Evotech Highlights the Importance of Engineer Awareness in Preventing Asbestos Exposure

This Asbestos Awareness Week, Evotech is reinforcing the importance of asbestos awareness training for engineers working across the built environment.

Despite being banned in the UK in 1999, asbestos remains the leading cause of work-related deaths, with approximately 5,000 fatalities each year, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). These deaths are primarily linked to historic exposure, with asbestos-related diseases often taking decades to develop.

Asbestos fibres, when disturbed and inhaled, can lead to serious and often fatal conditions, including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis. There is no safe level of exposure, making prevention and awareness critical.

Asbestos can still be found in any building constructed or refurbished before 2000 and is commonly present in materials such as pipe lagging, insulation boards, cement roofing, and sprayed coatings on steel structures. Whilst these materials may remain safe if undisturbed, routine maintenance and engineering works can pose a significant risk.

Fire & security engineers are amongst those most likely to encounter asbestos in the course of their work, from accessing ceiling voids and risers to working on legacy cabling systems, engineers frequently require access to hidden or legacy infrastructure. Recognising potential asbestos before starting work ensures these critical services can be delivered safely and responsibly.

Evotech places strong emphasis on asbestos awareness training, ensuring our engineers are equipped to recognise potential risks and take appropriate action.

This includes the ability to identify suspect materials, understand the risks of disturbance, stop work immediately if asbestos is suspected, and report concerns before proceeding. Ensuring engineers can recognise the warning signs and act appropriately is essential to keeping people safe.

The importance of this training is particularly relevant to the delivery of critical facilities management services, including electrical, mechanical and fire and security systems, where access to hidden infrastructure is often required.

In addition to those working on-site, duty holders responsible for non-domestic buildings, including offices, schools, retail outlets and public sector buildings, have a legal obligation to manage asbestos risks and ensure appropriate controls are in place.

Asbestos Awareness Week serves as a reminder that asbestos remains a current and ongoing risk. By prioritising mandatory asbestos awareness training and adopting a safety-first approach when working in any building where asbestos may be present, we are delivering safe and compliant services.