Asbestos-The hidden killer
I was on a site last week where I found a discarded AGA cooker. This was broken and I was told that it had been left there by the builder’s client.
I advised the builder to wrap this AGA in polythene and then to have it properly removed from site by the authorities.
Why? Well, because this was an old AGA and the ropes around the doors, along with some of the fibrous material inside, was exposed to the elements and these contain asbestos!
The builder was shocked as he did not know this. It was later suggested, by one of the ladies in our office, that many people are ignorant as to where asbestos can be found and that I should perhaps cover this in the newsletter.
This week’s recent HSE cases are firstly, 2 that concern asbestos and another regarding machinery accident
- A self-employed handyman carried out a job at a house where he unsafely removed asbestos, potentially exposing a family of six, including four children between the ages of five and 14. AND A laboratory design and installation specialist has been fined after exposing workers, pupils and teachers to asbestos material at a school in Suffolk
- Roger Marshall had his arm amputated after it was crushed by a machine he was using to straighten steel coils before cutting them into lengths on 11 February 2014
As ever, if you have a subject that you would like us to cover one week, please contact us by phone 01458 253682 Email or via our Facebook page or by Twitter.
Asbestos – The hidden Killer
Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000 (houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc), and causes around 5000 deaths every year.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
Asbestos still kills around 5000 workers each year, this is more than the number of people killed on the road.
Around 20 tradesman die each week as a result of past exposure.
However, asbestos is not just a problem of the past. It can be present today in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000.
When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. This is why it is important that you protect yourself now.
Asbestos can cause the following fatal and serious diseases:
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) and the lining surrounding the lower digestive tract (peritoneum). It is almost exclusively related to asbestos exposure and by the time it is diagnosed, it is almost always fatal.
Asbestos-related lung cancer
Asbestos-related lung cancer is the same as (looks the same as) lung cancer caused by smoking and other causes. It is estimated that there is around one lung cancer for every mesothelioma death.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a serious scarring condition of the lung that normally occurs after heavy exposure to asbestos over many years. This condition can cause progressive shortness of breath, and in severe cases can be fatal.
Pleural thickening 
Pleural thickening is generally a problem that happens after heavy asbestos exposure. The lining of the lung (pleura) thickens and swells. If this gets worse, the lung itself can be squeezed, and can cause shortness of breath and discomfort in the chest.
Note: It is also important to remember that people who smoke, and are also exposed to asbestos fibres, are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer.
Where can you find asbestos?
Asbestos can be found in any industrial or residential building built or refurbished before the year 2000. It is in many of the common materials used in the building trade that you may come across during your work.
In Industrial Buildings
Inside
- Sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls, beams and columns
- Asbestos cement water tank
- Loose fill insulation
- Lagging on boilers and pipes
- *AIB ceiling tiles
- Toilet seat and cistern
- AIB partition walls
- AIB panels in fire doors
- Asbestos rope seals, gaskets and paper
- Vinyl floor tiles
- AIB around boilers
- Textiles eg fire blankets
- Textured decorating coatings on walls and ceilings, eg; artex
Outside
- Asbestos cement roof
- Asbestos cement panels
- Asbestos cement gutters and downpipes
- Soffits – AIB or asbestos cement
- Asbestos cement flue
*AIB = Asbestos Insulating Board
In Residential Buildings
Inside
- Asbestos cement Water tank
- Pipe lagging
- Loose fill insulation
- Textured decorative coating eg artex
- AIB ceiling tiles
- AIB bath panel
- Toilet seat and cistern
- AIB behind fuse box
- AIB airing cupboard and/or sprayed insulation coating boiler
- AIB partition wall
- AIB interior window panel
- AIB around boiler
- Vinyl floor tiles
- AIB behind fire
Outside
- Gutters and Asbestos cement downpipes
- Soffits – *AIB or asbestos cement
- AIB exterior window panel
- Asbestos cement roof
- Asbestos cement panels
- Roofing felt
*AIB = Asbestos Insulating Board
Am I at risk?
Workers involved in refurbishment, maintenance and other similar trades, could be at risk of exposure to asbestos during their work.
This includes:
- Heating and ventilation engineers
- Demolition workers
- Carpenters and joiners
- Plumbers
- Roofing contractors
- Painters and decorators
- Plasterers
- Construction workers
- Fire and burglar alarm installers
- Shop fitters
- Gas fitters
- Computer and data installers
- General maintenance staff eg caretakers
- Telecommunications engineers
- Architects, building surveyors, and other such professionals
- Cable layers
- Electricians
This list does not include all occupations at risk from potential exposure to asbestos.
When am I most at risk?
You are most at risk when:
- the building you are working on was built before the year 2000
- you are working on an unfamiliar site
- asbestos-containing materials were not identified before the job was started
- asbestos-containing materials were identified but this information was not passed on by the people in charge to the people doing the work
- you haven’t done a risk assessment
- you don’t know how to recognise and work safely with asbestos
- you have not had appropriate information, instruction and training
- you know how to work safely with asbestos, but you choose to put yourself at risk by not following proper precautions, perhaps to save time or because no one else is following proper procedures
Remember:
- You can’t see or smell asbestos fibres in the air
- the effects of being exposed to asbestos take many years to show up – avoid breathing it in now
- people who smoke and are also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of developing lung cancer
- asbestos is only a danger when fibres are made airborne and breathed in
- as long as the asbestos is in good condition and it is located somewhere where it can’t be easily damaged then it shouldn’t be a risk to you
What are my duties as an employer?
Every employer must make sure that anyone who is liable to disturb asbestos during their normal work, or who supervises those employees, gets the correct level of information, instruction and training so that they can work safely and competently without risk to themselves or others.
Asbestos awareness Training
Information, instruction and training for asbestos awareness is intended to give workers and supervisors the information they need to avoid work that may disturb asbestos during any normal work which could disturb the fabric of a building, or other item which might contain asbestos. It will not prepare workers, or self-employed contractors, to carry out work with asbestos-containing materials. If a worker is planning to carry out work that will disturb ACMs, further information, instruction and training will be needed.