maguire in the Daily Mirror said: 'Law Lords who overturned awards of a few grand each to victims have short-changed men who suffer terrible psychological damage... The only winners are insurance giants who'll save £1 billion, including the Swiss firm Zurich, now bunging Tony Blair £500,000 a year.'
Campaigners from across the country including former Labour Party Chairman and Minister for Pensions, Ian McCartney, are complaining to ministers about the decision.
On 17th March 2008, Building.co.uk reported that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said that the government is to re-examine the decision to end compensation for people with pleural plaques and that a consultation document is to be published on the matter.
The Scottish Executive is already looking at overturning the ban on compensation for the condition.
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