ASBESTOS – When am I at risk?

Posted on July 8, 2010 with 3 Comments

 You are mostly at risk when:

• You are working on an unfamiliar site
• The building you are working on was built before the year 2000
• 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 don’t know how to recognise and work safely with asbestos
• 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, as long as the asbestos is not damaged or located somewhere where it can be easily damaged it won’t be a risk to you.

• You can’t see or smell asbestos fibres in the air.
• The effects of asbestos take many years to show up – avoid breathing it in now.
• Smoking increases the risk many times.
• Asbestos is only a danger when fibres are made airborne

Are you sure that you don’t come in to contact with asbestos?

If you work in any of the following occupations, and are working on a building built or refurbished before 2000, you may come in to contact with asbestos:

• 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 installers
• General maintenance staff eg caretakers
• Telecommunications engineers
• Building surveyors
• Cable layers
• Electricians

This list does not include all occupations where you may come in to contact with asbestos.

It’s not easy to tell asbestos from how it looks, and it needs to be properly identified in a specialist laboratory.

Asbestos used as packing between floors and in partition walls Sprayed (‘’impet’) asbestos on structural beams and girders Lagging on pipework, boilers, calorifiers, heat exchangers etc

Asbestos insulating board – ceiling tiles, partition walls, service duct covers, fire breaks, heater cupboards, door panels, lift shaft lining, fire surrounds, soffits etc.

Asbestos cement products such as roof and wall cladding, bath panels, boiler and incinerator flues, fire surrounds, gutters, rainwater pipes, water tanks etc.

Other products such as floor tiles, mastics, sealants, rope seals and gaskets (in pipework etc.), millboard, paper products, cloth (fire blankets, etc.) and bituminous products (roofing felt, etc)

For more news about Asbestos Surveys from the http://www.ukas-asbestos-surveys.co.uk/ blog. Subscribe to this here

Where can people find out more information on Asbestos?

Web: http://www.spectra-analysis.co.uk/

Blog: http://www.ukas-asbestos-surveys.co.uk/

Telephone: 01268 534 380

Call Angela Chouaib direct : 07825 369 381

Email: AngelaChouaib@spectra-analysis.co.uk

Facebook: Spectra Analysis

Twitter: AsbestosAngel