Asbestos Awareness We 1

7/31/2019 Asbestos Awareness We 1

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Asbestos

Awareness


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What is Asbestos

Asbestos is the name applied to six naturallyoccurring minerals that are mined from the earth.

Amosite Chrysotile

Tremolite

Actinolite

Anthrophyllite

Crocidolite


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What is Asbestos

Three are used more commonly:

Chrysotile - white asbestos

asbestos cloth and cement products

Amosite - brown asbestos

heat insulation and pipe lagging

Crocidolite - blue asbestos

very high temperature and acid resistant purposes


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Asbestos Products

Non Friable the asbestos fibres are bonded by another

material

Friable

non bonded asbestos fabric or material is in powder form

can be reduced to powder by hand pressure


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Asbestos Products Asbestos was generally processed as:

Fibrous

sprayed preformed

Textile

woven

wound

Mixed with a binder


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Asbestos Materials

Friable products

sprayed fire retardant thermal lagging

fire blankets

welding blankets

backing to sheet vinyl floor covering

flexible connection


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Asbestos Materials

Non Friable

cement products

flat sheet corrugated sheet

pipes

compressed sheet

vinyl floor tiles

switch board

brake and clutch lining


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When is Asbestos a hazard

When asbestos fibres become airborne

friable- disturbance of loose or non bonded asbestos

non friable

- when the cement or resin breaks down


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When is Asbestos a hazard

Respirable Fibre

less than 3 microns in diameter

longer than 5 microns

with a length to diameter ratio greater than 3:1


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Health effects

The body cannot breakdown asbestos fibres.

Three primary diseases associated with asbestosexposure

Mesothelioma

Lung Cancer

Asbestosis


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Asbestos and your health

The potential for harm depends on:

fibre size and type

length of exposure

concentration of Respirable fibres

individual susceptibility

influence of other factors


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Identification of Asbestos

Materials containing asbestos are not readilyidentified.

Laboratory analysis

- X-ray diffraction

- Polarising light microscopy in conjunction withdispersion staining

- Electron microscope


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Limit asbestos exposure

Installed asbestos

be aware of any installed asbestos

asbestos register

Do not disturb asbestos

no drilling, cutting, sawing, sanding

no activities that creates dust


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Limit asbestos exposure

Housekeeping

ensure that damage material is repaired

replace broken or damaged ceiling tiles

Policy and Procedure

for accessing ceiling space

areas where friable asbestos is present- air monitoring, after hours work


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Management of Asbestos

DECS Asbestos Management Procedure

www.decs.sa.gov.au/hrhealthsafety/- Resources/Policies and Procedures

Regulations and Codes of Practice

www.workcover.com/ www.safework.sa.gov.au/

- Resources/Publications/Legislation & Codes of Practice
http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/hrhealthsafety/http://www.workcover.com/http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/http://www.workcover.com/http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/hrhealthsafety/


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Airborne asbestos fibres

Membrane filter method Sample is collected by:

- drawing a measured quantity of air through a membrane filterby means of a pump

- filter is transformed to a transparent, opticallyhomogenousspecimen

- the fibres are then sized and counted using a microscope andeyed graticule

- the results are expressed as fibres per millilitre of air,calculated from the number of fibres and the measuredvolume of air sampled.


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Asbestos Shots..

Pictures and comments of the next9 slides by David Ellis, DEMS,

asbestos consultant.


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Shows 2 plugs with

Warning labels stuckover them.

Same plugs with one labeland PVC cap removed to

expose asbestos plug.


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A single plug with the cap missingwhite asbestos.

Plug has fallen down making it more visible.Lower right shows plastic former still in place from

construction. (These formers were supposed to have

been removed during construction).


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Two labeled caps with

white asbestos visible inthe underside of the slab

just right of a paper

label.

Plugs that have been

tampered with andresealed. Note a third

type of warning label.


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This is a view looking down on top of a

slab. The damaged carpet has been peeled

back to show the inside of the PVC sleeve

with white asbestos visible around the top

of the hole. Cables had been pushed up

through this hole to feed a floor fastened

power or telephone socket.


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This is unusual contamination on the under side of

a slab, approximately 50mm across.

A worker has thrown wet white asbestos up during

construction and it has remained stuck to the slab.


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Shows loose grey/brown asbestos (Amosite)

on top of ceiling tiles under a large water pipe.


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Shows a similar wall penetration with NON ASBESTOS fireproof packing. It is very difficult to distinguish between

asbestos and asbestos free fibrous material. All plumbing

waste floor penetrations so far have been packed with asbestos

free fibrous insulation.


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Shows white asbestos rich mastic sealant on an air

conditioning duct flange after the joint had been opened.

This is a well bonded form of white asbestos that cannot

easily be compromised without high temperatures, some

solvents or years of exposure to sunlight.


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There are many uses of asbestos to be found within and around our

environment, mostly commonly in the form of asbestos cement products.

It can be found as:

flat or corrugated sheets used mainly for garages and sheds

cold water storage tanks

external rainwater pipes and guttering

fascia boards as a lining cladding for fire protection

for internal partition walls

Asbestos cement is a hard, brittle, greyish material, however if there are any

suspicions that a product is asbestos it should be treated as such.

In DECS worksites, products known to contain asbestos should be marked

with appropriate safety signage. Refer to the worksites Asbestos

Register and to the DECS Asbestos Management Procedure

(www.decs.sa.gov.au/hrhealthsafety/)
http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/hrhealthsafety/http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/hrhealthsafety/


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While asbestos roofs are not common in

DECS worksites, they can be found in

some older worksites, and SA homes.

There are at least three types of asbestosshingles. Regular flat shingle tiles are

shown at top, common diamond shaped

tiles are shown at middle, and side-lap

tiles are shown below. It is difficult to find

asbestos replacement tiles that match theoriginal roof in colour shade. Note the

three replacement tiles on the diamond

asbestos roof (they appear whiter than the

original tiles).

Asbestos is a brittle and fragile material.

It cannot be walked on as the tiles will

crack and these hairline cracks, which are

hard to see, will leak. Fragile roof

considerations need to be made as well.

Signage is appropriate.


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Asbestos sheetson a roof. These

sheets are also

known as

Deep 6. This type

of roof is fragilewhen walked upon,

and appropriate

signage is required.

Painting the roof can

minimize hazards

associated with

flaking fibres.


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Some examples of Asbestos Signs


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Twisted yarn with asbestos fibre.

Extensively used as caulking,

sealing and heat insulating

materials on thermal installationsand heat conducting systems, eg

kilns (above), slow combustion

fire doors, incubators, mantles

and laboratory ovens (left).


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Asbestos fencing can still

be found. This is also

known as Deep 6.

Similar sheets were also

used in roofing. Note itsfriable nature when

broken or chipped. This

can be a hazard when

removing the fence, or if

it is rubbed against.


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Deep 6 asbestos

fencing with warning

signs.


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Another example of

an asbestos deep

6 style of fencing.

Removal of suchfences should be in

accordance with the

DECS Asbestos

Management

Procedure.
http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/Asbestos_Management_Proced.pdfhttp://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/Asbestos_Management_Proced.pdfhttp://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/Asbestos_Management_Proced.pdfhttp://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/Asbestos_Management_Proced.pdfhttp://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/Asbestos_Management_Proced.pdfhttp://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/files/communities/docman/1/Asbestos_Management_Proced.pdf


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Carrels, common in the

later half of the 70s

and in the 1980-s, can

still be found in some

schools. They are often

located in time out

rooms, resource

centres, and languagerooms. The surfaces

are often defaced, due

to the secluded nature

of the space. Asbestoswas often used as a

base, underneath the

soft plastic/leather

surface.


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Backing to sheet vinyl floor covering can be made from

asbestos, as pictured above.Vinyl floor tiles can contain asbestos in the tile mix, which

deteriorates over time, and can release asbestos fibers. Such

flooring should be replaced, or covered, if deemed a hazard.


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Asbestos

thermal

lagging

around

pipe work

Asbestos

cement

flue pipes

Another example of asbestos products found in worksites.


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Asbestos thread can be found on gas mantles, used in camping

lights. Radioactive Thorium is also present in the mantle

material. (Thorium when heated by LPG flame, emits radiation that is weighted lessheavily in the infrared and more heavily in the visible spectrum, leading to an enhanced

output of useful light ). Wash hands after handling.


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Asbestoswhite substance in the ground in this picture


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Crushed asbestos and mud

Asbestos

Documents

Asbestos Awareness We 1