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.

 

[Harni]

\

After what I heard and saw , to my mind any blasé attitude is wrong in itself , bearing in mind that this is a subject that can and will kill people ...

Agreed! The first course i went on, I'm sure the guy was trying to scare us into not touching it ever again but the refresher I've just done, the course instructor was very good and much more down to earth. It is a killer but providing you respect it, it won't hurt you. Take simple precautions and don't do the usual "its only a small bit, it won't hurt" and you will be fine!

 

[jaypp]

What surprised me the most was the amount thats sprayed onto roof beams. and when lifting false ceiling tiles bits have fallen away with asbestos dust sitting on the ceiling tiles , and I have come across asbestos ceilings in ex British Rail owned houses , so you have exposed asbestos surfaces with all the dust when you either lift the floorboards or enter the lofts , and you not to know usually until you've done that unless your told its there ..

So basically, anywhere that asbestos containing materials were used potentially have loose particles pretty much anywhere. I'm thinking it's not just disturbing these materials we should worry about. It's going to be under floors, in loft spaces, cavities, pretty much everywhere we poke our arms into, lay on etc. and I've been worrying about it 'in situ'. Well, the onus has been shifted onto us now so if, as stated in a post above, asbestosis is on the increase it'll be all the current tradespeople who'll take the rap. First name Scape, 2nd Goat!

 

[Engineer54]

Wrong again ,its still every where and its harder to identify these days as it could have years of paint over it you cant see it ,and yes i did say it only takes one fiber, exactly, you could well breath in hundreds of fibers and all it takes is just one fiber to cause the damage , that's why people have to be made aware its not scare mongering its common sense

I'll leave it to you then, to worry yourself to death!! i certainly won't!!

Who said Asbestosis is on the increase, how the hell can that happen if it's use has been banned for god knows how many years now?? It will never be as bad as it once was for tradesmen. As i've stated, i'm not being blaise about asbestos, taking the appropriate precautions when suspecting or known to be in or around the stuff is commonsense... If you feel that it's present in large quantities you report it and don't work in the area until it been removed or given the all clear!!

All the stuff you're talking about apart from old pipe and duct lagging is in a solid state and so long as it's not drilled, filed or otherwise turned into a dust state isn't going to harm anyone. Again commonsense tells you that if you do need to drill or work on it. you take the appropriate precautions or have it removed....

 

[davesparks]

If it's in solid state where it's been bound with cement or similar then it's nigh on impossible to get the fibres free and airborne whatever you do to it.
Drilling into asbestos cement board creates plenty of dust yes, but that dust is many many times larger than an asbestos fibre, it is the loose unbound materials that are the issue, pipe lagging and the 'flock' which was sprayed onto beams for example.
One of the things people just don't get is that asbestos fibres are microscopic in size, they are only visible without a powerful microscope, so if you can see it it ain't going to kill you! It needs one free fibre on its own to do the damage.

Then of course there is the fact that it is the 'blue' and 'brown' forms of asbestos that are the dangerous ones. The 'white' for is relatively inert, hence why anyone can get HSE approval to work on it with some basic precautions whereas the other stuff needs the full licence and space suits etc.

As far as the death rate goes it is important to remember that it is a measure of how many deaths have been recorded with asbestos related illness as a cause, if you die of something else before the asbestos gets you then you get to be a statistic for something else.

 

[R G]

So basically, anywhere that asbestos containing materials were used potentially have loose particles pretty much anywhere. I'm thinking it's not just disturbing these materials we should worry about. It's going to be under floors, in loft spaces, cavities, pretty much everywhere we poke our arms into, lay on etc. and I've been worrying about it 'in situ'. Well, the onus has been shifted onto us now so if, as stated in a post above, asbestosis is on the increase it'll be all the current tradespeople who'll take the rap. First name Scape, 2nd Goat!

This is exactly why all thee companies that know the risks are putting us all on these courses , and theres companies set up and going round to educate and test people on what they've learnt , It is on the rise big time and these companies see this as becoming a bigger litigation issue , I have in the past had unlicensed removal with a company I had worked for and I have to have a medical every 2 years , this was only for small amounts found in electrical appliances is Enviwarm units etc , all companies that are aware of the risks are bracing them selves

 

[atm84]

Finally some sensible answers who share the same views about asbestos.

 

[UNG]

Just done a spot of searching

Extract taken from HSE document below

http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/asbestosis/asbestosis.pdf

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It is generally recognised that heavy asbestos exposures are required in order to produce clinically significant asbestosis within the lifetime of an individual. Current trends therefore still largely reflect the results of heavy exposures in the past.[/FONT]

This rather contradicts the death from one fibre notion that a number of people are pushing in this thread

More worrying for them I believe is stress related death which is showing a significant increase in recent years

 

[Engineer54]

This is exactly why all thee companies that know the risks are putting us all on these courses , and theres companies set up and going round to educate and test people on what they've learnt , It is on the rise big time and these companies see this as becoming a bigger litigation issue , I have in the past had unlicensed removal with a company I had worked for and I have to have a medical every 2 years , this was only for small amounts found in electrical appliances is Enviwarm units etc , all companies that are aware of the risks are bracing them selves

Don't confuse actual dangers, with perceived dangers, where the money making machine is trawling for lucrative work!!!