AA Woods Latest News

Clearwater Environmental Ltd
Formed in 2006, provides asbestos consultancy, training and project management, the company is UKAS accredited for Type 1, 2 and 3 surveys, bulk sampling and air monitoring.
For further information visit
www.clearwater-environmental.com

Woods Building Services Ltd (t/a AA Woods Asbestos Abatement)
Formed in 1994, currently operating from three UK locations, providing a full and comprehensive asbestos remediation and asbestos management service.

K & K Industrial Services Ltd
Formed in 1994, based in Stratford, East London, providing a full and comprehensive asbestos remediation and reinstatement service, specialising in the social housing and local authority sector.
For further information visit
www.kandkindustrial.com

Alcuin Capital Partners LLP
Alcuin invests equity and mezzanine in growing, profitable smaller-middle market companies. Alcuin’s typical investment range is between £2 and £10 million per transaction. Alcuin is a supportive investor, with a strong preference for growing owner-managed businesses.
For further information visit
www.alcuincapital.com

For further information visit
www.cwenvironmentalltd.com

Arca Gold Training Award

We are pleased to announce that AA Woods has been awarded the ARCA Gold Training Award. The award presented to AA Woods at the October ARCA AGM was given in recognition to our high pass rates achieved by our personnel in 2008.

This demonstrates our commitment to working to the highest standards. 95% of all our site staff have taken their Training and Refresher courses with ARCA at Supervisor and Operative level.

RoSPA - Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents

AA Woods joins The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) demonstrating our commitment to Health and Safety.

CSCS Certificate of Commitment - GOLD Standard

In August 2008 AA Woods were awarded the Construction Skills Certification Scheme Certificate of Commitment - GOLD Standard. 'AA Woods is a company committed to the furtherance of competence and health and safety in the workplace as witnessed by the company's achievement of at least 75% registration of its workforce under the Construction Skills Certification Scheme'

Asbestos Watch

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new national asbestos campaign targeting tradesmen at particular risk from asbestos exposure.

The Campaign

On 13th October 2008, the HSE launched "Asbestos - The Hidden Killer", a new national awareness campaign which will run on into November and involves the HSE together with key stakeholders. The campaign will build on the success of a previous North West media pilot which showed that awareness increased from 33% to 81%.

The campaign uses:

• adverts in the national press
• articles in trade press magazines
• national radio adverts
• the distribution of campaign material to tradesmen
• case studies being developed nationally

In order to have a higher impact, the campaign is made up of simple, hard-hitting messages, with clear, direct targeting for the distribution of materials to access the audience of electricians, plumbers and general tradesmen.

The aims

The key aims of the campaign are to raise awareness amongst tradesmen that they are more at risk than they think from asbestos and to encourage them to find out more about asbestos and the precautions they should be taking. In particular, workers need to be aware that the issue of asbestos has not gone with their forefathers - the risks still exist.

The message

The primary message for tradesmen is that the risks associated with asbestos still very much exist, a fact which is highlighted by the following statistics.

• Every week three plumbers die from asbestos
• Every week six joiners die from asbestos
• Every week six electricians die from asbestos
• Every week 20 tradesmen die from asbestos
• Every year there are still over 4000 people that die from asbestos-related diseases and 1000 of those are tradesmen

Tradesmen need to be made aware that any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 could contain asbestos, which is one of the most lethal dangers in the workplace. They need to be aware that they could be working where asbestos is present right now.

UK's youngest asbestos victim dies at 28

Leigh Carlisle, 28, has died of mesothelioma, becoming the UK's youngest victim of the disease. Law firm Irwin Mitchell has been investigating the cause for some time as Leigh had never worked with asbestos and she suffered a rare form of the disease - peritoneal, which attacks the lining of the abdomen. Her liver and lungs were clear.

There are suggestions that she may have been exposed to asbestos as a child at school.

Adrian Budgen from Irwin Mitchell said:
"There is a big issue about asbestos in schools built in the post-war period. When doors are slammed by young children or chairs are pushed against pipes, it can disturb the asbestos. This may have happened to Leigh."

Leigh believed that she breathed in the fibres as she walked past a factory yard, where asbestos sheets were cut up, on her way to school. It is also possible that she could have inhaled asbestos from the clothes of relatives who worked at the factory.

Asbestos campaign - Hidden killer

What are we doing?

HSE is working with key stakeholders (Trades Unions, Trade Associations, Suppliers) to raise awareness amongst tradesmen that they are at risk from exposure to asbestos. During February and March 2008 a campaign will be rolled out to target building maintenance and repair workers (e.g. electricians, plumbers and carpenters and joiners) using the theme 'You are more at risk than you think!' that features both national and regional activity. National coverage will involve stakeholder driven activity as well as advertising and articles in the Trade Press. Regional activity will focus on the North West of England where direct mail, radio, press and PR will be used to assess the most effective media channels to reach this target audience.