As we've mentioned previously, asbestos is extremely dangerous. Its dust can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and a variety of other diseases, and statistics suggest that 20 lives are lost every week to asbestos-related illnesses.

With this in mind, you may shocked to learn that asbestos can reportedly be found in 86% of UK schools. A BBC News article posted earlier this week claims that asbestos, which was commonly used for insulation before the turn of the millennium, is "still present in nearly nine out of ten schools in the UK - higher than previous official estimates."

If true, this news is cause for concern indeed. Last month, the Health and Safety Executive ran a #BewareAsbestos campaign, repeatedly quoting statistics about the number of tradespeople (roughly 5,000) who allegedly die from asbestos-related diseases every year. These figures were alarming enough on their own, but we are now forced to consider how much larger the numbers become when you factor in non-trade workers. The BBC report claims that 158 schoolteachers have died of mesothelioma in the last decade, and it is probably safe to assume that more have been taken by cancer, asbestosis, and the other diseases for which asbestos has been held responsible over the years.

Perhaps even worse is the thought of our children being exposed to asbestos dust. Exposure can cause serious health problems in later life, and the oft-quoted fact that 'asbestos is safe if left undisturbed' is not especially reassuring given the circumstances. After all, if asbestos exists in a school environment, the chances of it being "left undisturbed" are slim indeed!

What can be done about asbestos?
 

• Where possible, asbestos should be removed by professionals using the proper PPE
   
• Asbestos warning signs can be utilised to warn people of areas where asbestos is present
   
• We can educate people (especially children) about the dangers of asbestos using informational posters and other means

Over the past year or so, it appears that the health and safety culture has been heavily scrutinised both in the press and by the public. Health and safety is being blamed for questionable decisions in the workplace left right and centre, which has called for the Health and Safety Executive to call for putting a stop on the health and safety blame game. We recently wrote a blog post about this titled 'Is Health and Safety Taking the Blame' discussing all these points, and since then it appears health and safety have come under fire yet again.

This time, the focus is around health and safety ruining childhood. In this piece in The Telegraph Judith Hackitt, head of the Health and Safety Executive called for children not to be wrapped in cotton wool, stating that they must be allowed to hurt themselves during play to avoid them becoming 'risk naive' in later life.

In another Telegraph piece, TV personality Bear Grylls has claimed that the health and safety culture is ruining childhood. He argues that children should be banned from playing computer games and should take more risks in the outdoors. 

Indeed, both articles make good points about the digital world we live in. It's undeniable that spending too much time in front of a laptop of TV screens is detrimental to children - and we completely agree that there is such a wealth of experience and knowledge gained by playing outdoors and actually engaging face to face with your peers. Children should go out and play whilst still taking advantage of the incredible and educational technological developments we're fortunate enough to experience. They should be allowed to experience things first hand in the great outdoors...But is health and safety culture ruining childhood? We certainly don't think so.

On the contrary, in fact. The importance of health and safety legislations should be ingrained in our children from a young age. It's very important we don't turn children against the health and safety culture because it will be so dramatically important for them in life. Indeed, whether you work on a construction site or in an office - every business establishment has set health and safety legislations which are put in place to protect our lives, and indeed the lives of others. 

It is far too often that we hear of tragic accidents in the workplace due to breaches of health and safety - either resulting in serious injury or at the worst case, death. Companies are being sued for thousands of pounds weekly due to not complying with health and safety - though we completely agree occasionally people will use health and safety as an excuse for a bad decision - it is vital that legislations are respected and followed. 

We think that children should be allowed to be children and encouraged to grow and play outdoors, but they should be urged to respect the health and safety rules and legislations put in place to protect them. What do you think? We'd love to hear your views! Tweet us @LabelSourceUK to continue the discussion. 

Two women have been injured in a scaffolding accident in Leicester. It is believed that strong weather conditions caused the scaffolding to collapse on this busy Leicester street, injuring two women in the process.

As advocates of helath and safety procedures and legistlations, Label Source are regularly seen posting content both in our blog and across our social media channels condemning those companies who disobey health and safety legislation, or fail to meet the health and safety standards required of their business. However, on some unfortunate occasions, like this one it seems, accidents can happen through no fault of the company - or indeed anyone! 

If the wind is strong enough to pull down scaffolding and unfortunately injure civillians in the process, then indeed there is nothing any degree of health and safety legislation could have done to prevent such a tragic accident. Occasionally accidents are unavoidable. However, any business is required by duty to protect themselves, their staff, and the general public by ensuring they meet health and safety requirements at all costs, and this is the best thing we can possibly do to attempt to minimise awful accidents like this from happening. Health and safety legislations are there to protect us and ensure our safety, and abiding by them religiously is the best way to ensure this. 

Site safety notice scaffold banner 

If you're working with scaffolding, please ensure you have the appropriate safety signs, labels, notices and tape in place to minimise the risk of accidents at all costs. Our range of scaffolding safety products can be viewed here. 

For any advice on which scaffolding safety products you need, please don't hesitate to give us a call on 0800 3761 963.

As suppliers of health and safety labels, signs and tags, it is well within our interest here at Label Source to be on top of health and safety news. In the past few month there's certainly been some questionable 'health and safety' decisions that have made the press! For example, a Grimsby fish and chips establishment was featured in the news for supposedly refusing to allow a customer to put salt on her own fish and chips due to health and safety reasons. Does this seem a little far fetched to you?

Well, that's because it is. In 2012, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) set up a 'myth busting' panel who work to ensure health and safety rules and legislations are not used irrationally, and that health and safety is not to be used as an excuse for decisions made by various establishments. The HSE myth-busters concluded that this was not, in fact, a breach of their health and safety rules - but rather they weren't sure where their customers hands had been! 

The HSE called for 2015 to be the year that we stop 'blaming health and safety for poor or over-the-top decisions'. 

In the press yesterday was the story of Mango, the much-loved tabby cat who lived in the Tesco in Tiverton, Devon for four years before he was apparently 'ejected' and carreid outside in the rain to his new plastic kennel. There are rumours online about Mango having breached Tesco's health and safety regulations, which is why he was removed - but a spokesman for the store has completely denied this claim, stating "Mango is very welcome and much loved by our customers in Tiverton. He is often seen in our foyer and we have invested in a kennel for him to make him feel more comfortable." This is just another example of the health and safety blame game - though Tesco themselves didn't claim Mango breached their health and safety regulations - others were quick to dismiss the decision as another silly health and safety rule. 

As providers of health and safety signs, we must agree with the HSE's plea to cut down on using health and safety as an excuse. After all, health and safety regulations are put in place to help save lives and protect people - not by any stretch of the imagination to stop people living them. Make sure your business is sticking to health and safety regulations without going over the top by having the correct safety signs in place to avoid confusion. What are your thoughts on this situation? We'd love to hear them! Tweet Label Source and let us know.

It wouldn't be Christmas without at least one farcical health and safety story. Previous Decembers have seen pantomime actors banned from throwing sweets into the audience and carol singers ordered to apply for permits; this year, attentions have turned towards Brighton, and the city's traditional Christmas Day swim.

According to a number of reports - most notably this one from Mail Online - Brighton and Hove City Council will be closing the beach on Christmas Day to prevent revellers from entering the water. According to the Mail, this move was sparked by two separate incidents:

1. Back in October, an "experienced male swimmer" had to be rescued by the lifeguard after experiencing some difficulty.
    
2. Christmas 2011 saw the rescue of another male swimmer during the Christmas Day swim itself.

Now, on the face of it, this ban may seem like an absurd overreaction (that's certainly how the Mail are portraying it). However...

• People have died in Christmas swims. Somewhat further down the page, that Mail article mentions a woman who died during "a similar swim in Hastings".
   
• Lifeguards don't work on Christmas Day. And nor should they be expected to! While the local swimming club do their part to ensure that everyone stays safe during the swim, the club's sea swimming coach has admitted that they do not have the capacity to oversee "4,000 ridiculous people in costumes...throwing themselves in the sea after drinking alcohol".
  
  
• Sea swimming is dangerous. Even strong swimmers have to be careful in the ocean, where the current can change at the drop of a hat. Moreover, hypothermia is a big concern at this time of year, especially with so many swimmers entering the water without wetsuits.
  
  
• Even one incident is too many. The Mail article opens with the following headline: "Brighton bans traditional Christmas Day dip because of health and safety fears after just TWO swimmers got into difficulty". It is slightly alarming to think that two incidents is not enough, especailly given that similar incidents have proved fatal elsewhere. How many people would have to drown before this ban ceased to be risible? Clearly, if even one life is at risk, then Brighton and Hove City Council have done the right thing.

While the aforementioned pantomime/caroling bans were rightfully dismissed - even by the HSE itself - it seems that this swimming ban has been put in place for a very good reason.

Further Reading: 5 Safety Tips for Christmas