Asbestos Awareness
The Approved Code of Practice, Management of Exposure to Asbestos in Workplace Buildings and Structures, which aims to control the risks from exposure to asbestos at work, has been revised and comes into force on the 1st October 2009.
The overall requirements set out in the previous Approved Code of Practice (introduced in January 2005) remain the same but some changes have been made. These changes are:
- amendment of the control limit (the maximum concentration of asbestos fibres that must not be exceeded)
- inclusion of additional guidance on the steps to be taken when asbestos materials are inadvertently damaged
- provision of further information on the preparation of the asbestos management plan
- additional guidance on work carried out by employed persons or the self-employed in domestic premises
- clarification of the training requirements for all workers who are likely to come across asbestos during their work
- incorporation of changes which have occurred as a result of the revision to the Asbestos Licensing Regulations which were introduced in 2008
updated key references
Copies of the Revised Approved Code of Practice are availalbe from Social Security.
TEN FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ASBESTOS
1. If asbestos is not managed correctly in your premises, you are putting your employees and other people’s lives at risk.
2. If you or others disturb asbestos, you release fibres into the air therefore making yourself and others exposed to the dangers.
3. If asbestos is in good condition it should not be disturbed, it should be left in place and managed.
4. Some minor work on asbestos can be carried out without a license, but the majority will require a license to be obtained, precautions should always be followed.
5. Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations is a duty to manage, not a duty to survey.
6. Surveys don’t always have to be carried out but you do have to manage your asbestos-containing materials (ACMs)
7. A bad survey is worse than not carrying out a survey.
8. Managing asbestos means maintaining your (ACMs) in good condition to protect two groups of people. Those who work on the fabric of the building and those who work inside the building.
9. Any ACMs that are damaged or deteriorated should be repaired, removed or isolated until remedial action can be taken.
10. Your Asbestos Management Plan is your way of ensuring that your employees or others do not disturb any of your ACMs
can take may forms and need not be complex, but it does need to be effective.
WHAT IS ASBESTOS?
Asbestos is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally in the environment as bundles of fibres that can be separated into thin, durable threads. These fibres are resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals and do not conduct electricity. For these reasons, asbestos has been used widely in many industries. Chemically, asbestos minerals are silicate compounds, meaning they contain atoms of silicon and oxygen in their molecular structure.
Asbestos minerals are divided into two major groups: Serpentine asbestos and amphibole asbestos. Serpentine asbestos includes the mineral chrysotile, which has long, curly fibres that can be woven. Chrysotile asbestos is the form that has been used most widely in commercial applications. Amphibole asbestos includes the minerals actinolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and amosite. Amphibole asbestos has straight, needle-like fibres that are more brittle than those of serpentine asbestos and are more limited in their ability to be fabricated.
FACTS ABOUT ITS USE
The first recorded use of asbestos was 2500 years BC, with the Greeks using it for such things as the wicks in their eternal flames. The Romans used it in large quantities, including napkins at dinner tables. Despite noticing that the slaves in the mines developed a ’sickness of the lungs’ the material was thought to be of too great a value to ignore and its use continued.
Asbestos increased greatly during World War II. Since then, asbestos has been used in many industries. For example, the building and construction industries have used it for strengthening cement and plastics as well as for insulation, roofing, fireproofing, and sound absorption. The shipbuilding industry has used asbestos to insulate boilers, steam pipes, and hot water pipes. The automotive industry uses asbestos in vehicle brake shoes and clutch pads. Asbestos has also been used in ceiling and floor tiles; paints, coatings, and adhesives; and plastics. In addition, asbestos has been found in vermiculite-containing garden products and some talc-containing crayons.
The first official diagnosis of asbestosis was in 1924, when a woman who had worked with asbestos from the aged of 13, died aged 33. Because of her, a study was done in the UK of those that worked with asbestos. 25% were found to have lung disease.
People may be exposed to asbestos in their workplace, their communities, or their homes. If products containing asbestos are disturbed, tiny asbestos fibres are released into the air. When asbestos firers are breathed in, they may get trapped in the lungs and remain there for a long time. Over time, these fibers can accumulate and cause scarring and inflammation, which can affect breathing and lead to serious health problems.
Whilst banned in many Western countries, asbestos continues to be mined in Canada, Russia and South Africa and is still used widely in 150 countries, including China, India and Brazil.
In the UK statistics suggest that 3,000 people every year are dying through abestos related disease. In financial terms the USA believe the number of claims that they already have and expect to receive will cost an estimated $265 billion.
Each year the Health and Safety Inspectorate continue to prosecute those that have not adhered to the asbestos regulations set out in the Approved Code of Practice. This seminar was an introduction to asbestos, the product itself, where it can be found and how you should be planning your management plan.
The following presentations are available to download
Steve Shutler, MD of Burton Environmental Services, an Asbestos removal agency. What is Asbestos?
Mike Liston, CEO JEC. Overview of what health and safety should mean in a company
Colin Myers, Director of the Health & Safety Inspectorate.
An overview of the Asbestos legislation