Earlier this month, IOSH highlighted the continued production and usage of asbestos across the globe and the estimated 125 million people exposed to asbestos in the workplace each year. 

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) reported that around two million metric tonnes of asbestos are being mined and produced each year by countries including Russia, Brazil and China. 

Asbestos is still widely used around the developing world with India being the largest importer and the use of this hazardous material growing in countries such as Malaysia and Bangladesh.  Both Canada and the United States continue to allow the use of certain asbestos-containing products despite the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimating that approximately 107,000 workers die from asbestos related causes each year.

Tony Windsor, Managing Director, Windsor Integrated Services Group says: “This article does a great job in highlighting the global asbestos problem and the disturbing facts about the ongoing production and usage of this life threatening material”.

To read the full article by Tony Booth, health and safety consultant at International Workplace, visit the SHP website.