Introduction
In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the health and safety agenda of handling asbestos, its management and disposal in a safe and secure manner. Where workers have been exposed to asbestos in confined spaces or where fibres have been present, such as during manufacture of items with asbestos as a key component, they are faced with serious health issues. It is now widely recognised that the major single work related cause of death is asbestos. For this reason alone health and safety information high lights the dangers of incorrect management of asbestos contaminated products, and the need for safe management and disposal is very high profile.
What is asbestos?
There are generally three forms of asbestos known as brown, blue and more common white asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibre and is mined in various countries such as Canada and South Africa but, by far the largest producer is Russia. Although a dangerous substance to be managed, it is still valuable because of its unique resistance qualities, such as being resistant to heat, electricity and noise. It is essential for use as a key component for items such as brake linings and insulation as well as for industrial use or in building construction.
Asbestos became widely used during the late 19th Century in the programme of building hospitals, factories, schools and farm houses which were all built using materials that contained asbestos. Its qualities of being resistant to heat, flame retardant and a good insulator meant that it was widely recognised as very good construction material in ceilings and walls. It was also widely used as a lagging material to wrap around steam pipes and boilers. Some household products such as early electric ovens also contained asbestos material, due to its excellent heat resistant qualities. Indeed I seem to recall the use of it in a very early electric oven at my grandparent’s house in the mid-late 1960’s.
Nowadays if asbestos is discovered to be still present within a building, it is likely to cause alarm amongst those residents working in the building. People living close by are also likely to be concerned and very quickly an entire local community may find themselves concerned about the dangers of having asbestos close by.
However, as long as the asbestos is well maintained and is not releasing dust, into the atmosphere there is no danger to health. Asbestos only becomes dangerous and a health hazard when it’s disturbance takes place or if you breathe in asbestos dust, from the surrounding environment. Asbestos is toxic when dust are breathed in because they lodge in the lungs causing breathing difficulties. The various forms of lung disease are very serious such as bronchiactisis, silicosis, and lung cancer. From the mid-1980’s, countries within the European Union and some of the world’s other most developed countries have banned asbestos due to its high risk health concerns.
A simple task such as laying roof insulation, should always be undertaken whilst wearing a protective face mask to avoid inhalation of asbestos dust and particles.
There are stringent regulations involved in any demolitions project in dismantling structures.
Why is Asbestos Dangerous?
The inhaling of asbestos fibres is the cause of debilitating diseases. So, if you work in an environment where many hundreds of asbestos-related particles exist in the atmosphere, unless you wear the appropriate face mask protection, you are putting your health in danger.
Of course, many years ago the dangers were unknown and whilst asbestos related disease may not affect you immediately, in later life the effects will become more apparent. Currently asbestos is responsible for approximately 4000 deaths per year and every week it contributes to the deaths of almost 40 tradesmen, including plumbers, electricians, carpenters and joiners. These trades are particularly at risk because the tradesmen will have been employed in environments where asbestos will have been present. The updating of plumbing work in factories, hospitals, schools, houses and factories will have been a common requirement in recent years. Equally, electricians, carpenters and joiners will have been exposed to similar work in their professional fields.
My father was an electrician before retiring ten years ago and over a thirty year period, rewired many factory premises, most likely working in asbestos contaminated areas
I used to work for a compressed air equipment manufacturer. The company’s main manufacturing site also included the offices, the manufacturing and assembly plant, the foundry and workshops. The whole site was built in the early 1900s and inevitably had used asbestos products within its construction. In the 1990s with much of the manufacturing moved overseas, it was decided to sell the site for redevelopment and the site has now been entirely demolished, ready for reconstruction. But just think how much of the construction material would have contained asbestos.
Before major demolition works could begin, a full site survey including an asbestos survey would have been required to identify and assess how to manage the removal of the asbestos material across the site. Each specific area would have required the advice of an approved asbestos management contractor and assurances of how the asbestos materials would be safely removed and disposed of. Due to the size of the site, this would have been a major task and also a costly one, but an essential requirement to ensure that all regulations relating to the management of asbestos material were adhered to.
Where is Asbestos Found?
If you visit an old building built around the 1950s, it is worth taking a look around to see where asbestos has been used and the types of products which might contain asbestos. Asbestos cement products, such as large sheets of a corrugated material are likely to be asbestos cement sheets. It is distinguishable as a hard grey coloured material in which asbestos has been mixed with cement. It is likely that if the sheets have been used on the roof, that similar flat sheets will have been used for wall cladding. If a wall has been given a textured coating, then many old wall coating materials contained an asbestos mix to create the texture. On the floor, floor tiles made from asbestos may also be in place. Recognised for its fire retardant qualities, an asbestos spray may also have been used to coat wooden roof beams. Asbestos sprayed on walls and ceilings will have a high content of asbestos and is known to be easily disturbed just by movement and will give off fibres. Then there will be asbestos used as a lagging material on pipes and plumbing equipment.
You need to be aware of the dangers of asbestos removal as well as the risks involved if the material is not handled properly, and ensure you only trust this work to a fully licensed professional organisation.
Managing and Disposing of Asbestos
Since the avoidance of using asbestos took effect, the most common method by which asbestos is now disposed is through the use of landfill sites. There are however very rigid guidelines on how asbestos should be managed and disposed of.
First you must decide how big a task the job is. If you have asbestos removal to undertake in the home then the best strategy is to employ a fully licensed asbestos removal specialist to remove the toxic waste safely. The basic requirements for protection, including the wearing of a dust mask and a disposable overall, are not suggested as the limit of safety precautions and you will be will be much safer trusting this work to a specialist contractor. If you are removing sheets of asbestos for example from an old garage or shed, simply breaking one sheet up will release potentially harmful asbestos dust and fibres.
Provided that there are no electrical cables and connections nearby, the asbestos removal specialist may treat the asbestos to be handled with water spray before commencing the removal of the material.However this kind of thing is not for the novice DIY enthusiast and should be left to an experienced specialist contractor at all times. The removed asbestos cannot simply be placed in your domestic waste for collection, it must be treated separately and either bagged or placed in a dedicated skip for safe disposal by specialists.
When the call for asbestos removal is much larger than the domestic project, the work should always be managed by a specialist commercial asbestos removal company.
These specialists have qualified in the specific training and certification and will have the correct equipment to manage the task effectively, safely and in accordance with the correct regulations. Older buildings may require a dismantling process to carefully remove any asbestos and this work is likely to involve the use of scaffolding or cranes to be able to undertake this work safely. The most important point to remember is that as the customer, asbestos is on your premises. You are responsible for the removal, handling and safe disposal of the asbestos and to do so without employing an approved contractor could leave you open to prosecution.
To ensure that dedicated skips are used in the disposal of asbestos some waste management contractors operate colour coded skips so that only these are used for asbestos disposal. I know of one leading UK waste management company who have a two tone yellow and red painted skips used solely for the safe transportation and disposal of asbestos. As asbestos is classed as a hazardous waste material, only landfill sites licensed to take asbestos are permitted to accept asbestos onto the site.
I recall a large automotive company going into administration and thousands of brake lining pads had to be removed as part of a major site clearance project. Although they were all boxed, the fact that asbestos had been used in their manufacture meant that a specialist contractor was brought in to manage the removal and disposal of the stock. In today’s environment where recycling is a buzz word, it is very difficult and costly to recycle asbestos.
Nowadays it is routine to use crushed stone as recycled aggregate to be reused on a project, which sends a strong environmental message.
Health and Safety Issues when Working with Asbestos
Before commencing any work, if it is thought that asbestos may be present, the contract manager must undertake a complete project plan. No employee should be placed at risk, in an environment where asbestos is knowingly located. Through a complete site survey, it must be established if materials containing asbestos are present and the work must be planned to either avoid disturbance or the need to dismantle and remove these materials.
If asbestos materials are to be removed, it is essential that the work should be undertaken by an licensed asbestos contractor, who has completed the appropriate asbestos awareness and training courses and is certificated. It is also important to note, whether the premises will need to be vacated whilst the work is to be undertaken. If people remain in or near the area where asbestos is to be removed, disturbance of the material will place anyone in the close vicinity of the project in danger. Other considerations and decisions may need to be taken into account, particularly where there is a need to work at height and to identify precisely which equipment is to be required to complete the task safely.
All major projects, should be supervised throughout and inspected at various stages to ensure that the work complies with regulations at the end of the task, and that it is safe for employees to return to the premises.
Of course, throughout the project, the project manager must ensure that arrangements have been made for the safe disposal of all the asbestos waste. For those undertaking the work, vigilance will be required throughout the project to protect their own health. Face masks will be worn, as well as appropriate clothing such as a disposable all in one overall. Clean up as you go is a strategy employed by asbestos removal specialists when they work through the project, to limit the amount of asbestos dust spreading to other parts of the building.
Conclusion
The strict regulations which now surround the handling and management of asbestos will in nearly all cases require that any project involving the dismantling of asbestos materials is managed by a specialist asbestos removal contractor.
Without specialist knowledge, awareness and the correct equipment, any project involving asbestos removal brings potential hazard. Any company engaging a contractor who does not comply with the correct legislation, will be responsible themselves, not the contractor. So aside from the health concerns, it is in the interest of the owner of a property to comply with the rules and regulations which govern the management of asbestos projects.
Often referred to as the hidden killer, improved knowledge and awareness of the devastating long term effects that asbestos has upon one’s health is now well documented. It is hoped that in the coming years we will begin to see a decline in asbestos related diseases or illnesses ,as the exposure of those working in asbestos environments is more carefully managed. Unfortunately until the mid-1980s, for those who had worked in or around environments where asbestos was present, the worry of asbestos related death or illness remains.
Whichever way you look at it, asbestos is a pretty unpleasant substance if inhaled and brings cause for concern if it is present in your premises, so seek the advice of a specialist asbestos removal contractor to ensure the effective and compliant management of your particular project.