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Written by
on 19 September 2013

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asbestos sheetsI’ve written before within this blog about asbestos, including cases where companies have ended up in court through negligence or ignorance. This week another company has been served a huge fine after putting people’s lives at risk (http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-sw-poole-investments.htm), and so it may be worth revealing a few unpleasant truths about asbestos, and exposing some common myths.

The Truth about the Dangerous of Asbestos

It’s too easy to go along with commonly held myths. We encounter these on a regular basis within the world of health and safety. People who not only ought to know better, but need to know better, are still peddling tired old ‘truths’ which are in fact nothing of the sort.

Asbestos Myth: 1

The first myth I tend to come across is the belief that only older buildings are likely to have asbestos in them. Not true. In fact asbestos was still regularly being used in the construction and insulation of buildings up to 1999. In the year 2000 it was banned as a building and insulation material, but any property, building or extension built prior to 2000 could very well contain asbestos.

Asbestos Myth: 2

Another myth that seems to perpetuate throughout the construction industry is that asbestos is easy to spot and to identify. No, it isn’t. I frequently come across people who say that you can ‘taste’ asbestos in the air, that it’s a dry, metallic taste. Others say that you can spot it because of its fibrous texture. Wrong on both counts. There’s only actually one sure way of identifying asbestos and that is to have a sample sent for analysis.

Asbestos Myth: 3

Others seem to think that asbestos is fine as long as you don’t cut it or break it. After it’s been around for a few years you could stir up asbestos dust by simply sneezing at it. You might very well not be able to tell from looking at it, but the point is that the asbestos dust which becomes airborne, and which is the cause of the health problems, is far too tiny to see. The only safe practice is to treat all asbestos as though it was crumbly, flaky and dusty.

Asbestos Myth: 4

I’ve encountered some people who believe that an ordinary face mask is sufficient for protecting against asbestos dust. Wrong again. The asbestos particles are so tiny that they will easily penetrate the mask. When handling asbestos you will require special asbestos grade masks, which are disposable. Of course you also need a full outfit, including strapless boots.

Sadly these myths cost lives. Every single week 20 people working in the construction industry die as a result of asbestos dust. That’s one person every 8 hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 4,000 people die every year, needlessly, because of asbestos. It’s essential not to underestimate the danger.

Fortunately there is plenty of information and help available. The HSE has published its own dedicated asbestos safety site with information about the dangers of asbestos, what to do if you suspect the presence of asbestos and how it should be handled. You can read more about it here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/index.htm. They also have information for those within the construction industry here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos.

Finally at Veritas Consulting we have Health and Safety Advisors with specialist knowledge of asbestos safety, and you can either read more about what we advise here: https://www.veritas-consulting.co.uk/Asbestos-Survey.html or call one of our advisors free on 0800 1488 677

About 

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.

3 Comments
  • The Truth About The Dangers Of Asbestos | Workp... says:

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  • John Gamble says:

    Myth1.
    i agree with however when you use dates these are only as good as the proof by ensuring that ACMs are not present. Although you state the correct years what should be remembered is that in 2000 although ACM were not to be used it was cheaper to use as persons could not get rid of it therefore it was still put in some buildings by smaller companies and one man bands…

    Myth2
    Completely correct.
    I would also add that even specialists cannot give you an answer until it has been sample tested by a UKAS accredited lab due to the way it may have been manufactured or even added to a coating or product. An example of this would be the foundations of a building or structure.

    Myth2
    3-5 microns that we cannot see as the human eye does not detects fibres so small. The only safe way is to ensure you know what it is.”survey”
    You have controls in place via an asbestos register and you have periodic plans for reviewing that the controls and also the condition of the ACM is such that the controls measures are effective to prevent exposure to personnel.

    Myth4
    Very weary of answering this.
    A full risk assessment and plan of work is required that will determine the release possibilities of the fibres (HSG264) and a minimum FFP3 mask must be used but more importantly the personnel should have had face fit testing to ensure they understand how and what the correct methods are of fitting any qualitative mask.
    This would change in an environment where it is NNLW or a licensed contractor removes AIB as an example under controlled conditions as the PPE worn and the air monitoring would be such that the controls would be stricter including clean shaven etc and air changes per hour.

    Hope my comments are welcome as i have walked the walk and nwwant to pass on my Asbestos, safety, occupational, demolition and CDM knowledge to people in order that we all go home safely to our loved one irrespective of where we work.
    I am a great believer in your brothers keeper and also about being able to demonstrate that each day i save a life or injury by my pro-active attitude to safety by removing Bureaucracy…

    Thank John Gamble

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