Asbestos

Asbestos Training Package

Asbestos Training Package

Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000 (houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc) and causes around 5000 deaths every year. While there are tons of improvement, laws and restrictions overtime compared to when the use of Asbestos started being used in homes and industries around a hundred years ago, it is still important to be aware about the risks that it presents to workplaces and homes that it may likely be present.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 makes it compulsory that employers must provide appropriate training for all workers they have that is likely to be exposed to asbestos.

It is known that it is the employers and supervisors legal obligations to make sure to provide the necessary information, precaution and equipment for their employees if the workplace has a dangerous exposure of Asbestos. And this is also a moral obligation, employee’s lives and healths are important as well. They will be held liable if not all the necessary training and knowledge was provided in any harm that is caused to them.

Asbestos Awareness Training key information, instruction and training should cover the following are:

  • the properties of asbestos and its effects on health
  • the types, uses and likely occurrence of asbestos and asbestos materials in infrastructures
  • the guidelines on dealing with unstoppable exposure of Asbestos at the workplaces
  • how to avoid the risk of exposure to asbestos

Workers and supervisors must be able to recognise asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) and know what to do if they come across them in order to protect themselves and others.

There are three main levels of information, instruction and training. These relate to:

  • Asbestos awareness
  • Non-licensable work with asbestos including NNLW
  • Licensable work with asbestos.

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History of Asbestos with House Architecture

History of Asbestos with House Architecture

There tons of different construction materials used for construction whether it’d be for business infrastructures or just homes for families.  By the late 19th century, nations around the world were operating massive mines to meet a burgeoning demand for the mineral. Manufacturers used the majority of the output from these mines to produce construction materials, including asbestos cement and insulation for buildings and machinery.

 

The most common construction materials that had Asbestos were:

  • Flooring, ceiling and roofing tiles were commonly made with asbestos. The adhesive used to lay down flooring tiles has also been a source of exposure.
  • Asbestos-containing cement was used in building materials because the fibers provided strength without adding much weight. Its insulating and fire-resistant properties also made the mineral an ideal substance to add to cement.

And Asbestos materials were quite common just before different regulations and laws about the prevention of it’s usage came close to year 2000’s. Another thing about it is that it’s difficult very difficult to identify the presence of asbestos just by looking at it. As a general rule, certain building materials installed before the late 1980s may contain asbestos. However, the only way to be certain is to have a sample of the material analyzed by a laboratory.

For certain at one point Asbestos was quite commonly used by majority of the countries around the world due to it being cheap, durable, flexible and fire-resistant. And mass production of it was inevitable.

Though over the years eventually people discovered that Asbestos was potentially harmful and tons of different regulations from different countries was passed for the Asbestos. And studies of Asbestos done over the years were also a big part of the laws and regulations that eventually allowed Asbestos to be not be used for construction over some countries like Australia among others.

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Asbestos Effect on Architectural House Plans

Asbestos Effect on Architectural House Plans

A home is an environment where people reside, feel comfort and grow as a person as time passes  be it  physically, mentally and emotionally.

It is a given that most homes are houses and such place is provides people the feeling of comfort and security . Now if homes act as “safehavens” for us wouldn’t it be fair that without knowing while we live our everyday lives we are potentially on a risk of harm and not visibly but because of our home itself.

Now we know that Asbestos has had a great application when it comes to infrastructure constructions and even houses that people live. And Asbestos as we know it presents risks for people that reside on environments with it.

Being that in some cases exposure to Asbestos may be unavoidable and certainly that’s why homeowners needed to be informed about the risks of Asbestos at homes.

One of the hazards that asbestos made houses presents is that Renovating or demolishing houses containing asbestos products can release asbestos fibres, which are extremely fine and can stay in the air for hours. Breathing in asbestos fibres may cause serious health problems, including lung disease and cancer

Not only that Asbestos may cause illnesses but death may happen for those unfortunate ones. With this in mind it is important that homeowners and eventual homeowners must make sure that they are informed about Asbestos Awareness and how to avoid the risks of being exposed to these harmful elements. Another thing you could do as a homeowner would be having the Asbestos-containing materials should be identified and removed by someone trained in asbestos removal and wearing protective clothing and a respirator.

Knowing that houses are homes where one can grow, we all have to make sure that the houses that we will reside for a long time will really give us the shelter that it should give for us to grow and live life to the fullest. Not harm.

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Importance of Asbestos Training to Construction

It is not a surprise to know that being exposed to asbestos can cause harm to anyone. It is also known that asbestos materials comes with different useful applications to many aspects despite the risks it pose to those who will get exposed to it.

When it comes to building constructions whether the infrastructure is for home or industrial or commercial purposes, there are cases that Asbestos materials has been used for it.

It is important that when any environment that exposes people of Asbestos, the people that will stay around the environment must be informed and trained of the risks of Asbestos.

This concern of Asbestos risks is not only about the potential harm to the people around the workplace or at home, but also if the building with Asbestos materials used for it’s construction if without precaution and proper preparations for it . The building itself may end unusable for it is deemed to dangerous and that would be a financial disaster.

For the content of the training and information for the Asbestos Training it must include the following:

  • The properties of asbestos and its effects on health, including the increased risk of developing lung cancer for asbestos workers who smoke.
  • The types, uses and likely occurrence of asbestos and asbestos materials in buildings and plant.
  • The general procedures to deal with an emergency, an uncontrolled release of asbestos dust into the workplace.
  • How to avoid the risk of exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos Awareness is incredibly important, employees and employers themselves must make sure that such matter will be provided for the supervisors and/or the employees around the environment with heavy exposure to it.

Even just homeowners that the materials  used for the construction of their homes involved Asbestos materials, are urged to learn about Asbestos awareness and be informed of the risks that it presents.

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Asbestos Survey

For the past 150 years. Asbestos has been widely used for many useful purposes and applications. Despite that even as long as we started using Asbestos, the amount of cases of medical illnesses and deaths caused by heavy exposure to it has been there all along.

The more common health diseases that are caused by Asbestos exposure are :

Malignant Mesothelioma  is a cancer that starts in cells in the linings of certain parts of the body, especially in the linings of the chest or abdomen. Typically appear several decades after an exposure to asbestos

Mesothelioma Claimed More Than 37,000 Lives in the United States From 1999 to 2013. The rate of mesotheliomas in the United States increased from the 1970s to the early 1990s, but since then it has leveled off and even gone down slightly.

Each year there are 2000 to 3000 new cases of Malignant Mesothelioma .

Lung Cancer is also another type of cancer which is caused by overblown exposure to Asbestos. National Cancer institute first confirmed that asbestos causes lung cancer in 1942. Most asbestos-related lung cancers take between 15 and 35 years to develop from the time of initial asbestos exposure.

Other causes of death has also occurred with the exposure of Asbestos as of 2013 deaths from asbestosis without mention of mesothelioma are around 477 (Asbestosis register 2013).

On average, 40 percent of pleural mesothelioma patients survive at least one year after starting treatment. By year five, survival drops to 8 percent. Research shows that men are exposed to asbestos more often. One study reported that 13.4 percent of women survive for five years after treatment, compared to only 4.5 percent of men.

It is very clear that no matter what studies are done. Asbestos exposure is dangerous and even sometimes the problems of it occurs around later of somebodies life. While the usage of Asbestos is unavoidable, minimizing the risks it brings is certainly doable with careful following of the regulations of the matter, lives that may have been lost might be saved.

Asbestos Regulations

Long exposure to asbestos fibers may cause serious and dire illnesses such malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis) and other unwanted diseases. For some getting sick from Asbestos may be unavoidable however the chances of being one may be reduced through careful guidelines. With that in mind it is very important that people follow the health and safety regulations that has been set for workers who will likely have long exposure with Asbestos.

Health And Safety 2012 No. 632, The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 indicates that the employers must ensure that the employees who work for them the exposure to asbestos of employees that it must be clear from the risk assessment that the exposure to asbestos of any employee will not exceed the control limit.

The regulations also state that it is important even for non-licensed  workers who will be exposed to Asbestos must have documents and records for work. They must also be under a health surveillance of a Doctor.

The regulations implied that if a certain workforce want to do any building or maintenance work in premises, or on plant or equipment that might contain asbestos, they need to identify where it is and its type and condition; assess the risks, and manage and control these risks.

Employers and employees alike have their own responsibilities to make sure that despite the  health risks that the Asbestos exposure gives employers should have minimized risk through following the set health regulation . It is not only a legal obligation everybody has to follow but also a morale one. It is very important that employers give the their employees the best  environment, equipment and training necessary to minimize risks of harm and death. Employees as well are responsible for themselves to ensure to follow the following guidelines for their own safety.

Types of Asbestos

There are six type of widely known Asbestos. And each type belonged to one of the two category which are :

Serpentine

Out of the all the asbestos, there is only one that goes under the group of Serpentine, more known as the “White Asbestos”. This category of asbestos has a structured and curly fibers.

Despite being only a only one Asbestos in the group Chrysolite’s are the most used Asbestos in the world.

  • Chrysolite is commonly utilized for Gaskets, Cement , Insulation, Brake Pads, Brake Linings, Joint Compound and Roofing Materials.

Amphibole

All the other 5 types of Asbestos belong to the Amphibole group. This group of asbestoshas a long chain-like structure of fibers that are sharp and straight and easy to inhale.

  • Amosite Asbestos known as the “brown” asbestos, not used nowadays but was once second mostly commonly used Asbestos.
  • Crocidolite Asbestos known as the “blue” asbestos has a much harder and more brittle than other types of the mineral and can break easily.
  • Anthophyllite Asbestos is one of the rarest types of asbestos and does not have a long history of commercial use. Traces of anthophyllite may be present in talc and related products such as talcum powder.
  • Tremolite Asbestos are strong, flexible, heat-resistant, and can be spun and woven into cloth in which makes it useful for commercial uses.
  • Actinolite Asbestos is an asbestos who’s mostly dark coloured. Typically used with the similar mineral vermiculite, which expands when heated. Can be found to be used as construction materials, for gardening, insulation, fireproofing etc.

Despite having different types of existing Asbestos. It is undeniable that all of them present a health risk. Each from the other may present different risks and may require different levels of exposure for the worker to be in harm but it not possible to avoid the risks as long as a worker is exposed to any type of Asbestos at a workplace.