asbestos

[atm84]

So how do the domestic electricians amongst us deal with the silent killer. As I am sure most of you will be aware that domestic properties built pre 1997 is very likely to have asbestos in it. Art ex ceilings are one of the most common sources.

So what do you do when Mrs Jones wants some lovely recessed lights fitting etc? Or some floor tiles need lifting or holes need drilling etc.

Just wondering what most of you do. Do you turn a blind eye and hope it goes away, not wanting to upset the customer or do you ask them for an asbestos survey to be carried out.

 

[Englishman]

Asbestos men are going I to some of our properties at the moment and pulling down the artex ceilings. How long are fibres gonna be airborn for once this has been done? The lads doing it reckon it's safe almost straight away, how much of the (visible) airborn particles are asbestos and how many are fibreglass is a different story as well.

 

[davesparks]

Visible particles are not going to be if concern whether they contain asbestos or not.

It is the asbestos fibres that are bad news. These fibres are microscopic in size and it takes just one to get trapped in a cell in you lung to plant the seed of your death.
It is a myth that asbestos fibres are visible to the naked eye.

It is worth everyone doing a good asbestos awareness course, like most things there are so many misconceptions and crap on the internet to mislead you.

Another classic example is people who think blue and brown asbestos (the really nasty forms) are actually that colour, they aren't!

 

[ferg]

Well TBF I'm screwed,


As an apprentice I was exposed to it as insulation and lagging.


Prefabs were rife with it.


I demolished a shed where the roof was made of it.


Half the water pipes in this area were made of it for long enough.


I've just recently stuck my post digging bar through an old watermain made of it.


But I can be assured either the smokes, booze or ignoring the missus will kill me first.

 

[UNG]

Exactly. How can we be sure it's not on us when we go home? I see Geordiesparks point but, how would you feel if you'd been flippant and your kid was affected? Apparently, it only takes a single fibre (or can) and I will sleep well knowing I try to be careful!

Carrying it home from work is one of the biggest problems as well as the washing of overalls at home that may be contaminated

Its interesting to read some of your views. I was told on the asbestos awareness course that if you come across a suspect material then you/ or your employer must advise the client (in this case the home owner) and get them to have a survey done) if the results come back positive then you should refuse to do any work or get it removed or take the relevant precautions.

How many of you are going to do that in the fear that you will lose out on the work and it goes to some other spark who doesn't care.

Everyone should be made aware of the dangers (home owners and contractors) I'm sure if most owners knew that there was asbestos in the artex ceilings and what the possible implication would be if they had recessed lights fitted then they would think twice about having them.

Yes it's likely to make work more expensive but in my opinion you can't put a cost to your health and everyone needs to take the same view of it.

I think many people are aware of asbestos and they are also well aware of the high disposal costs which is why people try to ignore it's existence with an out of sight out of mind attitude


While asbestos is a dangerous material how much other dodgy dusty material do we breathe everyday walking down the street and don't think twice about it.
MDF IMO can be as bad as asbestos but how many people think nothing of putting a holesaw or circular through it without wearing a dust mask

 

[Engineer54]

Yes, I bet all of us that have been around 30 years plus have been exposed to the stuff, saw an video the other year on, at one of our training centres, and Electricians are high on the yearly stat, it was quite high.!!

That's because electricians as well as other trades, were working in the vicinity of the laggers while they were mixing the blue and brown stuff up and spraying the stuff onto pipe and HVAC ducting on the building sites etc. Though many will have you believe that electricians succomed to the desease due to working with the old 3036 Fuse Boards that incorporated the glazed white asbestos arch guards.
If that was the case, i'd be dead and buried by now... I used to have to change out these asbestos strips every shutdown as an apprentice, cutting the strips to length from rolls of the stuff, different sizes to fit different sized fuse carriers and were talking now, about literally hundreds of these fuse boards. All got gradually changed out for HRC fuses, but still more than a good few of them still in place by the time i finally left the company....

 

[atm84]

That's because electricians as well as other trades, were working in the vicinity of the laggers while they were mixing the blue and brown stuff up and spraying the stuff onto pipe and HVAC ducting on the building sites etc. Though many will have you believe that electricians succomed to the desease due to working with the old 3036 Fuse Boards that incorporated the glazed white asbestos arch guards.
If that was the case, i'd be dead and buried by now... I used to have to change out these asbestos strips every shutdown as an apprentice, cutting the strips to length from rolls of the stuff, different sizes to fit different sized fuse carriers and were talking now, about literally hundreds of these fuse boards. All got gradually changed out for HRC fuses, but still more than a good few of them still in place by the time i finally left the company....

what and so that makes ok then. You were exposed to it for so long and because you haven't got asbestosis or related diseases then ppl are worrying about nothing? is that what you are saying?

 

[Engineer54]

what and so that makes ok then. You were exposed to it for so long and because you haven't got asbestosis or related diseases then ppl are worrying about nothing? is that what you are saying?

No, .......I'm saying there is far too much scaremongering that goes on around the risks of BS 3036 fuse boards, the chances of electricians going down with asbestosis, is to say the very least ''Extreamly Rare''.

And before you start going into one, i've had more than one of these HSE asbestos awareness lecturers admit that too!!

I reckon i've probably had more open exposure to this type of asbestos than many here, and i still wouldn't bat an eyelid today, at pulling these fuses, wouldn't even give it even a second thought...

As stated above, the vast majority of electricians that did/have contracted asbestosis over the years did so from early site work, especially where asbestos was being mixed on site, or in more recent years, haven't taken appropriate precautions where the really bad asbestos was being removed etc....

 

[atm84]

No, .......I'm saying there is far too much scaremongering that goes on around the risks of BS 3036 fuse boards, the chances of electricians going down with asbestosis, is to say the very least ''Extreamly Rare''.

And before you start going into one, i've had more than one of these HSE asbestos awareness lecturers admit that too!!

I reckon i've probably had more open exposure to this type of asbestos than many here, and i still wouldn't bat an eyelid today, at pulling these fuses, wouldn't even give it even a second thought...

As stated above, the vast majority of electricians that did/have contracted asbestosis over the years did so from early site work, especially where asbestos was being mixed on site, or in more recent years, haven't taken appropriate precautions where the really bad asbestos was being removed etc....

shake head

 

[Engineer54]

You can shake your head all you like, i take it you are one of these scaremongers that are frightened to death that even a glance of a 3036 fuse guard and you're Doomed!!

 

[UNG]

what and so that makes ok then. You were exposed to it for so long and because you haven't got asbestosis or related diseases then ppl are worrying about nothing? is that what you are saying?

I think you have to look at the bigger picture asbestos is only one very very small part of the airborne contamination we all breathe everyday a post-mortem may give asbestosis as a cause of death for ease of reporting but it may have only been an additional complication that contributed to death and the primary cause is overlooked.
I took part in a research project many years ago when I donated plasma and platelets regularly as to the effects household and workplace chemicals may have on health and bodily functions involved keeping a diary and daily pee samples along with blood samples at donation appointments for about six weeks never found out what the conclusions were if there were any
A few years ago after some tests I found out that my heart is plumbed completely different to the normal set up the cardiac consultant had never seen this particular condition in his 30 odd years in the job and said there are very few other similar cases recorded in the world and even those may not be exactly the same, my first question was how this could affect my health his reply was that due to the complex nature of the human body who knows although he reckons my risk of a heart attack is greatly reduced, my point is that we all come into contact with various substances throughout our lives and these will affect us all differently and may cause us harm in different degrees

This may sound a bit blase but how much of your life do you spend worrying what effects Fairy liquid or any other household product has on your longevity mix them in with what you come into contact at work bake it all up and ?????? some time later on you will die but what caused it was it one item or a combination of many or just a cast iron constitution and old age, had an auntie that died suddenly at 68 and cause of death was all her organs were worn out and had packed up.

By all means reduce the risk but we can't begin to understand the body each of us are driving to death

 

[atm84]

I think you have to look at the bigger picture asbestos is only one very very small part of the airborne contamination we all breathe everyday a post-mortem may give asbestosis as a cause of death for ease of reporting but it may have only been an additional complication that contributed to death and the primary cause is overlooked.
I took part in a research project many years ago when I donated plasma and platelets regularly as to the effects household and workplace chemicals may have on health and bodily functions involved keeping a diary and daily pee samples along with blood samples at donation appointments for about six weeks never found out what the conclusions were if there were any
A few years ago after some tests I found out that my heart is plumbed completely different to the normal set up the cardiac consultant had never seen this particular condition in his 30 odd years in the job and said there are very few other similar cases recorded in the world and even those may not be exactly the same, my first question was how this could affect my health his reply was that due to the complex nature of the human body who knows although he reckons my risk of a heart attack is greatly reduced, my point is that we all come into contact with various substances throughout our lives and these will affect us all differently and may cause us harm in different degrees

This may sound a bit blase but how much of your life do you spend worrying what effects Fairy liquid or any other household product has on your longevity mix them in with what you come into contact at work bake it all up and ?????? some time later on you will die but what caused it was it one item or a combination of many or just a cast iron constitution and old age, had an auntie that died suddenly at 68 and cause of death was all her organs were worn out and had packed up.

By all means reduce the risk but we can't begin to understand the body each of us are driving to death

I'm not here to discuss everyone's ailments and the risk of dying from this that and the other.

I am on about how the commercial sector takes many precautions relating to asbestos which isn't taken in the same light in the domestic market.

In response to Engineer's last statement, I was informed that many ppl may have asbestosis and may die from other problems, therefore the asbestosis isn't recorded on the death certificate as it wasn't the final cause of death.

By all means, you can continue with your blasee attitude towards it but I will always take the necessary precautions.

 

[Badged01]

Live life fast and die young, yeah :smiley2: We are all going to meet the 'maker' at some point, its what you do with your life til then:8:

Just make sure you dont get run down by the site truck whilst running away from the blue/white/brown stuff to avoid the asbestososis!

But if you do want to live forever, hide away from the ills of society .........

 

[Geordie Spark]

I'm not here to discuss everyone's ailments and the risk of dying from this that and the other.

I am on about how the commercial sector takes many precautions relating to asbestos which isn't taken in the same light in the domestic market.

In response to Engineer's last statement, I was informed that many ppl may have asbestosis and may die from other problems, therefore the asbestosis isn't recorded on the death certificate as it wasn't the final cause of death.

By all means, you can continue with your blasee attitude towards it but I will always take the necessary precautions.

Good lad.

 

[shanky887614]

Live life fast and die young, yeah :smiley2: We are all going to meet the 'maker' at some point, its what you do with your life til then:8:

Just make sure you dont get run down by the site truck whilst running away from the blue/white/brown stuff to avoid the asbestososis!

But if you do want to live forever, hide away from the ills of society .........

 

[DPG]

I agree