Asbestos Awareness

What is it?
Asbestos is a general term for a number of silicates of iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium and aluminium, which appear naturally in fibrous form. Of six basic forms, Chrysotile (White), Amosite (Brown), Crocidolite (Blue), are the most common, with fibrous anthophyllite, actinolite and tremolite not extensively encountered in the UK. Any mixture containing any of these minerals, may also be encountered and are subject to similar control. Colour should not be relied upon for identification purposes.

Where is it likely to be found?
During the twentieth century particularly in the seventies to mid eighties, Asbestos was extensively used in a number of applications due to it's ability to resist fire, acid and heat. It is also extremely hard wearing. It is typically found in use as fire or heat resistant panels, exhausts, gaskets and pipe lagging, sound insulation, arc arrestors or flash guards in fuse and switch-gear, brake shoes or pads, ducts & joint boxes, ceiling and floor tiles, decorative treatments to walls and ceiling including "Artex" type finishes.

How do I know if it's Asbestos?
The only way you can tell for sure is by analysis under a microscope. If in doubt ask for the dust or fibres to be analysed.

What are the risks to health?
Should the condition of any Asbestos deteriorate through wear & tear, fibres can become airborne and could be inhaled. A single fibre if logged in the lungs has been known to lead to diseases such as Asbestosis, pleural plaques or thickening, lung cancer and Mesothelioma, both of which are terminal.

What are the time-scales?
Asbestos related diseases usually develop sometime between 10 and 50 years following exposure.

What can be done about it?
Ideally the only safe form of Asbestos is no Asbestos. Although this would mean that all existing Asbestos is removed by Licensed operators to registered land-fill sites. However, in addition to the costs involved, the risks during removal & transportation, the vast areas which will be required for the landfills, do not make this realistic in the short term.

Where can I find out more?
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations have been revised several times since their introduction and are due for further review this year. Companies have their own guidance for instance BT's ISIS documents SFY/LAP/B055-B060 & SFY/CSP/B071 and Post Office also refer.

Asbestos Records in BT

Links:
Occupational & Environmental Diseases Association
The British Asbestos Newsletter TUC calls for tougher EU laws on asbestos exposures: www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-4233-f0.cfm#euasbestos37

The European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee today voted to cut in half the maximum exposure for asbestos proposed by the European Commission in its new Asbestos Directive. www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-4599-f0.cfm

The TUC welcomes MEPs' 'toughest approach yet' to asbestos. Responding to the European Parliament vote on asbestos (11 April 2002), TUC General Secretary John Monks said:
"The European Parliament has taken a major step forward in proposing the toughest controls yet on asbestos. A public register of asbestos in public buildings has been a trade union demand for many years, and it is the best way to protect repair, removal and renovation workers from the fatal fibre." See www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-4731-f0.cfm

Centre for Asbestos Safety in the Workplace
The epidemic of chronic diseases caused by asbestos has been called "the worst workplace tragedy in American history."
This site is a resource for anybody who has worked with or near asbestos in the past or who works near asbestos today. Retired workers need to know about who might have been exposed, the health effects of asbestos, and what they can do if they become ill. Today's workers need to know how to protect themselves, their families, and their co-workers from the effects of asbestos.
www.mesothelioma-mesothelioma.org

October 2004 Update
Asbestos Card (see below). BT employees the length and breadth of the country are about to be issued with a special wallet-sized information card about the danger of asbestos.

The credit card-sized warning, drafted by the BT unions London health and safety committee in partnership with BT Field Services, will be delivered with the October issue of BT Today to mark European Health & Safety week.

London City West branch health and safety co-ordinator Barry Gapes, urged members to watch out for the card - and then to keep it safe for their own protection.

To contact the department: healthandsafety@cwu.org

 

Asbestos warning card

BT employees the length and breadth of the country are about to be issued with a special wallet-sized information card about the danger of asbestos.

The credit card-sized warning, drafted by the BT unions London health and safety committee in partnership with BT Field Services, will be delivered with the October issue of BT Today to mark European Health & Safety week.

London City West branch health and safety co-ordinator Barry Gapes, urged members to watch out for the card - and then to keep it safe for their own protection.

Asbestos Information Card
Barry Gapes of CWU London City West branch, who co-ordinated the CWU London's drafting of the Asbestos Information Card along with BT Safety manager Eddie Connell, as part of a joint initiative for European Health & Safety Week said:
 
"This started as a idea coming out of a local joint Health & Safety Consultative meeting for BT Retail Field Service engineers in London & East Anglia but due to interest in other parts of the country & Lines of Business within BT has snowballed so that it is being issued to all BT people via the normal BT Today mailing. We have also had interest from outside BT such as RoMEC engineers."
 
"There are no substances used in construction more dangerous than Asbestos, which currently kills between 4000-5000 people a year in the UK."
 
"We wanted something that would get the message across of the dangers of where Asbestos is likely to be found, how to avoid exposure to it and also could easily be kept for future reference. We felt that this was most likely as something credit/debit card sized. We would encourage our members keep an eye out for it accompanying BT Today, to read the attached sheet and to remove the card to keep in their wallet, purses or filo-faxes, as it could be in their and their families long term interest."
 
" We're delighted to have taken part in a partnership initiative with BT which could help prevent any of a members being exposed to Asbestos in the future. This card is just one small step towards that aim and we look forward to other similar joint initiatives on this and other Health, Safety, Welfare & Environment issues in the future."