AH Allen are committed to reducing the risk of personnel becoming exposed to potentially lethal hazardous materials and environmental legacies through our consultancy services. Asbestos is the clearest example of an environmental hazard that poses a threat to personnel and one in which we specialise.

Valued for its inert nature, tensile strength, thermal and electrical insulation qualities and inflammability, asbestos became the wonder material of 20th Century construction. As its use increased, so did evidence of the risk its fibrous structure poses to human health.

Now largely banned in the developed world, the legacy of the asbestos boom is far from past:

• Worldwide it is estimated that 125 million people remain exposed to asbestos in the workplace
• It is a killer. Each year approximately 4,500 people currently die from asbestos related diseases in the UK, alone, with deaths likely to be up to 7,000 before 2025 (HSE, 2010)
• Actuaries estimate that the cost of asbestos claims to the UK insurance industry will be well in excess of £11 billion over the next 40 years

With asbestos forecast to remain a risk well into the second half to the 21st Century and a growing awareness of other environmental hazards to public health, these are issues not restricted to trades people and construction industry workers. They affect us all.

Other environmental hazards include Anthrax, Lead, Legionella and water borne contaminants, Refractory Ceramic Fibres, airborne and land contaminants.

This is why they are close to the heart, and the business, of AH Allen and the Silverdell Group companies.