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Asbestos is only one of an enormous number of health and safety issues that must be addressed by all employers. However, as illness and fatalities caused by occupational exposure to airborne asbestos have increased over the years, now at a level in excess of 3,000 per annum in the UK, it is an issue that is being given ever increasing priority by the HSE.
Because of its diverse and useful properties, asbestos was widely used in a variety of applications ranging from domestic products through to construction materials and a multiplicity of industrial purposes. The use of asbestos in Britain was phased out beginning in the early 1970's and finally ceased in 1999.
Current UK Statutory Regulations require that asbestos in all non-domestic properties be identified, evaluated and managed or removed.
The next incarnation of the Regulations (expected during 2006) may remove textured coatings, such as Artex, from the list of products that must be dealt with by a licensed contractor and is expected to bring rented domestic property into the requirements to manage asbestos.
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