A new report from MPs has called for asbestos to be removed from buildings by 2035…
Asbestos can cause a number of fatal respiratory diseases and is linked to thousands of deaths each year in the UK. MPs are now calling for the substance to be removed from buildings by 2035.
In a report published by the all-party parliamentary group on Occupational Safety and Health, MPs are calling for a new asbestos eradication law to be introduced. This would cover all commercial, public, and rented domestic premises.
Properties built or refurbished before 2000 will be required to have a full asbestos survey by 2022. When asbestos is identified, the group said the material should be fully removed. If the owner does not plan on removing the substance there must be a plan in place by 2035. Schools and public buildings should have asbestos removed no later than 2028.
Chair of the all-party group Ian Lavery said: “There is far too much complacency about the asbestos which we can still find in hundreds of thousands of workplaces as well as a majority of schools where children face exposure to this killer dust.
“We believe that the Government needs to start now on developing a programme to ensure that asbestos is safely removed from every workplace and public place so that we can end, once and for all this dreadful legacy which has killed so many people, and will continue to kill until asbestos is eradicated.”
Brian Rye, National Secretary of construction union UCATT, said: “This report demonstrates that new regulations are urgently needed in order to ensure that construction workers undertaking maintenance and refurbishment work are properly protected.
“Workers should not be expected to play Russian roulette with their health.”
