Asbestos Awareness

Asbestos is a natural non-flammable, flexible, durable and malleable material which has been used in construction for centuries. However, in recent years, working with Asbestos has been linked with severe health risks. When disturbed, asbestos releases fibres into the air. If then inhaled, these fibres can cause serious and sometimes fatal lung diseases (for example, Mesothelioma, Asbestos-related lung cancer, Asbestosis and Pleural thickening).  These diseases can take decades to develop and as Asbestos was not banned in the Ireland until late 1990, any employee who worked in buildings built before this date, could be at risk.

Completion of this Asbestos Awareness Course will help protect employees from the potential dangers of Asbestos Containing Material (ACMs). Additionally, it will help employers fulfill their legal obligation in providing those employees, likely to come into contact with ACM’s, with appropriate information, instruction and training to keep them safe.

The principal pieces of occupational health and safety legislation which regulate work with asbestos include:

• The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations, 2006 (S.I. No. 386 of 2006) , aim to protect the health and safety of all employees who may be exposed to dust from asbestos containing materials, during the course of their work activities. The regulations apply to all work activities and workplaces where there is a risk of people inhaling asbestos dust.

• The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) (Amendment) Regulation 2010 (S.I. No. 589/2010), amend Regulations 2, 10, 11, 15, 17, 25 and 26 of S.I. 386 of 2006. These Regulations give effect to Directive 2009/148/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work.

The above Regulations apply to all work activities which expose persons to risks arising from the inhalation of dust from asbestos or materials containing asbestos.  The Regulations provide a single exposure limit value for all work activities where exposure to asbestos dust in the air at a place of work may arise.  The Regulations also emphasise the need for adequate training. Those involved in demolition and asbestos removal activities must provide evidence of their ability to do this work in a safe way to ensure the protection of their employees.

• The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 291 of 2013), are also of relevance with respect to the renovation, repair and demolition of older buildings where asbestos or ACM’s may have been used.

• The Chemicals (Asbestos Articles) Regulations 2011, which came into operation on 31 May, 2011, specify how the Health and Safety Authority may issue a certificate to exempt an asbestos-containing article, or category of such articles, from the prohibition on the placing on the market of an asbestos-containing article provided for by Article 67 and Annex XVII of the EU REACH Regulation 1907/2006.

• The REACH Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 prohibits the placing on the market, the supply and use of asbestos fibres of all types and of products containing asbestos fibres. The restriction conditions for asbestos fibres can be found in entry no. 6 of Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation, recently amended by Regulation (EC) No. 552/2009

This online course explains the importance of asbestos surveys and action plans and the requirement of making these documents available to any tradesperson working at a site where asbestos has been identified.

Sign up for this informative online course today, protect your employees and save lives!

Main Sections within the Asbestos Awareness course:

• Asbestos Awareness Overview
• Managing Asbestos
• Asbestos Materials
• Final Test

Asbestos Awareness Course Objectives:

• To explain what Asbestos is and the different types of Asbestos.
• To describe Asbestos related diseases and risk factors
• To highlight the legal requirements concerning Asbestos and how Asbestos is managed in the workplace.
• To detail the common types of Asbestos materials and where they may be found.
• To explain the procedures for dealing with Asbestos related emergencies.

Is it for me?

This course is ideal for raising awareness and is suitable for any employee who may come into contact with Asbestos containing materials in their work environment.  The course does not qualify you to work with, knowingly disturb or remove asbestos.

Certification

Once the 40 minute course has been completed, users are required to take a final test consisting of 10 questions.  The final test has a minimum pass rate requirement of 70%.On successful completion of the test, users can download and print off a completion certificate.