According to recent press reports, a new campaign is returning to warn workers of the dangers of asbestos, over year after it was dropped by the government.

The Hidden Killer advertising campaign by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) were originally launched in 2008 to highlight the concealed risk within the construction industry. But they fell victim to the government’s spending cuts last January to the fury of health experts. The TV and radio ads will highlight the perils of the killer dust to construction workers, particularly those in refurbishment and maintenance .

Now pressure from the Health and Safety Executive’s Asbestos Timebomb, builders’ union Ucatt and MPs have prompted the group to restore the life-saving ads in the new year. Ucatt leader George Guy said: “A fresh phase of the campaign is long overdue. It saves lives.” Natascha Engel, Labour MP for North East Derbyshire, added: “The campaign should never have been frozen in the first place.”

Plumbers have an especially high risk because of the nature of their work often involves disturbing old asbestos material. Roughly 4,000 people die due to asbestos-related diseases every year. It is also vital that tradesmen understand the difference between (blue) notifiable and (white) non-notifiable asbestos and the required procedures under legislation are adhered to. It is also advisable to maintain or purchase a good quality plumbers liability insurance and that it is kept in force

The UK has the highest number of deaths from mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by exposure to asbestos that claimed more than 2,000 lives last year.

Ucatt advises all workers that if they are unsure whether asbestos is present to stop work immediately as lives could be put at risk.