In The Field: Fascinating Facts About Construction And Contractors

Many people are still at risk of exposure to asbestos and this can cause serious health problems. If you think that you might have come into contact with asbestos, it is important to seek medical advice immediately.

If you work in a commercial environment, you may have come across asbestos during renovations or maintenance work. A commercial asbestos contractor and removals are essential if you want to ensure that your staff are safe from exposure. Here are four steps to managing asbestos in commercial buildings:

1) Conduct An Asbestos Survey

As a first step, you should conduct an asbestos survey of your building. This is the only way that you can know for sure if asbestos is present in your workplace. A commercial asbestos contractor will look for signs of damaged or deteriorating materials and take samples for analysis. They will also provide you with a report which will indicate the extent of the asbestos problem in your building, and help you decide whether or not to remove the asbestos that was found.

2) Remove Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs)

If the report shows that asbestos is present in your commercial building, then you will need to have it removed. This can be done by an expert in commercial asbestos removal who has the proper equipment and training for safely handling this hazardous material. When handling or demolition work is being carried out on suspect materials, ensure commercial asbestos contractors are wearing appropriate PPE including respiratory protection such as a respirator mask, protective clothing (jackets and overalls), and eye protection such as goggles. In addition to removing the asbestos-containing materials from your building, you may also have to seal off any areas where they were located so that no one enters them until they are cleaned up. 

3) Manage Friable Material (Asbestos Fibre Lumps) Via A Commercial Asbestos Contractor

If you have asbestos-containing materials that are in poor condition and can be easily crushed or broken into small pieces, these are considered friable. Friable asbestos must be managed carefully. If you have friable asbestos in your building, it should be removed by a licensed commercial asbestos removalist. After this material is removed, it should be disposed of in accordance with your local regulations and requirements. This may include disposal at an approved landfill or disposal facility but check with your local authority for specific instructions on how to dispose of friable asbestos waste.

4) Manage Non-Friable Material (Asbestos Loose Fill)

Once the area has been cleaned and the friable asbestos removed, you can then manage the non-friable material. This may include asbestos loose fill, which is not considered friable because it does not contain large pieces of asbestos. Instead, these materials are made up of small fibers that have been mixed together with other materials such as cement and sand—this is why they may be called "asbestos concrete" or "asbestos insulation." A residential asbestos removalist can help you manage these materials.

Contact an asbestos cleanup company like Lightning Asbestos and Demolition Services to learn more about commercial asbestos removal today.