Global Asbestos Awareness Week

Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW), now in its 20th year, takes place from April 1st to 7th each year. The week is dedicated to raising awareness about the hazards of asbestos and advocating for measures to prevent asbestos-related diseases.

Although the United Kingdom has banned the import and use of asbestos since 1999, managing it still poses a challenge. Over a million homes and buildings in the UK still contain asbestos, which can become hazardous when disturbed or damaged.

Organisations, support groups, medical professionals, and individuals come together during Global Asbestos Awareness Week to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos exposure, share information about asbestos-related illnesses, and promote preventive measures.

As part of the global initiative, The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been sharing information and resources from their asbestos safety campaigns, including the current “Asbestos Your Duty” campaign, launched to raise awareness of the legal duty to manage asbestos in buildings, and the “Asbestos and You” campaign which urges tradespeople to stay aware of hidden asbestos and protect themselves and others from exposure to asbestos fibres during their work.

Asbestos Related Diseases – UK’s Largest Workplace Killer

It is thought there are still around 300,000 non-domestic buildings and almost 1,000,000 domestic buildings in the UK that contain asbestos. Furthermore, the HSE estimates that the remnants of the substance continue to kill 5000 people across England and Wales each year. Asbestos-related illnesses, such as mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer, remain the number one cause of workplace deaths in the UK. These statistics make the UK one of the countries with the highest rates of mesothelioma in the world.