How to Safely Work with Asbestos in Ontario
Posted in Asbestos Removal, on August 27, 2021
When conducting effective asbestos removal in Mississauga and Toronto, you need to be as safe as possible. If asbestos is disturbed and becomes airborne, the risks associated with inhalation of asbestos fibres can be detrimental to your health. Hiring professional asbestos removal services in Toronto helps you ensure that there's no risk of asbestos exposure and that every trace of it is effectively eliminated in your commercial or residential space.
Continue reading to learn about how Canada's Restoration Services team works safely with asbestos in Ontario.
Preparation of the Work Area
When a specialized team arrives on site for asbestos removal in Mississauga and Toronto, they thoroughly identify the area or building materials that contains asbestos and create a boundary around it, using barricades, fences, or even plastic sheets. The site needs to be effectively cleared of objects, materials, and food — anything that isn't required to do the work. Signs that clearly indicate there is asbestos removal occurring need to be displayed so passersby are aware of the hazards of asbestos exposure.
All HVAC units must be turned off, and all vents must be sealed to prevent released asbestos fibres from circulating. Before any work starts, HEPA exhaust units are installed inside enclosures to improve air quality and reduce asbestos fibres.
Dust Control
To keep dust at a minimum, there can't be any airflow, the area must be fully sealed, and a wetting agent — sanitizer or water. Keeping the site wet decreases the number of asbestos fibres becoming airborne and increases the settling rate of the already released fibres. This helps to minimize the potential for breathing in asbestos fibres. The combination of wetting agents and negative air pressure significantly reduces asbestos fibres from being spread outside the work area.
Personal Protective Equipment
We've become all too familiar with personal protective equipment (PPE), even in our daily lives. However, the PPE that our technicians at Canada's Restoration Services use for asbestos removal services in Toronto is of even higher standards. While working with asbestos, technicians wear full face mask respirators, a head covering, a full-body suit snug at the ankles, wrists, neck, and high rubber boots.
Once the designated work area has been entered, a worker cannot leave without decontaminating the protective clothing. To effectively decontaminate the PPE, it has to be done with a HEPA vacuum and a damp wiping with a sanitization cloth. Once PPE has been used once, it’s considered contaminated, and it must not be used outside the work area or reused later.
To keep family and people at home safe, asbestos workers must follow specific decontamination protocols, such as showering and changing into personal clothes and disposing of any contaminated materials.
Clean-Up of the Work Area
The clean-up of the designated work area is an ongoing process, and all dust and waste are cleaned up and removed frequently throughout the entire duration of the work. Containers for any dust must be air-tight, suitable for types of waste, and correctly identified as asbestos. Lastly, there must be an air test conducted at the worksite. Once it has passed clearance, any equipment, barriers, and materials in the area can be dismantled.
Asbestos exposure is a serious matter, and if you think your home or workspace may have asbestos, don't risk it being disrupted and airborne. Canada's Restoration Services provides a full range of asbestos remediation services, from inspections, tests, and Removal.
Contact Canada's Restoration Services today for asbestos removal services in Toronto.
