The Hidden Asbestos Dangers

19 Aug 2019

At OHSS Safety Consultants, we regularly deal with asbestos abatement issues for our many clients and awareness of the inherent danger of unlicensed asbestos removal and disposal is thankfully becoming much greater. However, in this blog, we look at an area of concern that has nowhere the same amount of focus on it in Ireland - the safe and vault industry.

The fact is that pre-1997 (the year that it became illegal to use the deadly substance in safe and vault manufacturing) 8 out of every 9 safes manufactured contained chrysotile asbestos fibres that if inhaled are known to be a leading cause of mesothelioma - an extremely aggressive and insipid form of lung cancer. And whilst asbestos companies and authorities, in general, are fully aware of the issue in many parts of the EU, the same cannot be said for Ireland.

The Legal Sector

The issue is exacerbated in the Irish legal sector, as practices across Ireland use fireproof filing cabinets and safes that tend to be second hand, which as a result, don’t carry the European Certification needed to ensure they’re free from asbestos. This, unfortunately, means that many legal professionals across Ireland could be harbouring a potentially lethal problem right under their very noses.

There seems to be a surprising lack of information regarding asbestos regulations that pertain to potentially hazardous 2nd hand cabinets and safes that predate the ban at the end of the 90s. The problem is very real too, as these safes and cabinets tend to have asbestos seals, which can be disturbed every time they’re opened and closed - releasing deadly minute fibres into the air.

Being Certain

The only way you can be certain that a cabinet or safe is free from asbestos is if it carries the relevant European certification under the guidelines of EN1143-1:1997. If what we’ve described here sounds familiar and you suspect that you have a safe or cabinet that might be dangerous, you should contact one of the officiating bodies like Certified Safes Ireland or the Independent Irish Safes Rating Group who will be able to assist you further. The good news is that verification can usually be carried out easily and remotely by providing a photograph of your safe and it’s a completely free service.

General Asbestos Matters

If you’d like to know more about anything discussed here or information on general matters relating to asbestos surveys, asbestos regulations or asbestos removal and disposal, you can find lots of information on our website www.ohss.ie. Alternatively, if you’d like a chat with a member of our expert team about something specific, you can reach us by calling (01) 6905907.

Just remember that if you suspect that you’ve come into contact with asbestos, you should never leave it to chance. Call the experts, as it might just save your life.

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