Local footballers following in Ian Wright’s footsteps

Footballers from around Birmingham, Walsall and the Black Country are following the example set by former tradesman and England footballing legend, Ian Wright, who has given his support to help highlight the importance of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) ‘Asbestos: The Hidden Killer’ campaign.

The campaign aims to reduce the rising death rate amongst tradespeople by educating today’s workers and trainees about the danger that asbestos presents to them. 

Saturday and Sunday league footballers from around Birmingham are backing the campaign by highlighting their concern for amateur footballers who need fitness at the weekend but may be risking their lives on weekdays by exposing themselves to asbestos.

Electricians, plasterers, plumbers and carpenters are all at risk of exposure to asbestos in buildings erected or refurbished before the year 2000 and figures issued by the Health and Safety Executive reveal that across the whole of the West Midlands Region one person dies a painful death every three days from Mesothelioma. Every week 20 UK tradesmen die from asbestos-related diseases and this number is set to increase.

Ian Wright was shocked when he learnt that 20 tradesmen a week were dying from having been exposed to asbestos in their working lives.  "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. 

"I can really relate to the situations tradesmen find themselves in and urge them to take care." added campaign ambassador, Ian Wright.

Steve Coldrick, Director of the HSE’s Disease Reduction Programme says, “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.”

Steve Coldrick explained why a major campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the real risk that tradesmen face: “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.”

1,000 (25%) of the 4,000 now dying each year are tradesmen and while the number of deaths in traditional industries has plateaued, deaths in trades continue to rise.

"The HSE campaign is vital because research shows that only one in ten tradesmen know that exposure to asbestos can prove fatal," says Jill Morrell, Head of Public Affairs at the British Lung Foundation. "The asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma is a cruel disease which, as yet, has no cure. We must do all we can to prevent more people dying from this preventable disease."

Professor Sherwood Burge, Occupational Respiratory Disease Specialist, from Heart of England NHS Trust and Birmingham Chest Clinic, said:

"Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is nearly always caused by previous exposure to asbestos and by the time that it is diagnosed it is almost always fatal. It affects the outer lining of the lungs, the internal wall of the chest wall and can affect other parts of the body.

"Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos dust or fibres. Insulators and boiler workers usually know about the exposures, but many building trade workers are unaware of their previous asbestos exposure. A worker’s family may be affected by contaminated work clothes, washed at home, which may have brought enough asbestos into the home to cause mesothelioma.

"Symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest wall pain and weight loss. Diagnosis may be suspected with a chests X-ray or CT scan and confirmed by microscopic examination of tissue (biopsy) taken by inserting a tube with a camera inside the chest."

Many workers, particularly tradesmen, think they are not personally at risk of exposure to asbestos and the diseases it can cause. They think that since asbestos was banned many years ago, the problem has been dealt with and therefore it is not relevant to them. The reality is very different.   

Even today, asbestos presents a real and relevant risk to plumbers, joiners, electricians and many other maintenance workers. Asbestos may be present in any building constructed or refurbished before the year 2000 and it is estimated that around 500,000 non-domestic buildings could contain asbestos. These buildings all need repair and maintenance work from time to time and when the asbestos fibres are disturbed e.g. by drilling or cutting, they are likely to be inhaled as a deadly dust.

If asbestos-containing material is in good condition and in a position where it cannot be disturbed or damaged, it is safer to leave it where it is and ensure that the risks are managed. Those responsible for managing building maintenance and repair of non-domestic buildings have a duty to inform tradesmen if asbestos is present in a building where they are working. Depending on the type of asbestos-containing material, providing they have been trained and the proper controls are in place, they may be able to work on the project. Asbestos sprayed coatings, board or lagging on pipes and boilers should only be tackled by licensed workers.

Posters and radio adverts are designed to encourage tradesmen to get a free asbestos information pack by calling 0845 345 0055 or by visiting www.hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller for further information. The free information pack provides information on the dangers of asbestos, highlighting where asbestos-containing materials may be present in buildings, what they look like, how they should be dealt with and where to find training.