Last updated 05:38, Friday, 25 July 2008

CONTINUING claims and counter claims about the safety of Carlisle Housing Association homes, thousands of which are said to contain asbestos, show few signs of reaching imminent resolution.

Some tenants and Housing Association workers remain unconvinced that living and working in the houses is risk free, in spite of a city council investigation having cleared the association of flouting rules on handling the substance.

Few issues cause more disquiet than that of the presence of asbestos – which can be deadly – in public and domestic buildings. It’s understandable how concerns can shift rapidly into alarm should the slightest doubt be raised.

Asbestos dust can be a cruel, indiscriminate killer. Its only certain level of safety is nonexistence. And to achieve that, removal methods must be strictly controlled to safeguard workers – who, ideally ought to be well-trained and well protected in the procedure.

Doubts raised in Carlisle have been more than minimal and it seems from the point at which the association, its workers and tenants have now arrived – one of tense disagreement – those doubts and fears have not been fully and adequately addressed.

There is a balance to be reached between keeping secrets in reluctance to cause unnecessary panic and openly trusting people with what may be worrying facts in the interests of responsible accountability.

Balance hasn’t been achieved yet. Tenants and members of the construction union UCATT want a major health and safety investigation into the housing stock, Carlisle MP Eric Martlew has called for a thorough assessment of potential risk by an independent health expert, the Carlisle and Rural Tenants Federation has called for an audit of CHA homes to establish what asbestos is there and whether or not there is risk, particularly to tenants who may have done DIY work in their homes.

All calls are for transparency, thus far absent from this local dispute which – without openness – runs high risk of escalating into damaging conflict.