How to Remove Asbestos? While it is recommended that you hire a licensed asbestos removal expert, or asbestos removal companies. It is possible to do this yourself. Of course, you will need to check with the local authority to see if this is legal in your area. If you are going to do this yourself, you need to take certain steps to removing asbestos safely.
How to Remove Asbestos:
1. Consider A Training Course
Before you look at removing the asbestos, you should consider completing a training course. There are many courses that will teach you how to safely remove asbestos from your home. These courses will also help you understand how to handle the asbestos to ensure that it does not become a danger to others.
2. Cover Up
When removing asbestos safely, you need to wear the appropriate clothing. The clothing you need will have to match the standards for approved PPE or personal protection equipment. This equipment will include a respirator mask that has been recommended for working in asbestos areas.
The mask will need to have two straps that secure it. This is important because you do not want gaps where the asbestos can enter. You will also need to wear disposable coveralls that have a hood along with goggles, glove and a hat.
3. Do Not Use Power Tools
When you remove the asbestos, you must not use any power tools to do this. While these tools may make the task easier, they will release the asbestos fibres. This needs to be avoided because the release of the fibres is what causes the damage to the lungs.
It is also important that you not waterblast or scrub the asbestos. If you do waterblast or scrub the asbestos with a stiff broom, you will need to call a licensed removal expert immediately. This will cause deterioration in the material and will increase the damage that could potentially occur.
4. Let People Know
If there are other people in the area around where you are working, you need to let them know what you are going to do. This should be done well in advance to allow them time to make sufficient plans. It is best that other people are not in the area as they might be affected by the removal.
5. Prepare The Area Correctly
If you are working outdoors, you will need to lay a plastic sheet under the area where you are working. This will stop any asbestos contaminating the ground. The sheets must not be re-used after this work. You will also need to close the windows and doors to the property and seal any vents to prevent dust from getting inside. You should ask any neighbours to do the same.
If you are working indoors, you will need to seal off the work area to prevent dust contamination in other areas of the property. You also need to tape plastic to the floor, cover any vents and remove the soft furnishings from the room. This will limit the potential contamination from asbestos dust.
6. Cleaning Up
Once you have removed the asbestos from the building, you need to safely clean it up and transport it. You should stack the asbestos in plastic sheets which are then double wrapped and taped. This should be done in the work area and you should not move unwrapped asbestos around. The plastic will need to be clearly labelled as asbestos waste.
When you are stacking the asbestos material in the plastic sheets, you should not rub one sheet against the other. This will cause the fibres to be released and you need to avoid this at all costs. You should also never leave the asbestos sheets lying around the work area and remove them in the plastic wrapping immediately.
After removing asbestos safely, you need to clean everything in the work area. You need to ensure that all dust has been removed from tools and that you have placed all the protective clothing in bags for disposal with the other asbestos waste. When cleaning the dust, you should not use your residential vacuum cleaner as it does not have the right attachments to prevent the release of asbestos dust.
You will need to dispose of the asbestos waste in a certified location. Not all disposal areas will be able to take asbestos waste and you need to consider this.
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