eLCOSH Hazard Alert: Asbestos Exposure Risk in Construction

Read the report from the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (eLCOSH), which includes protection tips for the construction industry to avoid the risk of exposure to asbestos.

Any building built before 1980 can have asbestos in the insulation, fireproofing, floors, walls, or roof. Newer buildings can have asbestos in the roof or floors. If you do not know if there is asbestos in a building (or road), OSHA says you must act as if there is asbestos.

• Before you disturb asbestos (loosen the fibers), you must have special training. This is what OSHA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say. Your employer must pay for your training. The training takes from 1 to 4 days. In some cases, you must get more training each year.

• Where there is asbestos work, there should be a "competent person," as defined by OSHA, to answer your questions. The competent person should know the requirements for personal protection and inspect the job regularly.

• If you disturb or remove asbestos, you must wear at least a half-face respirator with N-, R-, or P-100 (HEPA) cartridges. The cartridges are magenta (red-purple). OSHA says you must use the respirator, except in some cases, like some roofing and flooring work. Ask the competent person if you have the protection you need.

• Even if you wear a respirator, try to reduce the asbestos in the air. OSHA and EPA say you must keep the asbestos wet. Vacuum the dust using special HEPA vacuums, which can capture very small fibers. Right away, collect and close all waste in special bags to hold asbestos.

• Do not eat, drink, or smoke in an asbestos work area. Clean your hands and face before you eat, drink, or smoke.

• Family members of construction workers have died of asbestos disease. They got sick from asbestos taken home on a worker's clothes or shoes. So, leave your work clothes and shoes at work and wash them at work. Or use throw-away work clothes. If you do asbestos abatement, OSHA says you must shower before you leave work.

• If you have been exposed to asbestos on the job, go to a doctor who knows about work-related diseases or lung diseases. Tell the doctor you have worked around asbestos. Ask the doctor when you should be checked again.

• Both asbestos and smoking can cause lung cancer. So, if you smoke, quit.

Other helpful links:

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