17 Feb All About Asbestos

There are many types of employee safety training classes offered at Creation World Safety. In addition to courses regarding the operation of utilities (such as forklift safety, welding safety, etc.) and more day-to-day forms of safety (such as CPR and back safety) we also offer safety training courses for dealing with hazardous materials. One example is our Asbestos Safety Course.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos refers to a group of six naturally occurring mineral fibers: chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite. These fibers can be broken down into two different classification groups:

• Serpentine – referring to chrysotile (a white asbestos).
• Amphibole – referring to anthophyllite and amosite (brown or gray asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), tremolite, and actinolite.

For many years asbestos was thought of as a versatile, useful mineral because of its inherent strength, flexibility, affordability, and its high insulation from electricity and heat exposure. As a result, it was used in many industries, particularly in construction and the manufacturing of commercial products.

Nowadays, though, asbestos’ harmful effects have been recognized, thus causing health and safety organizations to insist upon firm regulations and safety requirements for corporations that still utilize it.

The Presence

As mentioned, asbestos can be found in many places because of its former heavy use in industry. In terms of exposure, there are two kinds of “Asbestos Containing Materials” (ACMs) to be on the look out for—friable and non-friable.

Non-friable ACMs are more common. These are forms of asbestos that have been mixed into other materials such as cement, making them more solidified and grounded in one place. Meanwhile, friable ACMs refer to the kind of asbestos that has a greater potential for becoming airborne. While different in state, exposure to both these forms of asbestos poses risks to your health.

Health Risks

Inhaling asbestos can lead to serious illnesses. Just to name a few, some of the conditions that asbestos might cause include:

• Lung Cancer
• Mesothelioma
• Asbestosis (a form of Pneumoconiosis)

Moreover, according to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, “all levels of asbestos exposure studied to date have demonstrated asbestos-related disease […] there is no level of exposure below which clinical effects do not occur.”

Safety Precautions

Because of asbestos’ high-level of associated hazard, its trade and use have been banned and restricted in many regions. However, some countries like the United States still import asbestos minerals for certain commercial products.

Therefore, OSHA has many regulations in place to protect workers from asbestos. The different levels of OSHA’s restrictions depend upon the threat of exposure in any given environment. But the standard across the board is a strict adherence to safety no matter what type of asbestos or industry it is present in.

At Creation World Safety, we want to help make your corporation and employees safer. So to get the best asbestos safety training around, contact us today at either info@creationsafety.com or (310) 538-1297 and learn more about our services. You’ll be glad you did!