Plumbers liability insurance customers have been told that they should not risk working with asbestos, as a new awareness campaign on the material launches.
Chris Gillies, north-east Health and Safety Executive (HSE) principal inspector, said that workers should be thinking of it as not just protecting themselves but also protecting their family and loved ones from heartache.
"The most simple, but important advice is, if they are not 100 per cent certain that there is no asbestos where they are working, then do not start work. Contrary to what many people believe, the risks are not a thing of the past," he added.
Mr Gillies was speaking as the HSE launched its new 'hidden killer' campaign to warn and educate public liability insurance customers of the dangers of the material.
The £1.2 million campaign will feature radio adverts and posters, giving advice to plumbers, joiners and electricians about asbestos, which claims the lives of up to 20 tradesmen every week.
Workers who have contracted industrial diseases through working with the substance have also backed the new initiative which launched at the beginning of November.