Asbestos – The Hidden Killer

Setting The Scene 

Asbestos containing materials  were extensively used in the  construction industry from circa  1950s until the late 1980s, and  their use was not completely  banned until 2000. Any building  constructed before 2000 may  contain asbestos. This use of  asbestos has left a legacy of  potential harm to building trades,  including electricians, joiners,  plumbers, and service and  computer systems installers, who  may be called to carry out work in  these properties. Properties built  after 2000 should not contain any  asbestos containing materials,  while unaltered properties prior to  1930 are also unlikely to contain  asbestos but should still be  checked.

Asbestos – What Is It? 

Asbestos is the term used for a  range of fibrous silicates.

Three  main types were commonly used:

• blue asbestos [crocidolite]

• brown asbestos [amosite]

• white asbestos [chrysotile]

Blue asbestos is the most toxic,  followed by brown asbestos and  then white asbestos. It is common  for asbestos cement products to  be referred to as chrysotile, the  least harmful form, but this is  incorrect and all forms of  asbestos are category 1  carcinogens. Exposure to their  airborne fibres can lead to  asbestos-related disease and  death.

Why Was It Used?

 Asbestos is an extremely good  insulating and reinforcing  material, can be woven into  textiles, sprayed as a covering  layer and blended with other  materials to form composites.  Asbestos is inert so does not  break down readily – indeed, it  was because of these  properties that the  Romans used this  material. They wove  banqueting cloths which  were cleaned by throwing  into a fire afterwards.  Asbestos was also  relatively cheap.  Its main, and probably  only, downside are the  long-term deadly effects  of exposure to its fibres. It  is this inertness which  does not allow the body to  remove the fibres after inhalation  and contributes to its harmful  effects and accumulation of fibres  In the lungs.

Asbestos-Related Disease

 Asbestos-related diseases  include asbestosis, mesothelioma  and lung cancer. The inhalation of  airborne asbestos fibres into the  lung is the primary cause of this  range of fatal diseases. There is  a latent period before the  asbestos-related disease  develops. This can be as long as  50 to 60 years. Asbestos-related  disease is responsible for the  death of an average of 70 people  a year, compared to average of  14 for fatal accidents in Northern  Ireland. In other words, asbestos  kills, per annum, around five to six  times more people than workrelated  fatal incidents, including  construction.  This latent period initially masked  the effects of exposure to  airborne asbestos, but now it is  recognised for the killer it is, and  the regulatory changes in the last  decade or so reflect this.  Unfortunately, assuming no  current exposure, the incidence of  asbestos-related disease is  unlikely to decline for over a  decade due to the historic  exposures to asbestos. The  building trades and servicing are  the predominant group affected  by asbestos-related disease as  they still work in buildings which,  for historic reasons, were built  using asbestos-containing  products. The original high-risk  group of shipbuilders, insulation  contractors and manufacturers of  asbestos products have sadly  mostly passed on.

Asbestos Products 

Asbestos has been used in a  wide range of products such as  AIB [asbestos insulating board],  AIB ceiling tiles, asbestos  insulation, so-called monkey  dung, asbestos rope, and wrapround  asbestos pipe insulation,  which are examples of high risk  materials. AIB was commonly  used for items such as soffits and  firestops, and is likely to be  encountered when refurbishing,  repairing and installing plumbing,  wiring and other services. Highrisk  materials contain friable  asbestos which easily release  airborne fibres when disturbed.  Asbestos cement products such  as down pipes, corrugated  sheeting, and other composite  products such as some PVC floor  tiles, Bakelite toilet cisterns and  textured coatings are examples of  low-risk materials. The asbestos  is bound firmly in a matrix and  correct work procedures should  not release any airborne fibre.

Licensable Work 

The requirement for some  asbestos work to be licensed was  initially introduced in Asbestos  [Licensing] Regulations [NI] 1984  in recognition of the need for  stringent controls for some types  of work with asbestos,  successively amended up to the  present day.  Work with high-risk materials  requires a contractor who holds a  licence to work with asbestos,  commonly referred to as a Licensed Asbestos Removal  Contractor. All Licensable Work  must only be carried out by a  licensed asbestos removal  contractor, not only to prevent  breaches of the Control of  Asbestos Regulations [NI], but to  prevent employees and other  persons from being exposed to  asbestos dust and the  consequent health effects.

Non-Licensable Work 

Some asbestos containing lowrisk  products such as asbestos  cement, some PVC floor tiles, and  surface coatings such as Artex  can be removed or worked on by  a competent contractor following  the guidelines in Asbestos  Essentials HSG210. However, it  is important for the competent  contractor to have insurance  cover for such work and the  workforce trained and aware of  the risks when working with  asbestos containing products.  It should be noted that in some  circumstances – for example, a  fire where asbestos cement and  other asbestos composites may  have delaminated and the cement  or composite bond is degraded –  there is a potential for asbestos  fibre release. Demolition activities  where asbestos cement products  are broken up e.g. driven over by  tracked excavators, can also lead  to potential airborne fibre release.  In these cases, a licensed  asbestos removal contractor  and/or a UKAS accredited analyst  should be consulted to determine  if the work should be classified as  Licensable Work or not.

Current Standards  And What To Do

  The legacy of exposure to  airborne asbestos led to the  tightening of legislation which  initially resulted in The Control of  Asbestos at Work Regulations  [NI] 2003. These regulations, with  Regulation 4, introduced the ‘Duty  to manage asbestos in non  domestic premises’ as it was  recognised that the target group  of tradesmen were showing  evidence of airborne asbestos  exposure due to working on  asbestos containing materials  such as AIB, through drilling  holes, fixing wires, often with  power tools, hence releasing high  levels of airborne asbestos.  The Control of Asbestos  Regulations [Northern Ireland]  2007 amalgamated previous  regulations into one set of  regulations and introduced a  common control limit for all forms  of asbestos of 0.1 fibres per cubic  centimetre averaged over a  continuous period of four hours.  Domestic premises do not require  asbestos registers but the  contractor has duties under the  Health and Safety at Work [NI]  Order 1978 and should check that  asbestos containing materials are  not disturbed or the appropriate  work methodology followed.

Asbestos Registers

  The duty to manage requires duty  holders or persons in control of  non domestic premises to carry  out a full and sufficient  assessment to show where any  asbestos containing materials  are, their condition and  management plan to be updated  regularly i.e. an Asbestos  Register. The duty holder may  have to employ a competent  surveyor in preparing his register  and/or management plan.  This legislation came into effect  on 21 May 2004, nearly twelve  years ago.  No contractor should start work in  a non-domestic premises without  first seeing an up to date current  Asbestos Register/Management  Plan.  If there is no plan/register the duty  holder is in breach of the  aforementioned Regulation 4 and  could be prosecuted for the  offence as well as the contractor  who starts work in its absence.  The contractor should wait until a  suitable and sufficient Register is  available to ensure that he won’t  be disturbing any asbestos  containing materials.  If asbestos containing materials  have to be disturbed, then the  next step is to determine whether  a licensed asbestos removal  contractor has to be engaged or  that the work is non-licensable  and an appropriate work method  as indicated in ‘Asbestos  Essentials’ [HSG10 or online at  www.hse.gov.uk] can be used.  Asbestos containing materials  that are in good condition do not  have to be removed but  maintained.  Asbestos containing materials  e.g. asbestos cement roof sheet  cannot be reused after removal  but must be treated as asbestos  waste. All asbestos waste is a  special waste and must be  disposed of in a licensed landfill.

What To Do

 1 Make sure there is an up-todate  asbestos register before  starting any work.

2 Check to see if work is  Licensable or Non-Licensable.

3 If Licensable, consult with duty  holder and arrange for a licensed  asbestos removal contractor to be  engaged – list on HSENI website.

4 If non-licensable work, consult  with Asbestos Essentials for the  most appropriate work method.

5 Check with the insurance  company that you are covered for  the work with asbestos you wish  to undertake.

6 Remember work with asbestos  including low-risk non-licensable  work involves the use of PPE  personal protection equipment  including PP3 Respirators,  Coveralls type 5 and non lace  boots as well as operative training  including awareness of risks  posed by asbestos and face fit  where appropriate.

7 A UKAS accredited analyst is a  very useful source of help and  advice – list on HSENI website.

8 All asbestos waste is a special  waste must be handled, labelled  and bagged as such prior to  disposal under consignment note  at an appropriate landfill.  Consignment Notes can be  obtained from the NIEA.

Dr Rowland Jones, Asbestos  Specialist at HSENI, explained:  “Asbestos is the major cause of  work related ill health and death  amongst building tradesmen,  greatly outweighing current fatal  accidents. Following the  standards outlined above should  help eliminate this unnecessary  suffering. If poor practice or short  cuts are detected HSENI will take  appropriate enforcement action.  Therefore it is essential that  everyone plays an active part in  working to these standards.”  For information on working with  asbestos-containing materials,  please contact HSENI’s Asbestos  Advisory Service on 0800 032  0121 / e-mail: mail@hseni.gov.uk  More information is available on  the HSENI website at  www.hseni.gov.uk  For information on HSENI’s Safe  Maintenance campaign visit  www.hseni.gov.uk/safemaintenance