We all know how dangerous asbestos can be in the workplace, but we cannot always eliminate it entirely. When you are carrying out work on-site, you know that your workers are likely to encounter buildings that contain asbestos. Here, we take a look at how you can limit exposure in the workplace, and how Safety Aide can help you.
Can You See Asbestos?
You cannot see asbestos, as the fibres are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Therefore, it is important to be aware that asbestos can often be present without any identifying characteristics – practising safety and awareness is highly important to keep workers cautious, especially if they are working inside or outside of buildings that are over twenty years old. Buildings of this age are the most common places for asbestos to be present.
Where Is Asbestos Found?
As well as in buildings that are more than twenty years old, asbestos can be found in a range of common materials in the workplace. Any building or industry can be exposed to asbestos. However, effective site management can reduce the chances of this happening.
Asbestos Awareness
Many workers are not fully aware of the dangers of asbestos, or where it might be commonly found. Carrying out comprehensive asbestos awareness training for all employees can ensure that they know of these dangers. It will also educate them on the high standards that they must follow to maintain a safe working environment for everyone.
Keeping Records
When working on premises that have potential risks of asbestos, it’s important to carry out surveys beforehand, either internally or with a consultancy, in order to give information to workers on-site so that they’re aware of the risks and keep themselves and colleagues safe.
Having a paper or digital register of all of the materials that could pose asbestos risks should be accessible for all workers, which should be updated at least once a year.
How Safety Aide Can Help
To help keep yourself and your staff safe, you should make sure to undertake an asbestos awareness course. Safety Aide provides asbestos awareness training as part of our COSHH training course, and an asbestos awareness refresher training online course.
Within the scope of this, we cover important areas like effects, carrying out risk assessments, the legal framework and materials that can contain asbestos. We will also look at the importance of having an asbestos awareness policy and what procedures you should use in an emergency.
If you’d like to find out more about our asbestos training courses, please get in touch today.
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