SAFETY MOMENT, SEPTEMBER 18

Know where asbestos hides

See today's safety moment How to give a safety moment

Safety moment, September 18

Asbestos is still in many older buildings, in insulation, flooring, roofing and other materials. Disturbing it can release fibers too small to see, and you can breathe them in without knowing it. Those fibers can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis, often many years later, and smoking makes the lung cancer risk worse. You cannot tell asbestos by looking at it, so if you are not sure, stop and ask.

SAFETY MOMENT

September 18

The hazard

Asbestos is still in many older buildings, in insulation, flooring, roofing and other materials. Disturbing it can release fibers too small to see, and you can breathe them in without knowing it. Those fibers can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis, often many years later, and smoking makes the lung cancer risk worse. You cannot tell asbestos by looking at it, so if you are not sure, stop and ask.

The action

In buildings constructed no later than 1980, thermal system insulation on pipes, boilers and ducts, and sprayed or troweled-on surfacing like fireproofing and acoustical plaster, are presumed to contain asbestos (29 CFR 1926.1101(b)). Asphalt and vinyl flooring installed no later than 1980 must also be considered asbestos-containing unless an industrial hygienist determines it is not (29 CFR 1926.1101(k)(1)(i) and (g)(8)(i)(I)). Wallboard, roofing, siding, mastics and gaskets can contain it too. (29 CFR 1926.1101(b))

ASK THE CREW

Who do we ask for the owner's asbestos information before we start work?

From the talk: Asbestos awareness. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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