Asbestos is the term used for the fibrous forms of several naturally occurring minerals.
The three main types of asbestos which have been commercially used are:
-
Crocidolite (blue asbestos);
-
Amosite (brown asbestos);
-
Chrysotile (white asbestos).
Back to top
If you inhale asbestos fibres (which are long and thin) they can become lodged in the tissue of your chest and your body’s natural defences may not be able to easily break them down. This can lead to lung diseases (mainly cancers), particularly if you are repeatedly exposed to fibres over a number of years.
It is because fibres can remain in the lungs for so long that small, but repeated, exposures on different jobs over the years can lead to the development of an asbestos-related disease. This is why it is important to prevent or control exposure on every single job.
All three main types are dangerous, but blue and brown asbestos are known to be more dangerous than white. The different types cannot usually be identified by their colour alone.
The body naturally gets rid of any asbestos fibres taken in with food and water. Asbestos fibres cannot be absorbed through the skin.
Back to top
3. If it is hazardous, why was it used?
Asbestos has been used commercially for about 150 years. It is versatile, plentiful and ideal as a fire-proofing and insulation material.
Its properties include:
-
mechanically very strong;
-
highly resistant to heat and chemical attack;
-
excellent insulator;
-
good acoustic insulator
-
can be woven into fabrics;
-
It does not rot, melt, burn or degrade.
Back to top
4. Where is asbestos normally found?
Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) have been put to many uses over the past century. The commercial use of asbestos in the UK began around the end of the nineteenth century and increased gradually until World War II. Immediately after World War II, large quantities of asbestos were used, particularly for new 'system-built' buildings in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. ACMs were routinely used in the refurbishment of older buildings.
Asbestos has been the subject of gradual voluntary and formal bans since 1969. By 1999 the importation, supply and use of all forms of ACMs had been banned in the UK.
Typically locations of ACMs include:
-
Loose asbestos insulation
-
Sprayed asbestos coatings (sometimes called limpet or flock)
-
Thermal insulation
-
Asbestos Insulation Board
-
Rope and Gaskets
-
Millboard and paper
-
Asbestos Cement
-
Asbestos floor tiles, mastic and roof felt
-
Decorative paints and plasters
The Gallery shows photographs of ACMs and gives a more detailed description.
Back to top
5. Why doesn't the University remove all asbestos from its buildings?
Asbestos products that are in good condition and not liable to damage in everyday usage are best left in situ, this is because disturbing the asbestos to remove it is likely to heighten the risk of exposure by releasing fibres into the atmosphere. Such removal, especially of large areas, has to be carried out only by licensed contractors under strictly controlled conditions. This involves the building of asbestos containment enclosures and the employing of independent analysts, this is both extremely costly and extremely disruptive to the departments concerned.
Current Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive advises that such asbestos should be left in situ, but subject to regular monitoring as to its condition, with any damage reported and repaired promptly. In other words the asbestos products within a building are managed in such a way as to ensure that the building whilst not asbestos free, is asbestos safe.
The University subscribes to this view and intends to follow these recommendations. Asbestos will only be removed if; it is damaged and repair is unlikely to render it safe, or; such repair is uneconomical, or; it is liable to be damaged under normal building usage, or; if proposed minor works are likely to damage it; or; major building refurbishment is to be undertaken.
Back to top
6. What is the University doing to manage the asbestos containing materials on its sites?
The Estates and Buildings Department’s Works Division are working in close harmony with the Health and Safety Department’s Occupational Hygiene Unit to ensure that best practice is followed in all aspects of asbestos management. In many cases this ‘best practice’ is superior to, and goes further than, the requirements of the Regulations and official Guidance.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations place a duty upon employers, to manage asbestos containing materials in premises they occupy so as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that premises are asbestos safe (note not asbestos free). The University has put in place a system whereby such asbestos materials will be carefully managed and buildings maintained as asbestos safe.
An Asbestos Policy and Management Plan have been produced stating how the Estates and Buildings Department intends to manage asbestos.
The Management Plan covers all aspects of asbestos management including:
-
Roles and Responsibilities
-
Identification & location of ACMs
-
Priorities for Action
-
Management Options and Timescales
-
Monitoring and Reviewing the Management Plan
-
Asbestos register
-
Training
-
Updating the asbestos register and management plan
-
Emergency Procedures
-
Work with ACMs
-
Requests for Information
Funding is being allocated annually in order that a non-destructive survey of all pre 1999 buildings on University sites can be undertaken, by independent consultants, to enable the University to:
-
compile an online Register of such materials and their specific location, which can be referenced by contractors/staff prior to future works and for ongoing management and monitoring;
-
prioritise removal of such materials, if this is deemed necessary by risk assessment;
No comments:
Post a Comment