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By the end of the course you will be able to: Identify the 3 main types of asbestos
2 types of structure
Serpentine White is like a coarse cotton wool, or fluffy fibreglass, water loving and most commonly used. Amphiboles Brown and Blue long thin fibres, water hating
Properties:
Versatile Hardwearing High tensile strength Very Good chemical, electrical and heat resistance Resistant to acids
Virtually indestructible
The general use of asbestos is now banned. Blue and Brown asbestos banned in 1985 White was banned in 1999
The Ancient Greeks used asbestos for wicks in lamps (they never burnt away) the name means
inextinguishable
The Greeks did note a sickness in the lungs of slaves who wove asbestos into cloth The Romans used asbestos cloth napkins, which were cleaned by throwing them into the fire.
PPE you say Well theres a thong or a loin cloth, which one do you want?
Russia (largest producer), Canada, South Africa, China still mine it!
Asbestos is extracted by open cast mining. It is crushed, processed and refined into a wool like fibrous mass
All types of asbestos are classed as carcinogens. There is no guaranteed safe exposure limit
Asbestos related diseases can take 15 60 years to develop following exposure to fibres The risk of adverse effects is much higher for smokers People with Asthma /genetic dispositions towards weaker lung conditions could be affected by much lower levels of fibres. Occupational Asthma/ other conditions - your lungs are made permanently ultra sensitive to any dust/ fibres from past repeated exposure.
Asbestos fibres break down splitting lengthways, creating far thinner fibres each time they split
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Asbestos fibres cannot be absorbed through the skin, by contact, settlement of dust or by rubbing off dust with your hands A fall on a shard of Asbestos could see fibres piercing the skin into an injury area Asbestos fibres can irritate the eyes, could become lodged in the soft tissue of your tear ducts, etc (wear glasses)
The hairs (cilia) in the throat and Trachea lift food, dust, and phlegm up from the lungs 24/7 for us. It takes 24 hours for the hairs to move a piece of food debris back up to the throat, for us to cough it out or swallow it. Our immune system uses white blood cells to seek out an destroy the Asbestos fibres, swallowing them and taking them away from irritated areas of our lungs.
Smoking paralyses the tiny hairs in the throat and down into the lung structure, eventually smoke kills these hairs. Smokers no longer have an automatic back up system to remove all the rubbish from building up in their lungs Smokers lungs become desensitise to smoke & particles, the immune system doesnt send as many white blood cells to clean up the mess
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Rib
Lung
Asbestosis Mesothelioma
Asbestosis
Scarring of lung tissues, caused by fibres reaching the alveoli This results in permanent scarring, reduced lung capacity and increased risk of lung cancer Symptoms include extreme shortness of breath Lung function lost, is never recovered Not always fatal but extremely debilitating
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Lung Cancer
Cancerous tumours in lung tissue Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing (up blood) Nearly always fatal -28% survival rate in the 1st year!
Mesothelioma
Cancerous cells form on the membranes covering the internal organs. Most commonly on the pleura covering lungs, then spreading everywhere. Cancerous growth inhibits normal lung tissue function Symptoms: shortness of breath, cough, pain in chest Rapid, Very aggressive mutation and growth of cancer Always fatal life expectancy 6 24 months from diagnosis
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Pleural Plaques
Fibres lodged in the lung tissue push through and scratch the inside of the pleural membrane. This causes inflammation and areas of scarring Restricts breathing through sharp stabbing pains on inhaling Non fatal, - but causes a lot of pain and discomfort Claiming any compensation for this is very hard
Less common disease linked with asbestos exposure include: Cancer of larynx Asbestos warts Pleural thickening
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The Asbestos minerals are created by the intense heat and pressure of volcanic / tectonic activity. Volcanoes, Earth quakes, Landslides and Erosion have released asbestos fibres into the atmosphere since man has been around. In general our bodys are able to cope with the natural level of exposure from nature, we have evolved with this.
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Asbestos is a naturally occurring substance Everyone is exposed to very small numbers of fibres all the time. Normal Background levels are 0.000001 0.0001 fibres/ml. That means 1 asbestos fibre or less in every 10 Litres of air
Opening a window after disturbing asbestos, The fibres will be continually agitated to remain in the air.
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Asbestos Levels
Natural levels This equates to approximately one asbestos fibre or less in every 10 Litres of air The equivalent of less than one fibre in a bucket!
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if:
The Asbestos material is disturbed or damaged Asbestos fibres are made airborne You breathe in the Asbestos fibres You ingest the Asbestos fibres
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Employees must:
Follow training, & instructions, use precautions & PPE protective equipment provided.
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3 levels of training:
Asbestos awareness the course you are undertaking now Non licensed asbestos removal Licensed asbestos removal Asbestos Awareness training is listed in the HSE Approved Code of Practice.
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Where work is carried out which may disturb asbestos employers are required to prevent exposure and spread of asbestos
Worker exposure must not exceed the Control Limit of 0.1 fibres per cm3 RPE must be worn, but the work must still be arranged to prevent the release of fibres.
General maintenance staff Electricians Plumbers Gas Fitters Lift engineers Painters and Decorators Joiners Plasterers Shop fitters Architects, building surveyors
Demolition Workers Construction Workers Roofers Heating and Ventilation Engineers Telecommunications Engineers Fire and Burglar Alarm Installers Computer Installers
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Insulating Board
Structural fire protection on steel work, behind radiators and boilers, inside doors Also used for acoustic insulation, lining, ceiling tiles, general building board (resists moisture ingress)
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Lagging
Thermal insulation for pipes/boilers Common lagging up to 15% asbestos Quilts/blankets up to 100% asbestos Often has protective foil, paper or wire covering Only to be removed by a licensed contractor
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Sprayed Coatings
Used as fire protection and acoustic control for structural steelwork. Up to 85% asbestos Fibre is very friable easy to release if disturbed. It Can also degrade as it ages.
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Textured Coatings
Commonly referred to as Artex. Low percentage of asbestos Fibres may be released if the material is drilled or sanded.
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Lift brakes
Asbestos gasket
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Disposable overalls (Type 5 Particle tight) Boots without laces, or boot covers Respiratory Protection
FFP3 filter
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Significant Facial scars impact the seal Replace old masks/ Disposable masks regularly Replace Damaged masks Replace filters regularly
Any old mask, tea cloth, or hanky will not do!
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Major refurbishment works must not start without a type 3 (fully intrusive) survey to determine the presence of asbestos Any asbestos in the work area should be removed/ protected or avoid contact/ impacting Premises should have Asbestos Registers look at them or ask the foreman where the asbestos is before starting work If you are working somewhere where asbestos may be discovered e.g. - pulling down ceilings, working in loft spaces,
Wear disposable overalls and a FFP3 mask and eye protection as a precaution.
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Where
Product
How much?
Surface coating
Condition
Asbestos type
Comment
Material score
Priority score
Outside
Roof to garage Down-pipes to garage Asbestos cement Asbestos cement Whole roof 4x4 metres None
Fairly good
One broken
Difficult Medium
No sample
1 5 1 8 1 2 12 8
1 6.2 1 12 1 3 12 12
None
No sample
Inside
Plant room rear wall Plant room to old boiler B Site B8 Store Shed Briefing Facility 001 Bldg C60 Depot Transport C24 Depot Workshop board in closet Board in wall Board on wall Board panels Pipe insulation 43 sq metres 15 metres 2m Sq 1m sq Emulsion paint Gloss paint Emulsion paint Emulsion paint Gloss paint Emulsion paint
No sample Bit that fell off analysed ref G02 Ref 2 (D14) Ref 2 (D14)
4m sq
Ref 7 (PFS)
6m sq
WG 7B
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Double bag any waste/ old materials, e.g. old boilers Take pictures of the job when you are finished Always Mail/ send the pictures to your manager
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Wet down suspected items, an atomiser spray will pull all forms of fibre to the ground with the water vapour
PVA glue will seal all forms of fibre/dust under the surface of the glue. (Dont dry brush dust off, wet down with spray and paint glue over this)
Paint/ Varnish, will seal all forms of fibre/dust under the surface of the Paint/ varnish. (dont dry brush, apply liberally over)
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Myth 1: Cross head screws used to secure an item, means that there is little likelihood of Asbestos being present. Truth 1: There is no way of knowing if Asbestos is present by the type of screw head used. Who knows if these were replaced and the Asbestos left in place too? Myth 2: If you break it up out in the open air you are safer. Truth 2: It is not safe, wind direction changes, and you would have just created secondary exposure to others down wind of you!
Myth 3: If I wet down my clothes and wash them, the clothes will be fine to use again. (moderate to large exposure) Truth 3: Not True, the asbestos fibres are so fine, the could nestle in the weave of your clothing and resurface when dry. Myth 4: Truth 4:
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Do you slap off the dust to your clothes /overalls out side the customers house?
Do you dump the work clothes by the washing machine to be washed? Do you walk through the customers house as you are?
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If it is not possible for you to undertake your work without Cutting/ Drilling/ Breaking/ Scraping the ASBESTOS STOP and consult your line manager. Never impact stable ASBESTOS products
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Stop Work Dont attempt to sweep/ clean the area Seal off the Area Remove overalls/ clothing/ boots Double Bag and Seal all clothing+ boots from others Report it immediately to your manager Change into clean overalls Wait for Manager to attend site/ or give advice Report your exposure to your GP (to record event) Clean up specialist to site/ removal team 4 stage Testing performed at site for all clear RIDDOR reporting process Revisit to S&B Risk assessments/ training and reporting
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X-ray Scans for lungs and airway, - long term Lung capacity test (Spirometry) short term
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Cement and plaster are widely used in construction. Anyone who uses cement (or anything containing cement, such as mortar, plaster and concrete) or is responsible for managing its use should be aware that it presents a hazard to health.
This can cause Silicosis, fluid on the lungs, Pneumonia and Cancer.
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and Safety Legislation Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Uses of Asbestos Where Asbestos can be found in Buildings Who is at risk and Avoiding risk
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