Asbestos Management

Technical description of works, safety means and measures of asbestos cement dismantling

In order to ensure the smooth and continuous flow of works without the risk of accidents, and the hygiene and safety of the crew involved.

In these projects, asbestos products (asbestos cement) contain asbestos at a percentage of 10-15%, the fibers of which are cohesively bonded with the inert material. Therefore, and taking into account that they are in a good condition, the Dry Asbestos Removal Methods will be followed, with the continuous, however, spraying of the slabs at the connection points with a PVA-Water mixture so that the fiber levels are near zero.

  1. Work site preparation

    The site where the works will be performed will be properly prepared by a crew of specialists of SUK, prior to the initiation:

    • For works at height, the appropriate scaffolding will be installed and the workers will have means of protection against falls (full body belt and fall arrest).
    • Areas around the spots where asbestos cement demolition work will be carried out, will not be accessible by unauthorized personnel. This will be achieved with barricade tape and warning signs.

  2. Works Execution Process

    The minimum requirements for carrying out demolition works are the following:

    • Asbestos-cement sheets will be dismantled from the roofing intact, without breaking.
    • If staples have been used to connect the sheets, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used to moisten the area before removing them, in order to encapsulate any dust released during the works.
    • If nuts and bolts have been used to connect the sheets, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used to moisten the area before removing them, in order to encapsulate any form of dust released. A cutter will be used to cut the bolts which must be removed very carefully.
    • The areas from which the staples or bolts will be removed must be cleaned immediately with wet cloths.
    • The asbestos cement sheets that will be removed will be carefully placed on polyethylene sheets (according to the required specifications) and will be wrapped twice. They will be taped with strong self-adhesive tape and the necessary label will be placed on them (warning stickers for the presence of asbestos).
    • The asbestos cement sheets will be airtight packaged in reinforced polyethylene sheets and will be placed in special pallets.
    • The work site will be cleaned with wet cloths after the completion of the demolition. The cleaning products will be gathered in asbestos waste polyethylene bags that bear the proper labeling.

  3. Labeling

    The work site will be in a cordoned off perimeter with barricade tape and warning signs will be placed at a distance.

    International warning sign for asbestos

    The signage will indicate in Greek:

    ”ASBESTOS”

    “DO NOT ENTER THE AREA. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY”

    “INHALATION OF ASBESTOS DUST IS A HEALTH HAZARD”

    No one will have access to this area except for the demolition workers.

The measures ensuring the safety and health of the employees will be the following:

  1. 1
    Personal Protective Equipment

    SUK will take care of the personal protective equipment during the execution of the works. The Personal Protective Equipment for the execution of the works will include:

    • Disposable TYVEC jumpsuit with a hood
    • Disposable filter mask with FFP3 filter type
    • Gloves
    • Safety helmet
    • Safety shoes

    Furthermore, when the works are performed at a height, the workers will wear full body protection belts and fall arrest.

  2. 2
    First aid equipment

    First aid equipment will be ready to use at all times and will be properly maintained and inspected at regular intervals according to specifications and includes the following:

    • Powerful absorption machine with integrated HEPA absolute filter
    • Face respirator and filters for protection against asbestos fibers
    • Soft absorbent towels.
    • PE waste bags.
    • Cutting tools, wrenches, electric pumps, straps, etc.
    • Fire extinguishers.
    • First aid box.
    • Bottles of clean water.
    • Sprayers with PVA-Water mixture

    The personnel of SUK that performs the asbestos removal works are well trained and experienced to face any risks that may arise during the execution of the works. These works concern asbestos cement materials and NOT friable asbestos which means that there is a small percentage of asbestos fibers (about 15%) contained in the slab material and which are encapsulated into the cement.

    The number of fibers that may be released during the works, even in the worst-case scenario, will be very small because there will be an effort made to not use cutting tools. In fact, considering that the first aid measures will be in place for the protection of the workers during the execution of the works, the risk of fibers leaking and causing an accident is almost nonexistent.

  3. 3
    Cleaning of the area

    After the demolition work is completed, any pieces of asbestos sheets created by the demolition are collected by hand and an absorbent vacuum.

    The very small pieces of the dismantled asbestos sheets will be placed in special bags while any larger parts will be wrapped with polyethylene sheets.

  4. 4
    Statement of cleanliness of the work site

    Sampling will take place after the completion of the works, in order to provide the final measurement as well as the laboratory analysis and issuance of the measurement’s results by a certified laboratory according to EN ISO 17025.

  5. 5
    Disposal of waste resulting from demolition work

    Upon completion of the dismantling and packaging of the asbestos cement components, the waste will be placed packaged in the designated area by SUK, and finally loaded on special ADR vehicles to be transferred to licensed disposal sites in accordance with the applicable legislation.

    SUK will issue a corresponding certificate which will prove the safe management and disposal of the cargo, in full compliance with applicable Greek and community legislation.

  6. 6
    Equipment for asbestos works

    1. Negative Pressure Unit with dust-air suction mechanism with a centrifugal fan and three-speed switch with adjustable air supply at 400 m3/h, 2,500 m3/h and 4,000 m3/h, with a flow meter, a manometer and a HEPA filter. (NPU 4000 Compact 230 Volts air filtration unit)
    2. Three Zone Decontamination Unit (Multi system flat pack 1M Modular Shower EH47)
    3. Negative pressure unit that refreshes the air of the polluted area which communicates with the workplace, at least 30 times per hour (NPU 500 Compact 230 Volts air filtration unit).
    4. Hot water management and refining system in the shower area, where the individual cleaning of the employees takes place. (WMS 125 230 Volts double heater water management unit)
    5. Injection unit with multi-needle system (Wetstrip Injection System 230 Volts with pump <3,4bar.)
    6. Smoke machine unit (Smoke machine unit Antariz 1000 II)
    7. A CFM 127/100 vacuum cleaner and two Bosch Ga S25 professional vacuum cleaners with HEPA type filter (99.995% efficiency).
    8. Electrolux vacuum cleaner with HEPA H12 washable filter for wet surface cleaning.
    9. SCOTT PROFLOW SC Electric operated air supply devices with a battery.
    10. Fibrecheck FC3 Electronic Asbestos Fiber Recorder

The execution of asbestos loading and cross-border transport project consists of the following sub-projects:

  1. 1
    Waste packaging

    According to the current Greek and European legislation, for the cross-border transport of hazardous waste, such as asbestos cement, the packaging must be UN certified. Due to that, asbestos-cement waste is packaged in special UN-certified big bags.

  2. 2
    Loading on ADR trucks

    The loading of the waste that is now placed in certified packaging, will be executed according to the instructions of the supervising engineer and in consultation with the driver of each vehicle. The loading will be executed using a crane vehicle (loader) and a forklift (clark). After being loaded on the trailer, the packages are labeled in accordance with European ADR legislation.

  3. 3
    Completion of Documents

    After the completion of the loading, the relevant Identification Forms of YPEKA (Ministry of Environment and Energy), the consignment notes for the cargo and the cross-border Movement Document are completed. There are three sets of the original stamped copies in order for the Project Principal, the vehicle driver and the Project Contractor to use.

  4. 4
    Issuance of the Certificate of Final Disposal

    Finally, after the licensed truck reaches its final destination, i.e. the respective legal recipient of the European Union, the waste is disposed and the Contractor submits the Certificate of Final Disposal of Waste and the accompanying documents.

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