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Asbestos is a substance that can have potentially fatal health effects.
While asbestos is now banned from use it was a component of thousands of
different products used in the community and industry from the 1940s
until the late 1980s.
Disturbed or broken asbestos products or materials can release minute
asbestos fibres that once airborne are capable of being inhaled deep
into a person's lungs.
These respirable fibres are a major health hazard and the adverse health
effects, such as lung cancer, can take decades to become apparent. The
lack of immediate health effects has often meant that victims are
unaware of the dangers they are exposed to which means that exposure to
the hazard can continue over a long period causing serious health
effects.
It has been used in more than 3,000 different construction materials and
manufactured products. It is commonly found in heating system
insulation, decorative spray-on ceiling treatments, vinyl flooring,
cement shake siding and a variety of additional materials. Some
asbestos-containing materials were still being installed into the late
1980s.
All types of asbestos tend to break into very tiny fibres. These
individual fibres are so small that many must be identified using a
microscope. In fact, some individual fibres may be up to 700 times
smaller than a human hair. Because asbestos fibres are so small, once
released into the air, they may stay suspended there for hours or even
days.
Asbestos fibres are also virtually indestructible. They are resistant to
chemicals and heat, and they are very stable in the environment. They do
not evaporate into air or dissolve in water, and they are not broken
down over time. Asbestos is probably the best insulator known to man.
Usually asbestos is mixed with other materials to actually form the
products. Floor tiles, for example, may contain only a small percentage
of asbestos. The asbestos content of different materials varies
according to the product and how it is used. Among those materials with
higher concentrations of asbestos are insulation products on heating
systems and the backing on sheet vinyl flooring. However, an
uncontrolled disturbance of any asbestos-containing material in any
concentration may be dangerous to your health!
Due to the serious health risks associated with asbestos it is essential
that exposure to it is effectively managed.
Types
of asbestos
Asbestos is commonly referred to by three types:
● chrysotile
("white" asbestos - belonging to the serpentine group)
● crocidolite
("blue" asbestos - belonging to the amphibole group)
● amosite
("brown" or "grey" asbestos - belonging to the amphibole group)
Under the law, asbestos-containing materials (ACM's) are divided into
two types:
This includes Bonded asbestos & Friable asbestos
Bonded asbestos
Bonded asbestos can be found in products such as asbestos cement
sheeting commonly used in building materials between 1940s to the late
1980s.
Other bonded asbestos products include:
● profiled
sheets used on roofs and walls and flat sheets in flashings
● imitation
brick cladding
● roof
shingles
● water or
flue pipes
● plaster
patching compounds
● textured
paint
● vinyl floor
tiles
● friction
products such as brake shoes, disc pads, clutch housings or elevator
brakes.
From 1 July 2006, removal of 10m 2 or more of bonded asbestos can only
be done by a holder of a new 'B' class licence.
'B' class licences are issued to applicants who can demonstrate they are
familiar with the practices and procedures for removing bonded asbestos
set out in the asbestos removal code.
Competency can be demonstrated by:
●
producing a certificate for asbestos removal work issued under the
Workplace Health and
Safety Regulation 1997
before 1 February 2002
●
producing a statement of attainment issued by a registered training
organisation for a
coursewhich covers
competencies for the removal of bonded asbestos material as set out
in Code of Practice for
the Safe Removal of Asbestos 2nd Edition [NOHSC:2002(2005)]
●
passing an exam assessed by an authorised accredited provider or
registered training
organisation.
A person who removes less than 10m 2 of bonded asbestos material does
not require a licence, however, that person must be competent and comply
with the practices procedures and requirements set out in the asbestos
removal code.
Friable asbestos
Friable asbestos is easily crumbled or reduced to powder by hand.
Common forms of friable asbestos materials include:
●
sprayed on fireproofing/soundproofing/thermal insulation
●
acoustic plaster soundproofing
●
thermal insulation (not sprayed on).
Currently, under the law, all friable asbestos removal work can only be
done:
●
by certified asbestos removalists who hold a licence to perform
asbestos removal work
●
as set out in the asbestos removal code.
From 1 July 2006 removal of any friable asbestos can only be done by a
holder of a new 'A' class licence or a current certificate to perform
Where is asbestos found?
Materials that contain asbestos can be found in buildings, workplaces
and dwellings built before 1990. Even in buildings, workplaces and
dwellings built after 1990 it is possible that second hand items
installed within them can contain asbestos. Asbestos can also be found
in products or materials, for example brake disc pads.
It is often very difficult to identify the presence of asbestos by
sight. The only way to be certain is to have a sample of the material
analysed by a laboratory.
Where materials are not tested you can presume that something contains
asbestos and treat it as such. For example, if there is reliable
manufacturer information on a product, a label stating something
contains asbestos, or if it is a product of a type and age that
typically contains asbestos you can presume it contains asbestos.
Workplaces
Asbestos was used in a variety of workplaces from the 1940s up until the
late 1980s when the dangers to health due to exposure became more widely
acknowledged. Asbestos is found in asbestos cement sheeting, as an
insulator on pipes and in buildings, as a fire retardant in textiles and
as a filtering material in the chemical and food industries.
Dwellings
In Queensland from 1940 until the late 1980s bonded asbestos was
commonly used in the manufacture of asbestos-cement corrugated and flat
sheets (fibro) for roofing and walls. Undisturbed or painted fibro does
not pose a health risk.
Thermal or acoustic insulation used in homes may have also contained
friable asbestos, the easily crumbled form of asbestos that can be
reduced to powder by hand.
Friable asbestos is extremely dangerous and must only be removed by a
certified asbestos removalist (holding either a current licence for
asbestos removal work issued between 1 February 2002 and 31 December
2005 or an 'A' class licence for asbestos removal work issued from 1
January 2006 ).
smartroofing@optusnet.com.au
Copyright Smart Roofing 2006136 Ashgrove Av Ashgrove QLD 4060
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