Asbestos

Asbestos

Asbestos includes minerals belonging to the class of fibrous silicates, such as actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, chrysotile and tremolite, all of which have been identified as carcinogens of category 1A with the hazard symbol (GHS08, H350, Carc. 1A).

Asbestos fibres are hazardous to health when inhaled as dust, contributing to the development of lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestos fibres that enter the gastrointestinal tract can cause throat, stomach, small intestine or large intestine cancer. Because asbestos causes tumours and the process of tumour formation is long, it is estimated that on average it takes 30 years from a person's first exposure to a cancer agent until the disease has fully developed.

Asbestos can be found in:

• roofs (asbestos cement, roofing felt and tiles);
• walls (asbestos cement, asbestos cement tiles and panels);
• ceilings (asbestos cement tiles, sprayed asbestos, thermal insulation materials);
• the facades of buildings (exterior cladding, balcony railings, rain deflectors);
• window tiles;
• garbage chutes (asbestos cement);
• ventilation ducts (asbestos cement, seals);
• water and sewage pipes (pipes, couplings);
• electrical installations (cable ducts, insulating tapes, asbestos cardboard);
• heating equipment (thermal insulation and fire protection materials for boilers, pipes, stoves, cookers);
• floor tiles (vinyl asbestos tiles);
• the foundation (waterproofing);
• lifts (shafts, brakes);
• in metal structures (sprayed asbestos).

Asbestos is fire and weather resistant, has poor thermal, electrical and noise conductivity, relatively high tensile strength, is flexible and is resistant to bases and acids. Due to these properties, this material has been considered indispensable for many years in several industries. Asbestos has been used in industry as a thermal insulation material, in the composition of fireproof building constructions, for noise attenuation, in asbestos cement products (asbestos cement, sewerage and drainage pipes, etc.), in electrical insulation materials and in many other places. When handling asbestos and products containing it, asbestos dust is released into the environment, which due to its physical nature remains suspended in the air (does not precipitate) and constitutes particularly dangerous air pollution.

Asbestos work

Asbestos work includes the demolition, reconstruction, repair, or maintenance of buildings containing asbestos, including the removal of asbestos from buildings, machinery, equipment, or ships, and the collection, preparation for removal from the workplace, transport, and storage of asbestos waste, as well as other work during which workers may come into contact with asbestos.

Asbestos waste is handled in accordance with the regulation of the Minister of the Environment ‘Requirements for the management of waste containing asbestos’.

The most important requirements for asbestos work are:

• Before commencing work, the employer must determine whether the building contains asbestos or not. The employer obtains information from the owners of the building, other employers operating on the same site, or other sources, including relevant registers. The results of the inspection are documented. If the aforementioned information is not available, the employer ensures that the presence of asbestos-containing materials is checked before commencing work. The employer makes the information obtained during the inspection available to another employer operating on the same site upon request. If it is confirmed that workers are exposed or may be exposed to dust from asbestos or materials containing asbestos, the requirements established for asbestos work must be followed.
• Before any asbestos work, the employer must assess the nature, extent, and duration of the exposure of workers to asbestos and the resulting risk to their health as part of a risk assessment, and take appropriate preventive measures.
• As a primary measure, asbestos or materials containing asbestos should be removed from the work environment where possible in order to limit exposure to asbestos to only those workers for whom it is unavoidable (e.g., workers who identify the presence of asbestos, remove it, or encapsulate it).
• The employer is obliged to notify the Labour Inspectorate in writing or in a form that can be reproduced in writing at least seven days before the commencement of asbestos work. Information on submitting notifications and obtaining permits for asbestos work from the Labour Inspectorate is available on the Asbestos Work website of the Labour Inspectorate.
• Before commencing demolition or asbestos removal work, the employer must draw up a written work plan, which may form part of the construction site safety plan. The work plan must include:
  • a workplace diagram showing the location of equipment, including asbestos waste containers;
  • the locations and estimated quantities of asbestos or materials containing asbestos in the building to be demolished (asbestos mapping);
  • brief descriptions of work methods, including preparatory work;
  • measures to prevent the spread of asbestos dust;
  • names of personal protective equipment provided to workers;
  • measures to clean the workplace of asbestos waste and dust;
  • the organisation of the transport of asbestos waste and the name of the landfill;
  • the time of asbestos mapping and the name of the mapper.
• When performing asbestos work, the employer measures or calculates the concentration of asbestos fibres in the air based on a risk assessment at all stages of the asbestos work and after the completion of the asbestos work at the location where the asbestos work is or was performed and in the immediate vicinity of that location. After the asbestos work has been completed, the employer must continue regular measurements until the air in and around the area does not contain asbestos fibres or contains them below the limit value (0.01 fibres per cubic centimetre of inhaled air, measured or calculated as a weighted average over an eight-hour exposure period). The measurement results must be verifiably traceable within the meaning of the Metrology Act and reflect the personal exposure of the worker to asbestos dust.
• The employer arranges for workers who may come into contact with asbestos in the course of their work to receive theoretical and practical training at a refresher training institution, which must last at least eight hours and include the following:
  • introduction to occupational health and safety requirements for asbestos work;
• an overview of the harmful effects of asbestos on health and factors that increase the risk, including smoking;
  • an overview of the types of products and materials that may contain asbestos and how to identify them;
  • an overview of activities during which workers may come into contact with asbestos dust and an explanation of the importance of the measures taken to prevent this;
  • teaching how to plan asbestos work and draw up work plans;
  • instructions for action if materials containing asbestos are unexpectedly discovered or damaged during work;
  • safe working methods, protective equipment, and safety signs;
  • the purpose, range, selection, and proper use of protective equipment, in particular respiratory protective equipment;
  • overview of hygiene requirements for asbestos work;
  • decontamination;
  • waste disposal;
  • medical examinations;
  • instructions for an emergency.

Training for workers involved in the demolition of materials containing asbestos or the removal of asbestos must also cover the use of technological equipment and machinery that limits the release and spread of asbestos fibres into the working environment during the performance of work tasks. Training must be repeated to the extent necessary, particularly if the work environment has changed significantly, the worker has been absent from work for a long period of time or the worker, employer, or Labour Inspectorate deems it necessary. Workers who have completed the training will be issued a certificate, which will include an overview of the training content and the language in which the training was conducted.

• The employer arranges for medical examinations for workers performing asbestos work by an occupational health doctor before the start of exposure to asbestos dust and thereafter at times indicated by the occupational health doctor. Mandatory medical examinations include a clinical examination of the chest (X-ray examination) and a functional diagnostic examination of the lungs (spirography).
• The employer must keep a list of workers who come into contact with asbestos, which includes the name, personal identification code, description of the work tasks during which the worker comes into contact with asbestos, and the duration of each exposure to asbestos for each worker. This list may be an important document if a worker is suspected of having asbestosis or another disease caused by exposure to asbestos. The employer must keep the list for at least 40 years after the last exposure of the worker to asbestos.

Important activities that both employers and workers must be able to perform:

• assess the risk of asbestos before commencing work;
• implement the most effective safety measures in the event of asbestos exposure;
• use safe work methods;
• use and maintain personal protective equipment;
• handle asbestos waste;
• know the asbestos content in the air and the established exposure limit value.

 Reducing health risks

Asbestos work must be carried out in such a way that exposure to asbestos dust is kept to a minimum and remains below the limit value. To reduce exposure:

• limit the number of workers who may be exposed to asbestos;
• work is carried out in such a way that asbestos or materials containing asbestos are removed from the building or other object before demolition begins, unless this would increase the risk of exposure to asbestos for workers;
• when demolishing structures containing brittle asbestos or removing asbestos, the area exposed to asbestos is separated from the surrounding environment by means of a negatively pressurised hermetic zone;
• asbestos work is carried out in such a way that asbestos dust is not formed. If this is not possible, asbestos dust must be dampened, removed from the source, or settled from the air;
• prevent the transfer of asbestos from the workplace to another place by the clothing of workers or otherwise;
• ensure adequate protection of the health of workers when asbestos work is carried out in enclosed spaces;
• store and transport asbestos and materials containing asbestos in sealed packaging;
• all rooms or equipment that are used in asbestos work must be cleaned and maintained regularly.

If the exposure of workers to asbestos dust exceeds the limit value, the employer must immediately suspend work, investigate the reasons for exceeding the limit value, and take measures to eliminate them. Work may continue only if the measurement results show that the exposure to asbestos dust does not exceed the limit value. Only workers wearing personal protective equipment who are involved in resolving the situation are permitted to continue working at the workplace where the limit has been exceeded.

When working with respiratory protective equipment, workers must be provided with regular breaks during working hours, the duration and frequency of which depend on the physical strain on the worker and the work organisation.

Low-risk asbestos work

Low-risk work is defined as work in which the exposure of workers to asbestos does not exceed the established limit value of 0.01 fibres per cubic centimetre of inhaled air, measured or calculated as a weighted average over an eight-hour exposure period.

Examples of low-risk work include:

• short-term activities lasting less than four hours involving the handling of non-brittle materials in which asbestos fibres are bound together in a dense structure (e.g. asbestos cement products);
• sealing or coating materials containing asbestos in good condition;
• collecting materials for analyses necessary for checking the composition of the air or determining the asbestos content of materials.

In the case of low-risk work, the employer is not required to notify the Labour Inspectorate of the commencement of work or to draw up an asbestos work plan.