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.