‘Team UKATA’ look forward to scoring at SHE 2014
Respect Asbestos – Respect Yourself
The UK Asbestos Training Association Ltd (UKATA), the leading authority in asbestos training, is ensuring people don’t score any ‘own goals’ when it comes to respecting asbestos by attending the Safety and Health Expo at ExCeL London between 17-19 June. ‘Team UKATA’ can be found at stand R2100.
The Expo is the market leading annual exhibition for the Health and Safety industry and run exclusively with the support of IOSH, RoSPA and the BSIF. The event has established itself as the definitive event, offering three days of educational programmes, suppliers, products and much, much more, making the event a natural place for UKATA to deliver its ‘respect asbestos’ message.
“When it comes to dealing with asbestos, training in handling it safely is paramount, which makes the Expo a natural place for ‘Team UKATA’ to deliver our Health and Safety message on asbestos,” said Jacqui Royall, Director of UKATA and Chair of the Development and Marketing Committee. “Over 4,500 people are still dying every year as a result of breathing in asbestos fibres and asbestos remains the biggest single cause of work related deaths in the UK, so we still have a massive job on our hands to change perceptions of this hidden killer.”
In addition to raising awareness of asbestos, ‘Team UKATA’ will also be promoting the services the organisation and its members offer and the advantages of membership in terms of both keeping members abreast of the very latest UK and European legislation, and the importance of training when it comes to ensuring the right result – something everyone should identify with during the World Cup!
“We are hoping to welcome new members to ‘Team UKATA’ at this year’s Expo,” Added Jacqui. “The sheer number of prosecutions of companies flouting the asbestos regulations has convinced us of the need to encourage new members to join us, but also to be much more bullish in our health warnings. Asbestos is killing people and it will go on doing so until we learn to respect the danger it represents and prioritise training.”
UKATA’s privileged position has been achieved by hard work, dedication and a focus on quality and standards that is second to none. UKATA now has over 160 fee paying members with many more membership applications pending; the Expo is being seen as a springboard to increasing these numbers as much as being a platform to call for greater awareness of the issues.
“The Expo coinciding with the World Cup this year is inconvenient for football fans but the event should finish in time to catch England v Uruguay on the 19th,” added Jacqui. “Team UKATA have to deliver an equally inconvenient truth, that asbestos is still out there in many buildings and workers need to be aware of what to do when coming in contact with a killer. Asbestos related diseases like Mesothelioma can take up to 20 years to develop and there is no known cure.”
The Expo also coincides with this year’s IOSH conference, which runs at ExCel London alongside SHE from 17-18 June, so people coming to the Expo can kill two birds with one stone and attend both. In fact, those registering for IOSH this year receive free entry to the Expo.
‘Team UKATA’ will be delivering the facts on asbestos and they make uncomfortable reading. For those tradespeople with a cavalier approach, asbestos is estimated to be present in some 25% of buildings, a figure that rises considerably in public buildings. Over 75% of school buildings still contain asbestos and more than 140 teachers have died from mesothelioma in the last ten years.
“Attendance at the Expo will form part of our educational strategy for offering guidance to retailers, contractors and others regarding their duties with regard to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR),” added Jacqui. The HSE has its own campaign which we will be supporting in the run up to the Expo by offering our own practical advice and assistance to those who feel they need additional information, instruction and training on the correct safety procedures when dealing with asbestos.”
UKATA is always keen to talk to prospective Members who are 100% committed to the highest professional standards. For further information on UKATA, visit www.ukata.org.uk
ENDS
Press contact:
Jon Gardner
BeyondPR
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REF: UKATA0081 – UKATA at SHE Expo
Published on Wednesday 5th February 2014