How Do You Recognize Asbestos?
It is usually hard to tell if a material contains asbestos. You just can't look at a ceiling tile or the insulation wrapped around a pipe and decide if it contains asbestos or not.
Products that contain asbestos are most often not labeled. Getting information from the manufacturer can be difficult, especially if the material is old and you don't know where it came from.
If you have doubts, the safest thing to do is assume that the material does contain asbestos. This doesn't always mean it's dangerous, asbestos isn't a health hazard until fibers are being released. By the time symptoms appear lung cancer may have already spread to other parts of the body. If you have asbestosis- a disease which cannot be cured, you may not be aware of the symptoms for years! Prevention is the only way to stay healthy.
Protecting Workers Against Exposure
The federal government has been regulating asbestos for years now, and most states have their own programs too. The EPA and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have taken an active role in protecting workers from asbestos.
In 1989 the EPA banned asbestos products. There are state and federal regulations governing the way asbestos is handled, repaired or removed. You can find out more information from OSHA which has regional offices around the country.
What Should You Do at Work:
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| Wear protective clothing, shower at the end of your shift, and change before going home. Work clothes should be cleaned by a company that specializes in asbestos contamination. |
| Don't eat or drink while you are working. |
| Do not smoke. Asbestos workers who smoke have up to 90 times the chance of dying of lung cancer. |
| When you take a break, wash your hands thoroughly before you tough anything you put into your mouth. Store food and belongings away from work areas in a closed space where dust can't settle on them. |
| Pay attention to the work practices your employer teaches you. They make sense even if they seem like trouble to carry out. |
| Use a special respirator for certain jobs. Ordinary dust masks are not enough protection. You may need special gloves, disposable too. |
| Don't clean brake assemblies or drums with compressed air-use an enclosed vacuum system with a box that fits around the brake assembly. Never grind brake linings. You can do the job with slow lathe-turning and produce less dust. |
| Asbestos containing material that is wet is usually safer to work with than dry, crumbling material. Just spraying water on something doesn't make it safe. You need to know when and how to do it. |
| Don't let other people who are not wearing protective clothing or other devices into your work area. |
| Clean up carefully after the job is finished. Don't track dust around, or leave it behind. |
| Transporting and disposing of asbestos waste should only be done by a person trained in how to handle it. |
| If you notice damage to materials you think might contain asbestos, report it to your supervisor right away. Don't try to repair or clean anything that is damaged, that contains asbestos, unless you have been trained in how to do it. |
| If your employer or union representatives don't correct problems that you report, you can ask OSHA to investigate. You can also contact the Asbestos coordinator in your EPA Regional Office. |
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