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Established in 1968 by the Constituent Parties

The Electrical Contractors’ Association and Unite the Union

BULLETIN FOR ELECTRICAL EMPLOYEES

Do not look away now – what you are about toread is as important as it gets for everyprofessional electrician…previous exposure toasbestos kills six electricians every week (that’severy week, not every year). So, do all electriciansknow how to work safely around this material?Too often, the fatal answer is still “no”.

Recently, the HSE kicked off a major campaign tohelp protect trade professionals from exposure toasbestos. While the information is aimed directlyat employees, it also underlines employers’responsibilities in this crucially important area andprovides excellent background to asbestosawareness activity such as ‘toolbox talks’.

Both ECA and Unite fully support the HSEcampaign - protecting employees from asbestoscontinues to be a central theme of the ECA’s‘ZAP’ initiative, which, working with Unite, hassignificantly raised the profile of health and safetyin our industry.

Some locations that commonly contain asbestosmaterials are:

• ceiling tiles;

• coating on ceilings, walls and stairwells(textured coatings);

• sprayed coating on ducts, pipes and someceilings;

• boards around radiators, windows,fireplaces, columns and pillars;

• inside fire doors;

• soffit boards;

• pipe insulation;

• sealants on pipe joints, gaskets;

• fuse boxes (e.g. flash pads); and

• electrical switchgear

Essential asbestos advice for all electricians

In this bulletin

Essential asbestos advice for all electricians 1 Did you know that by law, your employer must consult you about relevant health and 3 safety matters?

If asbestos is not damaged or it is locatedsomewhere where it cannot be easily damaged itdoesn’t present a significant health risk – it isexposure to the fibres that can kill. Employersshould tell employees if there is risk of exposure toasbestos and by law there should be an ‘asbestosregister’ for workplace buildings – employers andemployees should ask to see this.

Most electricians will work in the vicinity of asbestosin their career, but there is extra risk when:

• working on an unfamiliar site

• the building pre-dates 2000

• asbestos-containing materials are notidentified before the job starts

• asbestos-containing materials are identifiedbut this is not passed on by those in chargeto those actually doing the work

• electricians don’t know how to recogniseasbestos or how to work safely if asbestosis about, or

• they put themselves and others at risk bynot taking proper precautions, perhaps to‘save time’ or because no one else isrequiring or following proper procedures.

So, what should electricians do?

• Firstly, don’t start work if you haven’t beentrained to work safely with or close toasbestos or if the asbestos materials youhave encountered are sprayed coatings,board or insulation and lagging on pipesand boilers – only licensed contractorsshould work on these.

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• Stop and ask if you are suspicioussomething may be asbestos or you feel it isbeyond your ability to deal with safely. If youneed to stop work, seek advice from youremployer or if need be, your unionrepresentative or the HSE.

• You should only continue to work if you havehad training in asbestos-related work, thework has been properly planned and properprecautions are in place (e.g. you have theright protective equipment); and thematerials are asbestos cement, texturedcoatings and certain other materials (seeHSE’s ‘Asbestos essentials’ web pages) thatdo not need an asbestos licence.

More specifically, there is a lot you should do tohelp protect yourself from harmful exposure toasbestos fibres:

• Follow the plan of work and any task sheetsprovided (e.g. your employer’s or HSE tasksheets on its website)

• Use hand tools – not power tools

• Keep materials damp – but not too wet

• Wear a properly fitted and suitable respirator(e.g. disposable FFP3 type) - an ordinarydust mask will not be effective

• Wear suitable disposable overalls (e.g.‘Type 5’) and if need be, boots without lacesor disposable boot covers

• Clean up as you go – but use a specialvacuum cleaner (‘class H’), not a brush

• Double-bag any asbestos waste, label thebags and make sure you follow a procedurethat sends bags to an appropriate waste site

• Wash before breaks and going home - whenyou finish work wipe down your overalls witha damp rag and remove them beforeremoving your mask

• Don’t take asbestos into your car or homeand don’t take overalls home (fibres fromhome washing have even killed familymembers)

• Don’t smoke, eat or drink in the work area(remember, it is illegal to smoke in anyworkplace, and a huge extra risk if asbestosis about*).

* Bear in mind that smoking, even when it’s away

from the job, greatly increases the risk of manyillnesses, but particularly the lung diseasesassociated with asbestos exposure. Asbestos training Contractors must, by law, provide a mix ofasbestos awareness and job-specific trainingto employees, sometimes called ‘non-licensedasbestos training’ covering:

• asbestos health risks;

• where to find it and what it looks like;

• safe work methods to control exposure;

• how to use and fit a face mask;

• how to deal safely and practically withasbestos waste; and

• how to clean up/decontaminate. Employers and employees need to work safelytogether to ensure that electricians are nolonger killed by exposure to asbestos - when itcomes to protecting electricians’ health atwork, preventing exposure to asbestos is topof the list. Sources of useful advice from HSE:

• * The ‘Hidden Killer’ asbestos campaignwebsite at:www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/handling.htm

• HSE’s asbestos web pages: atwww.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htminclude free ‘Asbestos essentials’ task sheetsand leaflets. Asbestos essentials providesguidance for maintenance workers on arange of tasks with asbestos that do notneed a licence.

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Did you know that by law, your

employer must consult you about relevant health and safety matters? It’s true! So, expect to be advised and asked foryour input on:

• changes that may substantially affect yourhealth and safety. These changes mayinclude:

o new or different procedures o types of work o equipment o premises o ways of working (for example, new

shift patterns); • your company’s arrangements for getting

competent people to help comply withhealth and safety law. For example,appointing a health and safety manager ora regular consultant.

• the likely risks in your work and theprecautions you should take.

• the best way for health and safetyinformation to be shared (taking intoaccount language, literacy and learningdisabilities if need be).

• planning health and safety training, and • the health and safety consequences of

introducing new technology. ‘Consultation’ means that the employer must keepyou advised, and ask for your views, about theseissues. They should also give you feedback indue course. If you have a view or suggestion,your employer must consider it. Good employersknow it is in their best interests to activelyconsider all constructive inputs from employees.But, depending on the circumstances, employersare not obliged to act on every suggestion theyreceive. You can find a free leaflet about health and safety consultation at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg232.pdf Editors: Paul Reeve ECA Rob Miguel Unite