2020 looms large and one good thing you can plan for your employees is to ensure their safety at work, particularly from risks of asbestos, with a fresh asbestos surveying effort. Asbestos has a direct impact on health and health is related to efficiency. A survey can be revealing and an eye-opener to the risk of asbestos, its effect on employees and how you can take steps to keep employees safe in the next year and beyond.
Work risk exposures
Work, especially in the industrial environment, is conjoined with risks. Risks exist in the environment in which an employee works. Risk is related to the nature of duties and the materials as well as the process in use. You can mitigate risks related to machinery, process, and materials. However, if asbestos is present it is obvious in some cases and hidden in others but the risk to workers is present. You can control this unnecessary risk but in order to do that, you need to conduct asbestos surveying by a properly licensed professional. This is the first step to reducing a bit of risk present in your environment. Risks, it must be said, have a biological impact, a physical impact and psychological impact too. If your employees know asbestos is present but that nothing is being done to minimize or contain the risk they are surely going to feel unsafe. You can at least remove this apprehension by taking the first step which is a survey of asbestos present in your premises.
A survey is the starting point to containment or removal
If asbestos is present in the place of your business you are primarily responsible to ensure it does not pose a threat. Health and Safety at Work mandate that employers must carry out a survey, get an asbestos survey report and then prepare an asbestos management plan and register as well as make efforts for asbestos removal.
A typical survey carried out by an expert delivers the following output
Identification of asbestos and its types
Some asbestos types present a higher risk due to the physical composition of the mineral and also its chemical composition. To the common man, one asbestos type looks very much like another but it takes an expert to recognize asbestos.
The present condition of asbestos in your premises
A survey shows asbestos present in its natural friable or loses state. Loose asbestos finds use as insulation around thermal devices and as insulation material in walls. This is a high-risk type.
Asbestos is present in the form of compounded asbestos materials like roofing sheets, walls, flooring, plasters, guttering, and pipes. Asbestos is safe in such a form but not when the compounded material has deteriorated due to age and weathering. In such cases, asbestos can disperse in the air and pose a threat.
Location and amount of asbestos
Surveys show the type of asbestos, location in the premises and the amount of each time.
Decision-making time
The asbestos survey report then becomes the basis for taking action and decisions. If it is present in small amounts and removal is easy then you can decide to take action for safe asbestos removal and remove a hanging sword. If it is present in substantial quantities you can prepare a plan to contain the asbestos and nullify the hazard. The starting point is asbestos surveying and your employees will thank you for it.
