Asbestos in the home
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are the
enforcing authority for health and safety in the home, however
Allerdale Borough Council offer the following advice regarding
asbestos in the home.
There are many uses of asbestos to be found
within and around the home, mostly commonly in the form of asbestos
cement products. It can be found in the home as:
- Flat or corrugated sheets used mainly for
garages and sheds;
- Cold water storage tanks;
- External rainwater pipes and guttering;
- Soffit and 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.
Asbestos cement products in good condition
present no health hazard. If the material is in good condition and
is unlikely to be damaged, it should be left in place and monitored
to ensure its continuing safety.
It is when the material becomes damaged, broken
or when worked upon, e.g. drilling, sanding or sawing, asbestos
fibres will be released. Breathing in air containing asbestos dust
can lead to asbestos-related diseases.
Painting asbestos cement materials inside the
home can help to seal the material and prevent damage and fibres
being released, using an alkali resistant primer or coating. Never
rub down the asbestos before painting, this will release asbestos
fibres, and if the asbestos cement product has been fitted for fire
protection a fire retardant paint should be used.
Small quantities of asbestos cement may be
removed safely by yourself providing you follow the guidance
below:-
- The work
should be carried out so that it does
not create unnecessary
dust. Keep the material wet where possible.
- Try to remove the sheets in single pieces
and avoid smashing/breaking up the sheets or
using powered cutting equipment.
- Keep the work area clean
and tidy. Take care to prevent
the spread of contamination
and waste accumulating. Clean by washing
down.
- Waste should be double bagged in heavy duty polythene
bags. Larger pieces of
asbestos cement, including whole sheets, should
not be broken or cut for
disposal into plastic sacks, instead they should be wrapped
in sheet plastic or other
suitable material. The waste should be clearly
labelled as asbestos.
- The Council can collect and dispose of the asbestos sheeting,
however a charge will be made for this
service. Please contact the Cleansing Unit
on (01900) 607900 for further information.
Alternatively, waste can be taken to the Civic Amenity Sites at
Workington, Maryport or Wigton. These sites will
accept a maximum of 5 bags (double bagged).
- It is advisable that disposable coveralls
are worn and disposed of along
with the waste. Nuisance dust
masks may be of benefit due to the general nature of the
operation.
- Personal hygiene
is important. Ensure no-one
smokes whilst doing the
work. Hands and face should be thoroughly
washed before eating, drinking or smoking and on finishing work a
thorough washing is required.
Finally, asbestos sheeting cannot support a persons weight,
therefore care should be observed that no-one falls from a
height.