Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Asbestos And Environmental Services

By Darren Johnson McLennon

It is frequently the case when demolishing a tired building that you will find Asbestos present. Due to the dangerous nature of Asbestos fibres and the harm that they can cause, it is necessary to isolate the asbestos and remove it from the site without releasing any fibres into the atmosphere.

Most demolition companies will therefore have an environmental division to take care of this process without affecting the surroundings of the building. It is extremely important to comply with all legislations regarding asbestos because of how potentially hazardous it is.

When Asbestos is found on the premises, it has to be isolated within a sealed area. Specially trained personnel wearing suitable protection as well as an air supply will then safely remove the asbestos into sealed bags ready for disposal off site. This can be a time consuming job as it is important to contain the Asbestos fibres completely. Once the area is clear of all traces of Asbestos material then the rest of the demolition process can continue.

It is of the utmost importance that before work commences on a building, an extensive survey of the site is carried out to locate any asbestos that may be present. This is extremely important as it could be potentially life-threatening to simply stumble across asbestos during a demolition process, as well as considerably increasing the time required to complete the job.

Although it is dangerous, asbestos is still present in a variety of buildings including hospitals, homes and schools. Its most common locations are in walls, ceilings and there may be some lagging around steam pipes. Because of its dangerous nature its use has sharply declined in recent years and there are strict regulations in place to stop it being used to the point where it is dangerous.

Discovery of asbestos in a building often causes alarm among people living and working in it. Usually this alarm is not justified. Providing the asbestos is well maintained and preferably covered by an impermeable layer of paint or other material so that it is not releasing dust, it does not present any hazard to health. It is only the inhalation of loose asbestos fibres which causes disease.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment