Asbestos Flashcards
What are the colours of asbestos
The colours of asbestos are only visible under a special type of microscope and are as follows; White = Chrysotile Brown = Amosite Blue real name = Chrocidolite
What are some examples of asbestos-containing materials
HSE guide 264 Appendix 2 identifies ACMs in order of ease of fibre release. To name a few; Asbestos cement board Cement Pipes Blown-in insulation & Spray-applied insulation (Flock) Boiler Insulation Fire prevention; Fire curtains, Fire blankets, Fire doors Packing materials Pipe lagging Textured ceilings (Artex) Vinyl floor tiles Vinyl sheet flooring
When did asbestos get banned
Chrysotile banned in 1999 (Serpentine) Amosite and Crocidolite banned in 1985 (Amphibole)
What is relevant asbestos regulation
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
What is licenced asbestos removal
- Large removal tasked e.g. asbestos flock removal - Notifiable if 0.1 asbestos fibers per cubic centimeter of air per 4 hours - ASB5 form at least 14 days before the work starts
What is non-licenced asbestos work?
- Sporadic and of low intensity - to be considered sporadic and of low intensity the concentration of asbestos in the air should not exceed 0.6f/cm3 measured over 10 minutes
- Controlled - Carried out in such a way that the exposure of workers to asbestos will not exceed the legal control limit of 0.1 asbestos fibres per cubic centimetre of air (0.1 f/cm3) (averaged over a four hour period)
- Meet at least one of the four following conditions:
- It is a short non-continuous maintenance task, with only non-friable materials
- It is a removal task, where the ACMs are in reasonable condition and are not being deliberately broken up, and the asbestos fibres are firmly contained within a matrix, eg the asbestos is coated, covered or contained within another material, such as cement, paint or plastic
- It is a task where the ACMs are in good condition and are being sealed or encapsulated
- It is an air monitoring and control task to check fibre concentrations in the air, or it’s the collection and analysis of asbestos samples to confirm the presence of asbestos in a material.
What is the Abestos Register
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (Regulation 4) creates a legal duty to manage asbestos. If asbestos is present, or is presumed to be present, then it must be managed appropriately. An asbestos register will contain; The location of any ACMs. The type of asbestos they contain. The condition of the materials.
What are some examples of non-licensed work?
- Cleaning up small quantities of loose/ fine debris containing ACM dust (where the work is sporadic and of low intensity, the control limit will not be exceeded and it is short duration work)
- Drilling of textured decorative coatings for installation of fixtures/fittings
- Encapsulation and sealing-in work on asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that are in good condition
Maintenance work involving:
- asbestos cement products (eg on roof sheeting, tiles and rainwater goods)
- asbestos in ropes, yarns and woven cloth
- asbestos gaskets or asbestos rope cords (including removal as part of repair and upkeep of equipment) if this can be done without substantial breakage
- asbestos-containing thermoplastic and vinyl floor tiles, bitumen roof felt, shingles, damp-proofing coatings, and mastics
- asbestos-containing felt and paper plastic paint coatings, PVC floors, panels and sealing compounds
- asbestos-containing conveyor belts/drive belts, bonded rubber, electric cables
- resin-based ACMs such as friction products (eg brake linings)
- Painting/repainting AIB that is in good condition
Removal of:
- asbestos cement products, (eg roof sheeting and rainwater goods) provided the material is carefully handled/removed without breaking up; this includes work with asbestos cement which is weathered but not otherwise substantially damaged
- small areas of textured decorative coatings using suitable dust-reducing methods, to support other activities such as installation/replacement of smoke alarms and light fittings
- textured decorative coatings provided that this can be done without deterioration of the material, (eg if the backing board is carefully cut around to achieve virtually intact removal)
- loosely fixed (eg screwed) asbestos insulating board (AIB) panels in order to gain access to areas for other maintenance activities (eg under a bath to carry out pipework maintenance, or for access to a ceiling void for repair of lighting). This also includes re-attaching the panels after the work is done
- an AIB door with asbestos fire proofing
Short duration work:
- to repair minor damage to AIB
- involving drilling holes in AIB (eg when installing shelving)
Other work:
- on other materials containing asbestos (such as paints, bitumen, resins, rubber, etc) where the fibres are bound in a matrix which prevents most of them being released (this includes, typically, aged/weathered AC)
- associated with collecting and analysing samples to identify the presence of asbestos
What are some examples of notifiable non-licensed work?
Removal of:
- asbestos cement products (eg roof sheeting) where the material will be substantially damaged or broken up (eg as a result of fire or flood damage)
- asbestos cement products (eg roof sheeting) where the material will be substantially broken up, creating significant quantities of dust and debris (eg ‘dropping’ an asbestos cement roof)
- asbestos paper and cardboard products if not firmly bonded in a matrix
Short duration work:
- to remove asbestos insulating board as part of a refurbishment project
- involving asbestos insulation eg repairing minor damage to a small section of pipe insulation where the exterior coating has been broken or damaged
Other work on:
- large-scale removal of textured decorative coatings using steaming or gelling methods (eg beyond that required for maintenance activities such as installation/replacement of smoke alarms and fittings)
What is notifiable non-licensed work NNLW?
For some types of non-licensed work, employers must meet additional requirements. This is known as notifiable non-licensed work or NNLW, and requires employers to:
- notify work with asbestos to the relevant enforcing authority
- designate (identify) areas
- where the work is being done ensure medical examinations are carried out
- maintain registers of work (health records)
How would you determine whether non-licensed works are notifiable?
Depends on the type of work you are planning to do:
- Maintenance eg drilling holes to attach fittings or pass cables through, painting, cleaning etc. Maintenance includes some removal where it is incidental to the main task, eg removing an asbestos ceiling tile to allow inspection.
- Removal eg as part of a refurbishment or redesign project.
- Encapsulation eg work to enclose or seal asbestos materials in good condition.
- Air monitoring and control, and the collection and analysis of samples.
Depends on the asbestos type:
- Is it friable? Friable means easily crumbled or reduced to powder. Work which disturbs more friable materials, eg asbestos pipe insulation, will tend to be NNLW and work which disturbs the least friable materials, eg asbestos cement, can normally be treated as non-licensed work.
- How firmly is the asbestos bonded in a matrix? (For removal work only). Bonded in a matrix means the asbestos is coated, covered or contained within another material, such as cement, paint or plastic. ACMs of this type in good condition can usually be treated as non-licensed work. However where they are significantly damaged, and so more likely to release fibres, they will need to be treated as NNLW.
The material’s condition
- Has the material been damaged or is it in poor condition? Removal of ACMs in poor condition eg due to flood or fire damage, will normally need to be treated as NNLW.
- Will the materials’ matrix be destroyed when worked on? eg deteriorating textured decorative coatings eg ‘Artex’ with gel or steam to remove it, will normally need to treated as NNLW.
Who are the different enforcing authorities and what property types do they relate to?
What is licensed work?
Most higher-risk work with asbestos must only be done by a licensed contractor. Licensable work with asbestos is work:
- where worker exposure to asbestos is not sporadic and of low intensity; or
- where the risk assessment cannot clearly demonstrate that the control limit will not be exceeded ie 0.1 asbestos fibres per cubic centimetre of air (0.1 f/cm3) (averaged over a four hour period); or
- on asbestos coating; or
- on asbestos insulation or asbestos insulating board where the risk assessment demonstrates that the work is not short duration work, eg when work with these materials will take no more than two hours in any seven day period, and no one person works for more than one hour in that two hour period.
Give some examples of licensable work
- removing sprayed coatings (limpet asbestos)
- removal or other work which may disturb pipe lagging
- any work involving loose fill insulation
- work on asbestos millboard
- cleaning up significant quantities of loose/fine debris containing ACM dust (where the work is not sporadic and of low intensity, the control limit will be exceeded or it is not short duration work)
- work on AIB, where the risk assessment indicates that it will not be of short duration
So, how did you ensure compliance with CAR 2012 at Sutton?
Asbestos was identified in an refurbishment survey, but this was deemed low risk for disturbance. Inany case we requested the removal of the loose fibre cement boards which were in a good condition. Non-licensed work. UKAS accredited contractor appointed to remove the works.
