Public liability insurance holders' trainees from Milton Keynes have been warned about the dangers of asbestos in a special training session.
The event, which was held at Milton Keynes College yesterday, was part of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) college tour across Britain to back up its Asbestos: Hidden Killer campaign.
Apprentices were given advice on where they are most likely to find the deadly material and how they can protect themselves and others from breathing its fibres in.
A video warning from campaign supporter Christopher Morgan was shown, detailing his progress since undergoing intensive treatment for mesothelioma – an incurable lung cancer caused by working with asbestos.
Steve Coldrick, HSE inspector, said that around 25 per cent of people who die from asbestos-related diseases work in the building trade.
"The tradesmen of today and tomorrow cannot afford to be complacent because asbestos is still present in hundreds of thousands of buildings," he added.
Earlier this week, the Daily Echo reported that a Hampshire MP, Sandra Gidley, has tabled a House of Commons motion calling for Testway Housing association to act now to remove asbestos from a number of properties in the county.