Safety Manual & Health Topics : safe work practices for handling asbestos

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is the name given to a group of naturally occurring minerals used in certain products, such as building materials and vehicle brakes, to resist heat and corrosion. Asbestos includes chrysotile, amosite,
crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos,actinolite asbestos, and any of these materials that
have been chemically treated or altered.

What are the dangers of asbestos exposure to workers?

The inhalation of asbestos fibers by workers can cause serious diseases of the lungs and other organs that may not appear until years after the exposure has occurred. For instance, asbestosis can cause a buildup of scar-like tissue in the lungs and result in loss of lung function that often progresses to disability and death. Asbestos fibers associated with these health risks are too small to be seen with the naked eye, and smokers
are at higher risk of developing some asbestos-related diseases.

Are you being exposed to asbestos?

General industry employees may be exposed to asbestos during the manufacture of asbestos-containing products or when performing brake and clutch repairs. In the construction industry, exposure occurs when workers disturb asbestos-containing materials during the renovation or demolition of buildings. Employees in the maritime environment also may be exposed when renovating or demolishing ships constructed with asbestos-containing materials. In addition, custodial workers may be exposed through contact with deteriorating asbestos-containing materials in buildings.

Safe work practices for handling asbestos -- Source By worksafeBC.com
Asbestos Books Review

Fatal Deception : The Terrifying True Story of How Asbestos is Killing America|Asbestos and its Diseases|Asbestos: Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, and Health Effects, Second Edition|Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, Fifth Edition|Defending the Indefensible: The Global Asbestos Industry and its Fight for Survival|Pathology of Asbestos Associated Diseases|Libby, Montana: Asbestos and the Deadly Silence of an American Corporation|An Air That Kills: How the Asbestos Poisoning of Libby, Montana, Uncovered a National Scandal|Asbestos House: The Secret History of James Hardie Industries|Settled Asbestos Dust Sampling and Analysis|Asbestos Control: Surveys, Removal, and Management|Asbestos Litigation: Costs and Compensation|Asbestos And Fire: Technological Trade offs And The Body At Risk|Oh, Say Can You Die?: The Asbestos House of Death|Magic Mineral to Killer Dust: Turner & Newall and the Asbestos Hazard|Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide|Asbestos Head|Asbestos Blues: Labour, Capital, Physicians & the State in South Africa (African Issues)|Asbestos: Engineering, Management and Control|Advancements in Environmental Measurement Methods for Asbestos (Astm Special Technical Publication// Stp)