Asbestos Fibre Monitoring - Still Highly Relevant in 2020

8 Apr 2020

Even as we move towards the Summer of 2020, a significant danger still exists in Ireland and across the world from asbestos exposure. Whether talking about residential or commercial properties, the chances are that if it was built before the year 2000, it could potentially contain asbestos.

Asbestos abatement companies are so busy right now, as they fight against what is still known as the biggest workplace killer in existence. During renovations or demolition works, there are many safety measures implemented in line with asbestos regulations and in this blog, we look at one of them - asbestos fibre monitoring.

Keeping Everyone Safe

There are a number of reasons why asbestos fibre monitoring is required, which includes the identification of the deadly material, as well as exposure assessment of personnel, background levels and control measures. This is a measure that is designed to keep everyone in the vicinity safe and it’s something that must be performed in order to ensure no fibres exist.

Under the umbrella of asbestos fibre monitoring, there are a variety of processes that protect people when asbestos becomes damaged:

• Asbestos exposure monitoring - to assess asbestos fibre levels for those working around asbestos or conducting asbestos removal and disposal.

• Asbestos air monitoring - providing a risk analysis, with samples being taken on a regular basis when materials containing asbestos are disturbed.

• Background sampling - conducted before any work that could potentially result in airborne asbestos contamination.

• Leak testing - a check that is conducted outside areas where the removal process is under way to check that control measures are effective.

• Reassurance sampling - something that is sometimes required after asbestos removal has been completed or after an enclosure has been dismantled.

• Site clearance certification for re-occupation - a measure that checks that an area is asbestos fibre-free and safe to be used again

The process of asbestos fibre monitoring can be a painstaking one, but for good reason. It only takes a single exposure for someone to develop mesothelioma, so it absolutely pays to be thorough.

Call the Experts Today

If you’d like to learn more about the work we do at OHSS, you should take a look at our website www.ohss.ie today, where you’ll find lots of useful info about asbestos and how the danger it poses can be mitigated.

Alternatively, should you need any expert guidance relating to asbestos or any other occupational hygiene matter, call us today on (01) 6905907 and we’ll do everything we can to assist.

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