Asbestos awareness for Craftsman
Presented by Bob Miller & Andrew Knight
What do you know about asbestos?
• Outline four things you know about asbestos.
What could be asbestos here?
What is asbestos?
• Asbestos is a naturally occurring
mineral which has been in use for
over 2,000 years.
What is asbestos?
• There are three common types of
asbestos
• Chrysotile (‘white asbestos’) • Amosite (‘brown asbestos’) • Crocidolite (‘blue asbestos’)
Useful properties
• Fireproofing
• Insulation
• Weather resistance
Typical applications
• Gaskets • Fire blankets • Ropes • Asbestos Insulation board (AIB) • Pipes & tanks • Floor tiles • Textured coatings (‘Artex’) • Resin composite
Asbestos legislation
• The Control of Asbestos at Work
Regulations 2002 requires that
University of Brighton manages asbestos and prevents exposure to persons
Why worry about asbestos?
• Asbestos is only a problem when it
is disturbed or in poor condition
• Greatest risk to maintenance operatives is accidental disturbance
Why worry about asbestos?
• It can be hazardous when
breathed in
• When an unplanned disturbance occurs microscopic fibres are
release into the air
• These fibres lodge in the lungs and they cannot be expelled
Why worry about asbestos?
• Any fibres lodged in lung tissue
can lead to
• asbestosis • lung cancer • mesothelioma
Asbestosis
• Usually applies to heavy and regular
exposure
• It is incurable • Restricts the lung function
• Increased risk of lung cancer
Lung Cancer
• Smoking multiplies risk
• A smoker is 15 times more likely to
suffer from lung cancer • A smoking asbestos worker is 75 times
more likely to suffer with lung cancer
Mesothelioma
• Caused by all kinds of particle exposure
but particularly blue
• Is a form of cancer • Exposure level unknown but is low
Mesothelioma
• Is incurable and painful
• Can develop anytime between 20-40
years from the exposure • Deaths from it are estimated to peak at
2500 every year between the years
2011 and 2015
Mesothelioma symptoms
• Chest pain and pain in the lower back • Difficulty breathing
• Coughing
• Weight loss • Fever
• Muscle weakness and sensory loss
• Swelling of the face and arms • Hoarseness
• Coughing up blood
Why is the exposure to asbestos still a problem in buildings?
• From the 1950s until the 1980s asbestos
was used extensively in the UK
• This use continued until 1999 • Thousands of tonnes of asbestos still in
buildings
• You are likely to find it in any building constructed before the year 2000
Where are we likely to find asbestos?
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• The panels beneath the glazing are chrysotile (‘white’) asbestos
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Both ceilings are asbestos • Note the new panel which is not asbestos
• Crocidolite (‘blue’)
Amosite (‘brown’)
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Note the damage to asbestos ceiling
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Asbestos cement
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Asbestos cement (flue infill)
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Asbestos insulating board
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Sprayed asbestos
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Asbestos textiles
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Asbestos lagging
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Stair nosing
Examples of asbestos in buildings
• Asbestos rope
Discovering suspect materials
• If it is not in the asbestos register, and you feel it may be asbestos - assume it is!
• Ceiling tiles were removed at this location because
they were asbestos, this revealed asbestos shown in photo
Suspect material awareness
• Be careful, as other asbestos
containing materials are not
obvious
Typical examples of suspect materials
Amosite
not Asbestos
Typical examples of suspect materials
•
chrysotile
not asbestos
Typical examples of suspect materials
•
chrysotile
not asbestos
Typical examples of suspect materials
• Is this artex asbestos?
Asbestos check procedure before starting work
• When you receive any work requests,
you must consider whether the work involved may disturb any of the adjoining building materials, which could contain asbestos. • If you feel there is any risk then you must check the asbestos register prior to commencing work.
Asbestos check procedure before starting work
• University of Brighton maintenance
operatives are not permitted to work
with asbestos. • Only contractors licensed by Health and
Safety Executive are permitted to
undertake work with asbestos, under controlled conditions.
Asbestos check procedure before starting work
• DO NOT ASSUME that asbestos is not
present.
• If you have concerns – Ask STO / Asbestos Co-ordinator / Maintenance Manager
Emergency procedure
• If anyone suspects that asbestos has been disturbed then the following steps should be taken IMMEDIATELY: • • • • • Stop work Evacuate the area, without causing alarm Secure the area Contact STO and/or Asbestos Co-ordinator Do not re-enter the work area
How to find the asbestos register
• The asbestos register is found on the
University intranet at
http://staffcentral.brighton.ac.uk/asbestos/
Asbestos Co-ordinator
• Andrew Knight is the University
Asbestos Co-ordinator
• Contact for general advice on
• using the asbestos register • dealing with suspicious materials • reporting incidents
How to use the asbestos register
• Practical demonstration +
handout
What could be asbestos here?
Substitution of asbestos materials
• When you have replaced a section
only of AIB with a non-asbestos
equivalent, could this item be useful in obtaining future access? i.e. a single tile in an asbestos
ceiling?
• See example – this section of ceiling was replaced to enable safe access to the fitting. How can we identify the non-asbestos material when the ceiling is painted?
Procedure to label materials that are not asbestos
• There are two instances where we may wish to
label non-asbestos material
• 1 – Where only a small part of a component is replaced, as previous slide; and • 2 – Where an item is clearly suspicious, but has been tested and confirmed to be nonasbestos, but may raise further concerns in the future.
Procedure to label materials that are not asbestos
• Green discs are available from
your STO, these are used to label
materials that are non-asbestos. These should be screw fixed in place and adhesive labels should be avoided.
Substitute material selection
• Look carefully to identify what the
original material was put in to do
• The non asbestos substitute MUST be able to do the same thing • Extreme care must be taken to ensure that this is done i.e. replacing asbestos fire stopping with a non-fire resistant material
Assessment
• Course assessment