HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES
IS YOUR SITE HAUNTED BY THEGHOSTS OF CONSTRUCTION PAST?
John Crockett, Health and Safety Manager at Acorn Safety Services, explains the best ways to protect yourself and your team from the dangers of materials including asbestos, lead and anthrax which are gone, but can never be forgotten.
For people working in construction, banned materials which were once used
extensively in the past are still causing serious problems to this day.
Whether it’s asbestos or lead, both of which were commonly used in the years following the Second World War, hazardous materials can be found in many older buildings, and on construction sites, leading to a significant risk to health many decades after they were originally used.
Take anthrax for example. For centuries, lime-based plaster was reinforced using hair from horses, goats, cows and oxen. Before the start of the 20th century, when tighter controls were introduced, hair imported into the UK may well have been taken from animals infected with anthrax.
While it’s true to say the risk to workers remains low, anyone involved in construction, refurbishments, or the renovation of older properties, should be aware of the dangers, particularly if the building work is taking place on old, contaminated land.
“ASBESTOS EXPOSURE INCREASES THE RISK OF DEVELOPING MESOTHELIOMA, A CANCER OF THE LUNGS WHICH KILLS 2,500 PEOPLE IN THE UK EVERY YEAR.”
Similarly, lead paint can cause problems if it is not handled with extreme care. Lead was originally used in the pigments found in paint and primers which were widely used in homes, schools and offices during the 1960s before its use was finally banned in the 1990s. Excessive exposure can lead to a number of serious health issues including damage to the kidneys, nerves and brain.
Even medium density fibreboard (MDF) is bonded together with urea-formaldehyde which can be released into the air if the boards are cut or sanded. While the use of MDF has not been banned in the UK, the Heath and Safety Executive recommends
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that workers’ exposure to MDF dust is kept ‘as far below the Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) as is reasonably practicable.’
But by far the biggest health and safety nightmare dominating the UK is asbestos. Lurking undetected in buildings in towns and cities across the UK, including factories, offices and even schools, asbestos is a huge problem which just refuses to go away.
In some cases, the presence of asbestos isn’t detected until work on a project is underway, putting those working on the site at increased risk of developing mesothelioma, a cancer of the lungs which kills 2,500 people in the UK every year.
So, what can be done to protect workers from the ghosts of construction past?
A hazardous material survey is your first line of defence and involves taking a number of samples to check for the presence of a range of chemical or biological hazards including asbestos, lead and anthrax as well as legionella, mould and the presence of zoonosis.
Once the survey has been carried out, consultants will take the samples away and catalogue them before processing them at a laboratory such as Acorn’s in-house laboratory, which gives a definitive response to queries within 24 hours.
If a hazardous material is found, you’ll be given advice about the steps you need to take next, whether that be around PPE, how to secure your site or how it should be removed.
www.acornhealthandsafety.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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