James Hardie is a name that has become synonymous with Asbestos - an association that is still making headlines today, over twenty years since the company stopped producing the building material. Following world war two Australia was re-built on Asbestos with questions over the products safety not hitting the mainstream until the late 1960's.

Courtesy of the Royal Commision doccuments, Gideon Haigh traces the evolution of the growing concern about the health effects of aspestos and gets behind the scenes of this still successful global building products company.

The book is a must read for any company or charity director as it chronicals the company as it tries to balance its compensation obligations with its need to continue to make a profit. The book depicts the company as a friendly, accomodating and fair. A company that treated staff well and was rewarded by loyalty and commitment. This makes the current situation even more poignant for all of the people who have been touched by mesothelioma.

The bottom fell out of the global asbestos market in 1982 with it being replaced by fibreglass and silica based products. As our ability to screen and monitor workplace  health and safety increases this book will leave you wondering what the next Asbestos will be.