With the launch of Natas’ Asbestos Awareness e-learning platform, Natas has decided to bring back the 'Asbestos Challenge' of 2005, to see if, four years on, visitors asbestos knowledge has improved. In the original challenge safety and health practitioners were asked to identify which, out of six stated materials contained asbestos, only 5% of the 1,000 entrees answered correctly. Company Director, Max Lopacki commented on this. 'I was expecting about half of the entries to be correct because not all health and safety professionals work in areas where asbestos is a concern. To see only a handful of correct answers when the obvious signs of asbestos content in the samples were quite clear is worrying'.

On the larger scale, the Health and Safety Executive’s recent 'Hidden Killer' campaign aimed to raise awareness among trade’s people as to why asbestos is still a relevant risk for them and to encourage them to seek more information. The HSE found that in terms of maintenance workers ‘71 % had taken or planned to take more precautions to prevent exposure when working with asbestos’.

Natas' e-learning platform, is aimed at those who may encounter asbestos during work activities or who work in buildings where asbestos is present providing a simple clear and easy to understand learning platform. The program is available in multi lingual options, and has been specifically developed to meet the requirements for asbestos awareness training prescribed with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

The course can be taken by individuals within Natas' Learning Management System (LMS) within which ongoing knowledge checks and an end of course assessment test is undertaken, or the course may be presented to groups with each individual participant undertaking their own end of course personal assessment test. Live demonstrations will be taking place at stand L30, hall 2b, along with the opportunity to take part in the 'Asbestos Challenge' and the chance to win asbestos consultancy sessions and group training sessions, with a free e-learning courses for all entrants