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The UK is currently experiencing an epidemic of deaths caused by exposure to asbestos. There are at this time more deaths per year caused by asbestos related illness than road traffic accidents. To combat this, health and safety legislation has been put in place to ensure that the current generation of British workers are not put at the same risks. The law now states that any workers who are at risk of exposure to asbestos throughout the achievement of their everyday work duties must go through suitable and satisfactory Asbestos Awareness Training that is intended to make them knowledgeable of the risks presented by asbestos, and in addition, how they should react when asbestos is discovered in their workplace.

Whenever work is carried out on a building that was built prior to the year 2000 there is a risk that asbestos will be present. People most at risk from exposure are broadly catagorised as trades people. Persons who work in the plumbing, carpentry, or electricians trades are predominantly at risk due to the fact that their work often involves using power tools on surfaces that may be made with asbestos.

As far as actually working on asbestos or removing ACM’s (asbestos containing materials) from a property are concerned, there are two main classifications regarding the type of asbestos containing material that will decide if you can complete this work yourself, or if you will need to contract in a lisenced specialist. Textured coatings used on ceilings and asbestos cement can be worked on to a very limited degree by non-licensed personel although the tasks they can complete regarding these surfaces are limited to the drilling of holes, painting and repairing. Even non-lisenced personel should not undertake these tasks unless they are trained in working with asbestos, Asbestos Awareness Training is not enough. Below is a breif rundown on the different types of asbestos and where they are commonly found.

Blue Asbestos.
Sprayed pipe insulation and coatings, maybe the most hazardous method of use for asbestos of all, due to the high levels of asbestos used (upto eighty five percent). The friability of the fibres in the sprayed insulation is very high due to the loose bonding used to increase insulation. Blue asbestos is also found in preformed insulation and lagging. It is the most hazardous of all types of asbestos.

White Asbestos.
White asbestos was the most commonly used of all types of asbestos in the UK. There seems to be a common myth that white asbestos is safe to work on and that the firbres do not pose any real hazard to health, this is not the case and many deaths in the UK have been caused by white asbestos. Application for white asbestos included tile adhesives, soundproofing sheets and artificial coals or logs used in gas fires.

Brown Asbestos.
Thermal insulation boards and spraying applications, and ceiling boards. Brown asbestos is made from amosite, a sort of asbestos that was mined from the asbestos mines of south africa, hence the accronym included in its name, (”amos” part of “amosite”). Mostly used for its fire retardent properties.

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