HEALTH and Safety Commission chairman Bill Callaghan has revealed plans for a safety crackdown on working with asbestos.

If the guidelines become law later this year, specialist contractors will have to be called in to remove asbestos in more cases.

Mr Callaghan, who was in Newcastle yesterday for a meeting of the commission, said the tougher restrictions would protect workers.

Inhaling asbestos fibres is potentially fatal and can trigger the incurable lung cancer mesothelioma.

While asbestos has been banned for decades, anyone working on the fabric of a pre-1970s building could come into contact with it.

Mr Callaghan said the safety limit for working in an environment containing asbestos was 0.3 fibres per cubic centimetre. The intention is to lower this to 0.1 fibres per cubic centimetre.

He said: "We cannot do anything about past asbestos, but we do want to make sure we are controlling asbestos today.

"It is now banned, but still exists in many buildings. We want to make sure that people are properly protected."

Any company involved in removing asbestos from buildings has to have a licence to certify its staff are properly trained and equipped.

Mr Callaghan said that while the safety record of the UK construction industry had improved, more work needed to be done to get the message across to smaller firms.

He said construction remained the most dangerous industry in the North-East.

For advice on workplace safety, call the commission on 0845 609 6006.