Module 4: Asbestos And Disease - Asbestos Regulations Exercise

ASBESTOS REGULATIONS EXERCISE:

You should read the Asbestos Regulations, 2001 in order to answer the following questions.

Question #1:

Why do you think the concept of a "regulated fibre" is incorporated in the Regulations?

Question #2:

Who of the following are covered by the Asbestos Regulations?

• A boilermaker repairing a boiler with old asbestos lagging;
• A roofer installing asbestos cement tiles;
• An employee of a demolition company demolishing a building which contains asbestos;
• An employee in a building containing asbestos in the ceiling material;
• A resident living near an asbestos tailings dump;
• An asbestos mine employee.

Question #3:

Can a company employee do the air measurements?

Question #4:

In the process of doing the measurements, a reading above 0.2 fibres/ml is found. What action is required?

Question #5:

What medical surveillance programme would you put in place for employees exposed to asbestos in the course of manufacturing asbestos textile products?

Question #6:

You visit an asbestos using factory and there are production workers in the asbestos area without respirators? Is this unlawful?

Question #7:

To what extent if at all do the Regulations require substitutes for asbestos to be used?

Question #8:

An employee tells you she works in a laboratory analysing asbestos samples and sweeps up at the end of the day. Are the Regulations of relevance here?

Question #9:

The company which you advise contracts with a building firm to renovate a building in which there is old asbestos. What should the company expect of the contractor?

Question #10:

You employ a contractor to repair and clean your roof which is made of asbestos tiles and has become overgrown with moss. The contractor is a small operator with two employees. You show Regulation 15 to him. He responds that it can’t apply to small contractors such as himself as it isn’t reasonably practicable for him to do all of that. Is he correct?

Question #11:

An asbestos using company is about to close down. The Department of Labour asks you to assist with ensuring that the medical records are kept in accordance with the Regulations. What would you suggest?