Abseiling for asthma at Tate Modern

The sponsored abseil at 10.30am on World Asthma Day (Tuesday 6 May) has been organised by the National Asthma Campaign to raise money to help fight asthma.

The HSE team will highlight the risks of occupational asthma, which is Britain's most frequently diagnosed occupational respiratory disease, with between 1,500 and 3,000 people developing it every year.

Andrew Maxey, part of HSE's asthma project team, and one of the abseilers, said: "We thought we should do what we can to demonstrate our commitment to getting rid of occupational asthma. So when this opportunity came up we jumped at it.

"It is important to raise public awareness of occupational asthma, which can be easily prevented. As a member of HSE's project team dealing with occupational asthma, our work clearly fits well with wider research aimed at conquering all types of asthma."

Andrew Maxey will be joined on the abseil by Louise Jones, Paul Herns and Brian Trevette from HSE, as well as Chris Beach of London Underground and a member of the Health and Safety Commission's (HSC) Asthma Project Board.

Donna Covey, chief executive of the National Asthma Campaign, said: "We are very grateful that four members of staff from HSE have accepted the challenge and are going to abseil for the National Asthma Campaign on World Asthma Day. By doing this, they will be helping to raise funds towards vital asthma research and raising the profile of occupational asthma. We wish them good luck!"

• www.hse.gov.uk/asthma