ASBESTOS AWARENESS

TRAINING
Guidance for Airport Fire Service
Personnel

AIMS
The aims of this presentation are:
To inform AFS crews of the various types of
Asbestos and their physiological effects.
To give operational considerations for incidents
where Asbestos may be present.
To state the post incident procedures for
Asbestos contaminated PPE/Equipment.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this session students will be able to:
Name the three main types of Asbestos and state where
they may be found.
Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of Asbestos on
the human body.
Give the operational considerations for incidents where
Asbestos is suspected or known to be present.
Correctly demonstrate the post incident decontamination
procedure.

REGULATIONS AND
COMPLIANCE
Control of Asbestos at work Regulations
2002 (CAWR) places a requirement on
employers to prevent employees being
exposed to Asbestos, or if this is not
practicable, to control the exposure to the
lowest level possible.

Management of Health and Safety at Work

Regulations 1999:
Requires employers to assess Health and
Safety risks to employees and others who
may work on their premises.
To identify measures to protect them.
To implement preventative or protective
measures.

ASBESTOS
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material
that has been mined on a wide scale basis for
around the past 150 years.
Its versatility and fire proofing/insulating properties
make it a very well utilised material used
throughout both domestic and commercial
property, as well as industry.

ASBESTOS FIBRES
Mechanically very strong.
Highly resistant to heat and chemical
attack.
Very fine fibres that are invisible to the
naked eye.

TYPES OF ASBESTOS
Asbestos can be broken down into 2 main
groups.
Serpentines
Amphiboles

SERPENTINES
The only type of Asbestos belonging to the
Serpentine group is:
Chrysotile (generally known as white
asbestos).

CHRYSOTILE
The fibres that
comprise Chrysotile
Asbestos are
generally soft and
wavy in appearance.

AMPHIBOLES
The Amphibole group of Asbestos contains
2 main types:
Crocidolite (Blue Asbestos)
Amosite (Brown Asbestos)

CROCIDOLITE/AMOSITE
The fibres that
comprise
Crocidolite/Amosite
Asbestos are
generally straight and
jagged in
appearance.

ASBESTOS
Chrysotile White Asbestos UN 2590
EAC 2X
Crocidolite Blue Asbestos UN 2212
EAC 2X
Amosite Brown Asbestos UN2212
EAC 2X

ASBESTOS APPLICATION AREAS

Thermal and sound insulation.
Fire protection.
Lagging for pipe work.
Insulating boards and ceiling tiles.

AND AIRCRAFT!

AIRCRAFT USES
Insulating of hydraulic pipes and fuel lines
Gaskets and seals
Brake units and assemblies
Insulating shrouds protecting electrical
components and fuel systems in high
temperature areas (such as combustion chamber
and turbines)

AIRCRAFT
Asbestos has special qualities that are currently
not available from any other material.
Most aircraft engines (especially in older aircraft)
use parts containing asbestos.
Retro-fitting has been attempted with non
asbestos containing materials.
Alternative materials for several applications have
yet to be found.

NOTE
It is not possible to identify the type of
Asbestos involved by colour, as this is
only a description of their appearance
when viewed under a microscope.
There is NO risk from products containing
asbestos if they are intact and not
disturbed.

ASBESTOS AND HUMAN HEALTH

WHY IS ASBESTOS SO
DANGEROUS?
When you inhale the long thin fibres of Asbestos,
they become lodged in the soft tissue of your
lungs.
Your bodys natural defences are unable to
break down these microscopic fibres.
Therefore the fibres can lie permanently dormant
in your lungs and can cause the development of
several different conditions.

WHY IS ASBESTOS SO
DANGEROUS?

ASBESTOS RELATED DISEASES

Asbestosis Irreversible scarring of the
lungs
Lung Cancer Increased risk, even higher
when coupled with
smoking. (Risk factor
is increased by 53)
Mesothelioma Cancer of the lining of the
lungs.

It is worth noting that the onset of disease can take between

15 60 years from first exposure.

ASBESTOS RELATED DISEASES

FIREFIGHTING

MAIN RISKS TO PERSONNEL

Breathing in airborne Asbestos fibres during fire fighting
operations.
The contamination of clothing and equipment with
Asbestos fibres and subsequent risk from inhalation if not
removed.
Asbestos fibres exposed to direct burning may break into
small pieces with explosive force and spread over a wide
area.
FSDM carrying out inspections on any Works in Progress
in areas containing asbestos.

FIREFIGHTING
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations
(CAWR) 2002, regulation 4.
Requires asbestos (or asbestos containing
materials) in non domestic premises to be
identified and managed.
Airport Asbestos Survey can be found in
Sub Office and Watchroom.

INCIDENTS
On receipt of a call to an area where
asbestos may be, or is known to be
present:
Make all personnel aware.
Approach and park upwind.
Define risk area and cordon off.
Minimum personnel within cordon.
Nominated person to control access/egress
from cordoned area.

INCIDENTS
Full PPE/BA within cordon.
Respirators for personnel working near to
cordon.
Keep debris movement to a minimum.
Keep debris damp using spray/fog.
Local Authority Hazmat Officer.
No eating, drinking or smoking near risk
area.

POST INCIDENT
Use of sprays to damp down area where
damaged asbestos is suspected.
Use of hand tools instead of power tools.
PPE/BA within cordon is to be enforced.
Consider use of Full Face Respirators for
persons working near to cordon.
No eating, drinking or smoking until
decontamination has taken place.

EXEMPTION
Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 require that 14
days notice be given to the HSE prior to any work being
carried out in a known Asbestos environment.
Currently, only local authority fire and rescue services
have an exemption from this, although an exemption
application for licensed aerodrome fire services is
currently ongoing.
At any incident involving Asbestos, AFS personnel will
fall under the primacy of the Local Authority Fire and
Rescue service attending, as they are currently the only
holders of an exemption notice from these regulations.

DECONTAMINATION

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
Before leaving the cordoned area it is
important that full decontamination of
asbestos contaminated personnel and
equipment takes place.
The following procedure should be
adopted......

DECONTAMINATION ASSISTANT
It is important

that full respiratory

protection is
maintained at all
times.Full face
respirator,all over
coveralls and
surgical gloves
should be donned.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
STAGE 1.
Minimise fibres becoming
airborne by applying a
finely atomised spray from
the container provided.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
STAGE 2.
Remove helmet &
radio and wipe down
Place in Clean Area
beyond cordon.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
STAGE 3.
Remove BA set.
Don a full face
respirator.
Place BA set in a
black bag then seal.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
STAGE 4.
Remove tunic and
gloves.
Don surgical
gloves.
Place tunic/gloves
in red bag.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
STAGE 5.
Remove boots and
wash thoroughly.
Place in clean area.
Remove leggings
and place in red bag

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE.

STAGE 6.

Place red bag into

another red bag.
Place this into a black
bag and seal.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
STAGE 7.
Remove face mask
filters and place in the
yellow clinical waste
bag.
Remove surgical
gloves and place in
yellow clinical waste
bag.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
Contaminated BA wearer has now
completed the decontamination process.
They may now pass through cordon into
the Clean Area.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
DECONTAM ASSISTANT.
Remove surgical gloves
and white suit.
Place in yellow clinical
waste bag.
Remove facemask filters
and place in yellow clinical
waste bag.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
The decontamination assistant has now
completed the decontamination process.
They may now proceed beyond the
cordon into the Clean Area.

DECONTAMINATION
PROCEDURE
Upon return to station, all affected personnel
must have a full shower in order to complete the
decontamination process.
Yellow bags will be collected by contractor to be
destroyed.
Red and black bags will be uplifted by
nominated contractor for specialist laundering.

RECORDING
Post incident, it is important that records of
contamination are kept.
These records must be retained for use by
regulatory bodies.
OIC should complete a Substance
Exposure Recording Form on return to
station.

Substance Exposure Recording

Form
Used to record any exposure to a
substance by AFS personnel.
Form should be completed fully at retained
as personal employee information for a
period of not less than 60years.
Full record of incident and exposure must
also be made in Watchroom log book.

ANY QUESTIONS?