Asbestos - health and safety in the work

In recent years cases of asbestos have greatly increased so it is important to understand the risks that come with asbestos and how to limit them.

Work with asbestos, or releasing asbestos fibres into the air gives rise to potentially harmful exposures unless suitable precautions are taken. The extent of the danger to which persons are exposed will depend on:

• The type of asbestos
• The type of work and where it is being done
• Who is being exposed and for how long

The banning of both the importation and use of asbestos has greatly reduced the extent of exposure. However, much asbestos remains in buildings and can be disturbed during the course of building repair or refurbishment. In the UK over 3,000 people die each year as a result of their exposure to asbestos many years ago, since the disease does not appear until long after exposure. How well the danger from asbestos dust is controlled will relate to the manner in which the work is planned, managed, executed and supervised and on the competence of the workers.

What was Asbestos used for?

Asbestos was widely used as a material in the building industry in the 60’s and 70’s and is still now present in many buildings. It was used as a lagging material for pipe work and structural steelwork, as well as in asbestos boarding for providing fire protection in walls and doors, and in asbestos cement roofing and cladding.

Identifying Asbestos

There are several types of asbestos likely to be present and the first step in controlling the risks is to identify the types of asbestos present. Even though the types of asbestos are known by their colour (blue, brown and white), its forms cannot be identified by colour alone. The first step is to identify the materials that may contain asbestos.

• Asbestos Cement - is a grey, brittle material that contains 10-15% asbestos fibres. As well as being found in cladding and roofing materials (including guttering) it is also found in pipes and flues. Asbestos cement is still manufactured.
• Asbestos Boarding - contains up to 40% asbestos and the board can be pale grey and of varying thickness. It is no longer available in this country but was used extensively for creating walls, linings, ceiling tiles and partitions, particularly for fire protection purposes.
• Sprayed Asbestos - can consist of up to 85% asbestos mixed in with a variety of other materials. The material is often quite loose and can easily give risk to asbestos dust.
• Other Materials - include certain types of textured coatings and asbestos paper used for insulating wooden boards and electrical equipment.

In all cases, the asbestos containing material may be painted, encapsulated or covered to protect it. Identifying asbestos is difficult and it may be disturbed in maintenance or refurbishment work. The only way to positively identify it is through analysis by a reputable laboratory. Samples should only be taken by suitably trained people and analysed by a laboratory that is a member of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

What the Asbestos Legislation says?

Recent legislation has placed responsibilities on those in control of, or with responsibility for, the maintenance of buildings, known as the duty holder. What are the steps that you must take?

• Identify asbestos and asbestos-containing materials.
• Draw up a plan to control the risks.
• Label any asbestos-containing materials.
• Seal surfaces to eliminate the release of fibres.
• Instruct those who must work on such materials of the need to use appropriate working methods to avoid or eliminate the release of fibres.

For further information contact your normal Centor contact or Richard Rouse (Corporate Risks Division) on 020 7330 8734