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NOVEMBER 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
MPs propose
2035 deadline for
asbestos removal
FSB reacts to GDP
growth of 0.5%
Commenting the announcement at the end of October
that UK GDP grew by 0.5%
in the third quarter of 2015,
John Allan, National Chairman of the Federation of
Small Businesses, said:
“Business growth remains
positive, although the slight
slowdown is reflected in recent
research showing confidence
among FSB members is cooling.
The cautious tone is being driven
in part by uncertainty around the
stability of the global economy.
Closer to home, many small businesses are wondering how they
will absorb changes to tax treatment on dividends, increases in
some of their staff wages through
the National Living Wage and the
cost of pensions auto-enrolment
on top of already high business
rates bills.
‘interest rates
remaining stable
for an extended
period at 0.5%’
“In this climate of moderate
growth, the Bank of England has
provided some certainty with
interest rates remaining stable for
an extended period at 0.5%. Many
small businesses will be heartened by signals from The Bank of
England governor Mark Carney
suggesting rates will continue
along this course for the remainder of the year.”
www.fsb.org.uk/contacts
MPs have put forward a range of measures that
could see asbestos removed from all rented homes,
businesses and public buildings by 2035.
The all-party Parliamentary
Group on Occupational Health
and Safety is calling for a
new asbestos eradication
law, in a bid to wipe out all
traces of the deadly material.
In its report, the group says a
national programme of asbestos
surveys should be carried out in
properties built before 2000 by
2022.
In buildings where materials
containing asbestos are uncovered, owners would be required to
remove them when carrying out
refurbishments or repair work.
Landlords would have to lay
out plans to rid their buildings of
asbestos before the ultimate deadline of 2035, or 2028 in the case of
public buildings and educational
institutions.
The group is also urging the
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
and local councils to put togeth-
er timetables for the removal of
asbestos from workplaces up and
down the country.
Further proposals would see
home-buyers’ surveys include a
duty to carry out asbestos inspections before any house sale could
be completed.
Homeowners would then have
to pass on information about
the presence of the material to
any contractors working on the
property.
Brian Rye, national secretary of
the Union of Construction, Allied
Trades and Technicians, said: “This
report demonstrates that new
regulations are urgently needed in
order to ensure that construction
workers undertaking maintenance
and refurbishment work are properly protected.
“Workers should not be expected
to play Russian roulette with their
health.”
Kevin Fear, Health and Safety Strategy Lead at CITB, said:
“Today’s announcement to tackle
asbestos is a positive step for the
construction industry. Asbestos
is a hidden killer and around 20
tradespeople per week die due to
past exposure.
“CITB will continue to work
closely with the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) to help minimise
the risk of asbestos to construction w orkers around the UK.”
According to the HSE, regulations state that materials containing asbestos can be managed and
monitored if they are in good
condition and unlikely to be damaged.
Training must also be given to
workers such as cable installers
who are at risk of exposure to
asbestos.
Source: www.citb.co.uk