Spotlight On #WearTheScarf – The HSE’s Latest Asbestos Campaign

#WearTheScarf – The HSE’s Latest Asbestos Campaign

Whilst safe work with asbestos has come a long way in the past twenty years, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area. This month, the HSE launched a social media campaign (#WearTheScarf) to raise further awareness and provide assistance and information on the topic. The campaign aims to highlight the fact that this is still a very real problem today, and to provide sensible measures that need to be taken in this area.

Estimates suggest that there are still a potential 1.3 million workers at risk of asbestos exposure, and as a result an average of 20 tradespeople die each week from asbestos related diseases. Asbestos can be present in any house or building built before 2000 and as a result, it is still present in millions of homes and buildings.

The campaign, #WearTheScarf, has had the support of England football star Stuart Pearce. Pearce worked part-time as an electrician in the early days of his football career, and fears that his own ignorance of asbestos means there is a very real possibility of him developing an asbestos related illness. As a result of his personal experience, he wants to help the HSE raise awareness in order to prevent further asbestos related deaths.

We were simply ignorant about the risks back then. Today there’s no excuse – most people know how dangerous asbestos is but many think it’s a thing of the past, it’s not, it’s still there. It can be found in walls, ceilings, even floor tiles and guttering – basically any type of building built before the year 2000. Making sure you’re aware of where it can be found and how to deal with it safely, even on basic jobs like drilling holes or sanding, really could mean the difference between life and death. […] “It can be so easy to breathe in this deadly dust and it may be years until you realise you’ve been affected. Every tradesperson that falls victim to asbestos related diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis is one too many, especially if it’s a result of ignorance. Let’s make asbestos deaths a thing of the past.

Stuart Pearce

Tradespeople and businesses are encouraged to join in the campaign by using the hashtag ‘#WearTheScarf’. Of course, the campaign is about more than just awareness. The HSE are providing people with practical tools to make appropriate changes to the way asbestos is dealt with. Crucially, they are offering a free app which has been designed to promote people to work more safely with asbestos. It helps tradespeople easily identify where the sorts of areas in which they might come into contact with asbestos and provides easy, straightforward guides on how to work safely with it. The app, which can be found here  is available free of charge on phones, tablets and PCs.

Remember the hastag #WearTheScarf

The campaign builds upon existing work already being done in the area by the organisation. To this end, advertising has appeared in the national press, as well as more specific commercial organisations, in order to raise awareness, and free asbestos safety kits were distributed by the HSE in September.  Whilst safe work with asbestos has come a long way in the past twenty years, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area. However, the HSE’s latest campaign can only serve to further education and action in the area. Get involved, and get educated, by checking out the hashtag #WearTheScarf on twitter, look at the HSE’s information on asbestos, or download the free app.