Welcome to Asbestos Awareness

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Welcome to Asbestos Awareness
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Aim

• Raise the awareness of everyone to the new duty
  to manage asbestos in buildings
• Enable staff to deal with general enquiries
  involving asbestos issues

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Whats Asbestos all about?

• Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous
  mineral, looks a bit like rockwool or fibreglass
  in its raw state
• It was already in use by the Egyptians around
  2000BC, woven into cloth and used as a burial
  shroud.
• The Romans used it and the Fins made cooking pots
  from it in the first millenium.
• In the latter part of the Industrial revolution
  its use became common in industry.
• New uses evolved particularly in building
  products where its range of properties were
  exploited to the full

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What was so good about it?

• Heat resistant, doesnt start to degrade until
  about 900 deg C
• Doesn't burn
• Resistant to acids corrosion
• Can be woven into a strong cloth
• Can be used as a reinforcement similar to fibre
  glass
• Cheap easy to use

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So, whats the problem

• The wonderful properties that make it useful has
  a big downside if it gets into the lungs.
• The tiny fibres are sharp and strong.
• Breath in the fibres and they get stuck in the
  lung, in fact every time you take a breath they
  get drawn deeper.

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Remember its properties

• Resistant to acid and corrosion
• Strong
• Well, this means that the fibres stay in the
  lungs and cant be broken down by the body
• They are also sharp and can penetrate lung
  tissue.
• Thats where cancers can start

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Asbestos related diseases

• The inhalation of asbestos fibres has been shown
  to be the cause of three types of diseases.
• Asbestosis
• Asbestos Cancers
• Mesothelioma

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How big is the problem?

• Around 3000 people will die from Asbestos related
  diseases
• By 2020 that may rise to 10,000 per year
• Nothing can be done for these people, these
  diseases are not treatable.
• Can take 550 years to show
• Horrible death

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Why dont they do something?

• Most intensive use from 1955 to 1970
• Which meant that the significant effects only
  began to show in 1980s
• Legislation was geared to protecting workers in
  manufacture and removal of asbestos

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Jigsaw Puzzle

• But the numbers kept rising when the should have
  started to fall
• From a study in 1995 it was clear that 25 of
  people dying had previously worked in the
  construction industry

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Then

• 1998 The Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations were
  expanded to include any work done on asbestos
  board to be carried out by licensed contractors
• In 1998 Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations
  was amended
• In 1999 use of all asbestos in manufacture was
  banned

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The Heritage

• It is almost impossible to destroy it
• Thousands of tonnes were used each year in
  buildings
• Usage peaked 19501970
• Estimated 2 4 Million of tonnes are still left
  in buildings

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Ouch!

• Workers, employers, building owners and operators
  were often completely unaware that asbestos
  containing materials were present
• That largest single group at risk?
• 1.4 million workers in the construction industry

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Just who is at risk?

• Anybody that disturbs ACM sufficiently to put
  dust in the air!

• Demolition Workers
• Building Maintenance Workers
• Gas fitters
• Joiners
• Electricians
• Heating and ventilating engineers
• Plumbers

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The Dilemma

• Huge quantity of asbestos in buildings
• To remove it all would cost billions
• If removed what can be done with all waste
• Increased risk to all the removers, people
  around, transport, waste dumps etc

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The Good News

• 2002 Asbestos at Work Regulations amended further
  and now include
• Specific Duty, To Manage Asbestos in Buildings
• Duty holder is principally the occupier
• Mostly the employer

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What the new Duty means

• We have to find out where all asbestos
• Risk assess
• Decide whether to remove, encapsulate it, or
  leave as is
• Keep register of all asbestos
• Monitor its condition
• Provide information on the location and condition
  of the materials to anyone who is liable to work
  on or disturb them

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This doesnt happen here?

• A few examples of possible ACM

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Belgian Board containing Blue AsbestosOh by the
way, its water resistant too !
Belgian Board containing Blue AsbestosOh by the
way, its water resistant too !
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Asbestos mill board used as a ceiling board for
fire resistance, plumber didnt recognise it when
he fixed the leak
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Acoustic tiles often contained 15 Asbestos
fibres as reinforcement
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Next steps

• By end of February 05 all data into database
• By end March 05 all data transferred to our
  Repairs Management System
• Asbestos information will automatically be
  included on every job ticket to help keep our
  partners safe

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To meet our duties

• Carry on collecting data on our stock
• Tell anyone that works on our properties where
  there is any asbestos in that property
• Make regular inspections of asbestos that is
  being managed

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We ask you

• If you suspect that the information on the job
  ticket is wrong tell us immediately
• If you suspect asbestos, stop work immediately
  and tell us
• If you suspect asbestos that does not affect the
  job in hand, tell us as soon as possible

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Remember

• If you work on ACMs you may put your health in
  danger
• You are not insured to knowingly work on ACMs

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What happens when ACMs are suspected

• Report to
• Independent surveyor takes samples and advises
  action
• Remove, encapsulate or manage
• Leave it to the experts

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Remember

• Its not a contagious disease
• Its perfectly safe unless it is disturbed and
  dust gets into the air