A Proper Asbestos Removal Process Ensures Safety

Asbestos was widely used as a building material in buildings constructed before 1970, and you found it in insulation, flooring, roofing and drainage pipes. It was then found that when asbestos products weaken, they begin to emit fibers, which when breathed in were responsible for breathing complications and even lung cancer. It was then that it became fairly common to replace degraded asbestos with newer and safer materials.

Codes of practice were then introduced on how to manage and control asbestos in living and working areas, to designate the asbestos removal process. In the first place was maintaining a list of existing building products that contained asbestos, and identifying the type of asbestos that is present. Asbestos can be in the form of friable asbestos that allowed it to be crushed into powder with just the pressure of your hand, especially when it is dry. Another type of asbestos was that which contained a bonding compound that strengthened the asbestos fiber and was not that dangerous.

The process of dealing with asbestos products has to be well planned and focus has to be on the control measures that can be taken to reduce the exposure to friable asbestos. Such plans must be made by licensed contractors who are trained and have expertise in dealing with asbestos. Controlling the risk is essential and this has to start with limiting access to the area where asbestos removal is to be undertaken. Barricades must be installed along with signs denoting the danger and informing people that the site is out of bounds.

Where products contain friable asbestos, they must be first decommissioned from whatever function they are providing and then dismantled and any debris created sealed tightly in bags. Every worker on the site must be provided with respiratory protective equipment so that they do not inhale the dangerous asbestos fibers. They must also wear other protective clothing, gloves, helmets, and shoes. It can help if the site is sprayed with water to help in trapping the asbestos fibers before they can be inhaled.

It can also help, if as part of the asbestos removal process, air samples are taken before dismantling work is undertaken and analyzed for the presence of asbestos fibers. This sampling must be carried out by an independent agency, who is a licensed asbestos assessor. Samples must again be taken after the dismantling work is completed and all debris removed, to ensure that the air on the site is clean and free of asbestos fibers. Only if clearance inspection certificates are obtained, that the site must be handed back to its occupants for use.

Care must also be taken to see that the asbestos contractor takes care to dispose of the debris in the sealed bags to disposal sites that are permitted to receive asbestos debris.

Asbestos removal is a task for experts and must never be undertaken by unqualified or untrained personnel, as exposure to asbestos fibers can make for long term health risks. It always makes sense to be safe rather than sorry.

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