With asbestos-related deaths on the rise, a new course will specifically address people who work in waste management or on civic amenity sites, titled “Asbestos Awareness For Waste Management And Civic Amenity Site Operatives And Managers”. The course has been launched by the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA).
The half-day course has been designed with all waste management site workers in mind, including utilities installation and maintenance engineers, site operatives, machine drivers and more.
As well as ensuring workers are safe, the new course is designed to help employers ensure they meet their legal obligations. Regulation 10 of The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, requires employers to ensure ‘adequate information, instruction and training is given to employees liable to be exposed to asbestos.’
More than 1.3 million people in the UK come into occupational contact with asbestos on a daily basis and it is the single biggest cause of work-related deaths. Asbestos was a widely used building material in the UK for more than a century up until it was banned at the end of 1999. There are now millions of commercial and residential properties still remaining today that contain the deadly substance.
As long as asbestos is undisturbed it does not pose an immediate risk to health. However, property owners undertaking DIY work often unknowingly come into contact with building materials that may contain the deadly substance. They then unwittingly try to dispose of it at waste management and civic amenity sites putting workers there at risk.
The course is designed to aid workers’ awareness of asbestos materials – the types, condition and typical asbestos products – which may arrive on site, so they can take the necessary steps to avoid exposure to it.
UKATA Chief Operating Officer Craig Evans explained: “UKATA has been campaigning for 10 years to raise awareness of the importance of recognised and approved asbestos training in order to reduce the horrifying statistics. A key part of this is increasing awareness of the use and appearance of asbestos.
“This course is yet another step by UKATA to ensure vulnerable workers have both access to approved, up-to-date asbestos awareness training to enable them to minimise the risk to their health and that of others should they encounter asbestos through their work.”
The course is being held at venues throughout the country by UKATA-approved training providers. More information on this course can be found at https://www.ukata.org.uk/training/training-course-portfolio/asbestos-awareness-waste-management-and-civic-amenity-site-operatives-and-managers/
To find a UKATA approved asbestos training provider near you, visit http://www.ukata.org.uk or call UKATA on 01246 824437.
