Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Dec 04, 2012 4:28 pm Hi evryone, A couple of months back we had roller shutters installed. At the time I didnt think much of it, but recently I have come to learn that the eaves they drilled/cut through (3 X about 2 cm round holes) is most likely asbestos sheet. I am in a bit of a panic as I have no idea if it is still a risk. Is it 100% certain to contain asbestos if it is a 1958+ home? Did they ever use anything else? Is it worth getting tested? They did all the drilling/cutting around my son's bike.. i swept the area (mainly dust/leaves etc , maybe a week later), played in the area with my young son.. I am worried. Do we approach the company? Do they have a legal duty of care NOT to disturb the asbestos the way they did. I rang one asbestos inspector and he said the main risk is when they were drilling and almost everything would have blown away. My question is: blown away far enough not to be a hazard? or all over the floor where I swept etc? Do I use a mask to ''reclean the area''? Too many questions I know, but i have no clue who to ask. I dont want to spend $250 for the inspection and for him to say: oh sorry its asbestos but nothing we can do now.. Your help would be much appreciated! Re: Roller Shutter installation and asbestos eaves disruptio 2Dec 04, 2012 4:39 pm My understanding is in the sheeting it is not an issue until fibre's are disturbed (breaking/drilling). If there was dust everywhere then surely it had fibres and when you swept/cleaned they would have become airborne again. Maybe hose the area's to clean it 2 Re: Roller Shutter installation and asbestos eaves disruptio 3Dec 04, 2012 5:13 pm Well that didnt help me much did it now? I rang the council, they referred me to worksafe, who were useless to say the least. Argh! I'm just going to have my local asbestos inspector come and have a look. He was quite informative over the phone. Re: Roller Shutter installation and asbestos eaves disruptio 4Dec 04, 2012 9:53 pm The asbestos inspector is the only way you will know if it does or does not contain asbestos! If it is not asbestos, all is well. If it is asbestos, sorry but any damage is done, it's only a problem if it's fibrous I believe, mostly that means unless you drill/cut/break it, it should be safe, again the asbestos guy well know better than me! It's the fibers that are dangerous, if inhaled, but as far as I know there is nothing that can be done post exposure, only to prevent exposure, if you haven't cleaned up completely wet the area down and place it in a double plastic bag, but you can't then place it in the trash, but the asbestos guy can help with disposal also 2 Re: Roller Shutter installation and asbestos eaves disruptio 5Dec 05, 2012 10:43 am I think it works both ways. As the property owner, I would have thought it is your duty of care to advise the installers there may be asbestos. They would have an equal right to sue you for exposure to hazardous substances, and not providing a safe working environment. Also the only way to be 100% certain would be to take a sample and send it to a laboratory for testing. Re: Roller Shutter installation and asbestos eaves disruptio 6Dec 05, 2012 3:28 pm candycandy As the property owner, I would have thought it is your duty of care to advise the installers there may be asbestos. I reckon logically that only applies if the age of the building is borderline or the building has been extensively renovated so much so that its hard to tell if its a knock-down rebuild or a reno and where there might be areas of older structure, ie if there is specific knowledge of that job that only the property owner can provide, otherwise ought not people working in the industry be aware as a general rule that caution is required in buildings that are pre-19??. Re: Roller Shutter installation and asbestos eaves disruptio 7Dec 06, 2012 10:35 pm Mimz Well that didnt help me much did it now? The reason I said to hose the area's was that water will stop the fibres becoming airborn. Once it is all wet you could scoop up the now wet dust and dispose of it The two 15mm holes are obviously not compliant. The Dept of Fair Trading would love to see this one! Do the gutters pool water after it stops raining? Although it's… 4 3916 Update from me! Couldn't find the trimmer - not sure if there isn't one simply because the eave is so narrow. Went ahead with the spring toggles and it all worked out… 7 4630 What you are looking at is fibrous plaster, true gypsum, it is cast on horizontal beds with fibers included to give strength. I has no Asbestos in it. Houses before 1985… 2 4268 |