The Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy, has given his backing to a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) campaign that raises awareness about the hidden dangers of asbestos.

Entitled 'Asbestos: The Hidden Killer', the campaign has been launched in Scotland today and is set to run through October and November.

Murphy's backing came after the HSE reported that every week on average 20 tradesmen die from asbestos-related diseases, and will continue to rise.

He commented: ""I was shocked to learn that the number of deaths is on the increase year on year. Any steps we can take to reduce that number are to be welcomed. These are not just statistics, and each number represents a person with families and dependents and represents an avoidable human tragedy.

"The occupational safety of workers throughout Scotland is a major priority for us all and I am happy to support the campaign. If lives are saved by letting tradesmen across Scotland know the simple facts we should all spread the word."

Greg Haywood, head of HSE's Asbestos Licensing Unit, added: "We need to educate tradesmen about how asbestos and its dangers are relevant to them. We want them to change the way they work so that they don't put their lives at risk.

"More people die in Great Britain every year from asbestos-related illnesses than in road accidents. Every week, 20 tradesmen in GB die from asbestos-related illnesses - if that was to be replicated by footballers dying, the equivalent of the entire Scottish Premier League would be wiped out in a matter of weeks."

The campaign hopes to educate tradesmen that asbestos still presents a very real risk to plumbers, joiners, electricians and so on -even though it was banned many years ago.

Asbestos could still be present in buildings constructed before 2000, while an estimated 500,000 non-domestic buildings are believed to contain asbestos.