ASBESTOS Workforce Health Risks

WORKFORCE HEALTH RISKS AND REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE LINKED TO ASBESTOS IN COMPANY BUILDINGS.

Usage of Asbestos

Asbestos: A Long-Term Process

Risks of Asbestos

Asbestosis

Lung Cancer

Pulmonary Hypertension

Mesothelioma

Effects on Your Heart

Best Way to Communicate with Public

Ways to make people secure

Prevent Inhaling Asbestos

Measures to Reduce the Effects of Already Exposed Asbestos

Methods to Keep Premises Secure

With increased awareness and technological advancement across the globe, workforce rights have gained significant importance. All the companies have become conscious about providing rights to their workforce because of their increased importance for the company's growth and progress. Labor rights have gained significance in the law of every country. It refers to all claimed set of legal rights that are guaranteed by labor and employment law. It has become a necessary part of the constitutions of all the countries across the globe (Cleveland, 1998). These rights have multiple forms like compensation and benefits, salary of the workforce, pension, gratuity, rewards, perks and safe working conditions. With this increased significance of the rights of workforce, labor unions have become strong and have gained the authority to change the working situation in light of these laws. These labor rights have given eminent control and authority to the workforce and worker's self-management has increased and these days' workers have a democratic voice in decision and policy making. One of the most important rights that every company obliges to fulfill is the safety of the workforce. It is considered the right of every member of the workforce to return to his house safe and sound. Preventing illness that is the consequence of the workplace safety is the duty of every organization (Stewart & Abellard, 1992). This research paper deciphers the facts and security measures that can be adopted about the workforce health risks and reputational damage linked to asbestos in company buildings. Asbestos is a set of six silicate minerals that are being used frequently in buildings. Inhaling the fibers of this mineral for a long period of time can result in illness. It can cause many diseases like lung cancer, mesothelioma and many other diseases (LaDou, 2004). The use of this mineral in the construction of buildings became popular in 19th century because of its multiple advantages like its property to absorb sound, its resistance to fire, it economical price and its tendency to increase tensile strength. Despite of its multiple advantages, it can cause serious health problems. This paper chiefly focuses on the role played by Europe and United Kingdom's market to prevent the workforce health risks and reputational damage linked to asbestos in company buildings.

Usage of Asbestos

Asbestos is a set of six silicate minerals that are being used frequently in buildings. Inhaling the fibers of this mineral for a long period of time can result in illness. It can cause many diseases like lung cancer, mesothelioma and many other diseases. The use of this mineral in the construction of buildings became popular in 19th century because of its multiple advantages which are as follows:

It is a strong fire resistant, tensile and can be used as an insulating material. Due to these advantages, it is frequently used in roofing and flooring of the buildings and for the purpose of fire proofing.

It is being used in many construction related products like cement pipes, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, electrical wires, refractory and boiler insulation materials, fireproof aprons manufactured in textile industry and many other products as well

Asbestos-containing products have been widely used, in one form or another, across a range of industries including shipbuilding and repair, railways, building construction and maintenance, power stations, steelworks, and motor vehicle industries.

Amount of asbestos is different in every product. Some products contain small proportions of the chemical; on the contrary, some products contain high proportion.

As a result, a wide variety of workforce is being exposed to the hazards of the chemical. People from various occupations like factory employees of the manufacturers of asbestos, automobile mechanics, boiler engineers, carpenters, miners, construction workers, electricians, workers in building where the chemical is used, etc. are at high level of risk because of the access use of asbestos.

Asbestos: A Long-Term Process

Exposure to asbestos for a long period of time can result in multiple health issues. It is a dangerous element that can cause multiple hazardous diseases. Its long-term exposure may remove a thin layer of fiber from the lungs and any health issue may not appear for 30 years of exposure to asbestos (Levine, 2011).

Risks of Asbestos

Much health related risks are associated with asbestos. The long-term diseases caused by asbestos are as follows:

Asbestosis

The person suffering from this problem may experience pain in chest, coughing and shortness of breath.
Lung Cancer

Long-term exposure to asbestos can lead to lung cancer. Symbols of lung cancer include trouble in breathing, excess loss of weight, reduction if red blood cells, coughing up blood and hoarseness (LaDou, 2004).

Pulmonary Hypertension

As the long-term exposure to asbestos results in damaging of the tissues of lungs, so it will result in high bold pressure in the lungs, a disease called pulmonary hypertension.

Mesothelioma

Long-term exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma. It is the cancer of the tissues of the lining of lining the stomach, heart, lungs and other organs (Maule, et al., 2007).

Effects on Your Heart

Manyheart related problems can be the consequences of long-term exposure to asbestos. Many problems like failure of the right side of the heart, inefficiency of the heart to pump sufficient amount of blood to the rest of the body can be the major issues.

Best Way to Communicate with Public

'Europe's Asbestos Catastrophe: Supporting Victims, Preventing Future Tragedy' conference was arranged in Brussels, Belgium in September, 2012. The aim of this conference was to communicate to bring all the victims, trade unions, non-governmental organizations together to share information to control the hazards and risks of asbestos. The basic aim of this conference was to communicate with the worker class that is exposed to this danger via multiple sources (Mackenbach, 2002). The aim of this conference was to create awareness that health is the fundamental human right and asbestos dust is the violence of those human rights. The reason for conducting this conference was to educate the Europeans about the risks of asbestos. For instance, Poland is well aware of the long-term hazards of the exposure to asbestos and it invests a huge sum of money to train Labor Inspectors, businesses and workers about asbestos dangers.On the contrary, in Albania, the awareness about hazards of asbestos is very low. Even the Labor Inspectors lack the knowledge and this indicates the level of asbestos knowledge of the general public. The conference also pointed out demolition workers are the new risk groups who are exposed to the hazards of asbestos (Barry S. Levy, 2006).

Awareness about daily exposure of the asbestos to teachers, students, cleaners and cooks was also pointed out in the conference. It was pointed out that how asbestos insulation board, asbestos roofing and other asbestos materials are amply present in the schools, what they mean in terms of actual contamination and how they threaten the health of young children especially every day, while their parents suppose them to be safe and taken care of. The conferences also aimed to instigate the need of urgency to adopt uniform polices throughout Europe in order to communicate the knowledge and create awareness about the risks and hazards and the adoption of preventive measures to reduce these risks and dangers (Roy, 2005).

Many measures to create awareness were pointed out in the conference; few of them are as follows:

Increase public awareness

Develop tactics to prevent the risks and dangers

Ban the use of asbestos in buildings

Similarly, United Kingdom is playing a significant role about adopting preventive measures to secure the workforce from the risks and hazards of asbestos. Laws to prohibit the use of asbestos were first introduced in United Kingdom in 1980's. In 1999, government imposed a ban on import of any product containing asbestos. Another significant law passed was that work with asbestos containing material like insulating sheets will only be carried out under the supervision of licensed professionals. It also passed a law under which asbestos at work have a limit to the exposure of asbestos and should be managed properly.

Ways to make people secure

United Kingdom's legislation of 2012 has included few preventive measures in its legislation with the name "The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012." Following are the points included in legislation:

Awareness about the effects on health including the effects of smoking needs to be created

Products that contain asbestos must mention its amount present

Significance of preventive measures need to be pointed out

Organizations should be told about preventive measures that can be adopted

Awareness about emergency procedures must be spread

Medical examinations requirements must be highlighted

Prevent Inhaling Asbestos

Following measures can be adopted to prevent inhaling asbestos:

While using any material that contains asbestos, directions mentioned must be followed properly to prevent the hazards

If the profession involves high risk of exposure to asbestos then wearing equipment like gear and taking precautions in the…