Asbestos Awareness training half day course

Exposure to damaged or disturbed asbestos can be fatal – are you asbestos aware?

 

We offer an excellent course which will provide this awareness and reduce the risks associated with exposure to damaged or disturbed asbestos!

(there are pictures of only a few asbestos containing materials here, but there are many construction and other materials that contain asbestos, being aware will keep you and others safe)

 

(Asbestos containing suspended ceiling – you could disturb this by changing the light)

Regulation 10 of the  Asbestos Control at Work Regulations 2012, place a legal duty on employers to provide information, instruction and training to employees who may, through the process of carrying out their work, be exposed to the release of asbestos fibres.  If an employer fails to provide this training they may be prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI). And quite rightly so, as exposure to released asbestos fibres can cause very serious health conditions and potential fatalities.

According to HSE statistics 2595 workers died from mesothelioma in 2016 and a similar number over the same period died of asbestos related cancers.  That is over 5000 workers every year dying because they have been exposed to asbestos fibres. Statistics also show that those numbers are similar to the previous four years. Over the past fifty years the numbers of asbestos related deaths have escalated it will be many years before the numbers are expected to reduce, so we need to make sure you do not add to those statistics.

(flooring containing asbestos – lifting this flooring and breaking tiles will release fibres)

The use of Asbestos containing materials (ACM’s) has been banned in the United Kingdom since November 1999.  That means that any domestic or commercial building built before then, may have asbestos containing materials in them. (are you aware of where they may be hiding in your workplace of home?).  These materials could be hiding may places in your home or workplace and you need to be aware of where those places might be.

(texture covered ceilings – installing a light fitting will expose the worker to released asbestos fibres)

Here are a sample of professions where there is a high risk of exposure to Asbestos Containing Materials;

General maintenance workers

Electricians

Plumbers

Joiners

Painters and decorators

Plasterers

Construction workers

Roofers

Shop fitters

Flooring contractors

Gas fitters

Heating and ventilation engineers

Demolition workers

Telecommunication engineers

Fire/burglar alarm installers

Computer and data installers

Architects

Building surveyors

and others

Information, instruction and training for asbestos awareness is intended to give workers and supervisors the information they need to avoid work that may disturb asbestos during any normal work which could disturb the fabric of a building, or other item which might contain asbestos. It will not prepare workers, or self-employed contractors, to carry out work with asbestos-containing materials. If a worker is planning to carry out work that will disturb ACMs, further information, instruction and training will be needed.

Course content

• What is Asbestos?
• The health effects of exposure to asbestos
• Uses and occurrence of asbestos containing material
• Legislation
• Work with asbestos including emergencies
• How to avoid risks
• Surveys and air monitoring
• Respiratory Protective Equipment and Personal Protective Equipment
• Waste disposal

Provision of this essential training will save lives and reduce the numbers of people affected in the future.  The harmful effects of breathing in asbestos fibres are recorded from as far back as 3000 years BC. Let’s play our role in reducing the risk and keep workers safe at work. One more life lost is one too many!

Stay safe!