The UK may have banned new uses of white asbestos last year, but there is still a huge legacy of the fatal fibre in workplaces across the country, says the TUC which published a new guide for union safety reps yesterday.

Fatal illnesses caused by work are on the increase, with deaths following contact with asbestos the fastest growing area. More people (4,000 a year) die of asbestos-related diseases than are killed on the roads. And in 20 years time it will have become the largest single cause of male mortality under the age of 65, when the death toll from mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases could reach one an hour.

The TUC leaflet - Finding the fatal fibre - sets out in plain and simple terms what safety reps should do when asbestos is discovered, suspected or disturbed in the workplace.

This month the Health and Safety Commission has issued a consultation document on how to deal with the asbestos that remains in the UK. Although as a result of this consultation, there is likely to be a new duty on employers to manage asbestos risks, this will not be in place until at least 2001.

Finding the fatal fibre: what to do about asbestos where you work, says safety reps should encourage employers to:

• develop a register of asbestos in the workplace
• draw up an action plan to deal with asbestos including identifying and recording where asbestos is present, monitoring asbestos for deterioration, and specifying what will be done where asbestos is found
• inform the workplace, inspectors and emergency services about where the asbestos is and what will be done about it
• train workers to know what to do about asbestos.

Any employee working where asbestos is discovered will obviously be very concerned, says the TUC leaflet. Safety reps can help by giving them the facts, providing them with an opportunity to express their worries, inspecting the workplace regularly, and encouraging workers to report any disturbed asbestos.

TUC General Secretary, John Monks said: "Asbestos has already been responsible for the deaths of many workers and it is going to go on killing people for many years to come. Despite the ban, there are still millions of tonnes of the fatal fibre lurking in walls and ceilings, in pipes, boilers and laggings. There is no way of using it safely. All we can do is reduce the risk by making sure everyone knows the safety procedures and follows them to the letter."

Finding the fatal fibre: what to do about asbestos where you work is sponsored by trade union lawyers Irwin Mitchell. Single copies are available free from the TUC at lwood@tuc.org.uk