New National Asbestos Taskforce Announced For IWMD 2026

A new National Asbestos Taskforce has been established, uniting a coalition of partners committed to the complete removal of asbestos from the UK built environment. This statement is issued to coincide with International Workers’ Memorial Day / World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 2026.

The Taskforce includes representatives from the asbestos management industry, trade unions, charities and campaign groups underlining that there is a shared determination across UK society to address one of the country’s most enduring and preventable public health risks.

Despite a ban on the use of asbestos in 1999, an estimated six million tonnes of the deadly material remains embedded in buildings across the UK, including schools, hospitals, and other public and private infrastructures. As these buildings deteriorate and require maintenance over time, the risk of asbestos exposure to the public continues to be evident.

Asbestos remains the largest cause of occupational death in the UK, responsible each year for thousands of fatalities.

 

In 2023, 2,218 mesothelioma deaths were recorded, with a larger number of additional deaths because of other asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer.

Asbestos is associated with the UK’s industrial legacy and often dismissed as an old man’s disease. However, there is growing evidence that asbestos deaths are rising among females and younger people. White collar workers, nurses, teachers, and former pupils are being increasingly exposed to this deadly substance.

The National Asbestos Taskforce has been formed to challenge this reality with evidence-based arguments. It advocates for a government‑mandated, phased programme for the removal of all asbestos from UK buildings, with early action focused on high‑risk or damaged asbestos materials.

 

The taskforce includes members from industry, unions, charities and wider campaign groups, including:

• Airtight on Asbestos
• Asbestos Information CIC
• Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum UK
• Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA)
• Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association (ATaC)
• Mesothelioma UK
• The National Education Union (NEU)
• The PREDICT-Meso international consortium
• The Society of Radiographers     
• The Trade Union Congress (TUC)
• The Communication Workers Union (CWU)

Its objective is clear: to secure a future in which no individual is harmed by preventable exposure to asbestos.

Christine Emmett, Chair of the first National Asbestos Taskforce meeting said:

“The UK has relied too long on the assumption that asbestos can be managed indefinitely. Those who work with it know deterioration and exposure are inevitable. This Taskforce exists to bring evidence and realism to the debate and to make the case for a phased programme of removal that genuinely reduces risk.”

As part of its early engagement with the UK Government, representatives met with Sir Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, on Wednesday 1 April during Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2026.  At the meeting they discussed the ongoing impact of asbestos exposure and the need for a more ambitious, long‑term national approach.

The Minister said:

“I welcome the formation of this independent National Asbestos Taskforce and am encouraged to see organisations from across UK society to come together around this shared challenge. I look forward to working with this Taskforce in the future.”

 

Speaking about the taskforce, Derek Maylor along-term Asbestos campaigner and previously Chair of the NW BT Unions Health & Safety Co-ord as a member of the CWU and now Chair of Asbestos Victim Support Group Forum UK, said:

“The Asbestos Victims Support Group UK witness first-hand the awful effects of asbestos related diseases on individuals and their families so we support the complete eradication of asbestos from UK buildings and every area of the built environment so that no one else is exposed to a hazard that is entirely preventable.”

 

 

TUC Lead for Health and Safety, Shelly Asquith said:

"Everyone should be safe at work, but thousands of workplace buildings contain deadly asbestos, including a majority of schools and many hospitals. Many workers don't know it’s there, and aren’t aware of the very serious dangers. Britain has the highest rate of asbestos deaths in the world. It’s time to end this national scandal."

 

She concluded by sayng:

 
"The only way to bring this awful death rate down is to get rid of asbestos in our workplaces completely. By working towards this goal together on the Taskforce, we can make it happen sooner."

 

Source: Derek Maylor / ResPublica