Is It Asbestos? About Asbestos Abatement

Asbestos Abatement

When contemplating removing asbestos, you should be aware that there are two routes you can take. The right way, and the wrong way. It's always recommended that you hire a certified professional to remove any friable asbestos. Removing asbestos yourself is not only dangerous, but difficult. There are very few communities that will take the materials in their trash pickup, so in most cases, a certified removal team is the best bet.

Removing Yourself (DUMB):

However, in other countries, there are guides put out about how to remove small quantities yourself. The Australian Government put out this guide regarding asbestos removal. They recommend the following steps for removing asbestos yourself:

Wear a disposable overall, hat and gloves.
Work in a well-ventilated area.
Wear a disposable, half-face particulate respirator or a half-face filter respirator fitted with a dust/particulate cartridge appropriate for asbestos. Respirators should comply with Australian Standard 1716.
Lay plastic dropsheets around the area to catch any debris.
Wet the asbestos surface to reduce the risk of dust particles floating into the air.
Carefully pull out any nails.
Do not use power tools to saw, grind, drill or break any asbestos product. If necessary, use hand tools instead.
Try not to break the sheets as you remove them.
Place the sheets on the ground, rather than dropping them.
If you need to sweep, use a wet mop.
Vacuum the area with a vacuum cleaner designed for asbestos fibre collection. These cleaners should comply with Australian Standard 3544.
After finishing the work, place your clothes in a container marked 'Asbestos contaminated clothing' for disposal.
When you've finished, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands and shower.

Removing Professionally (SMART):

Professional asbestos removal is always your safest bet. Trained, certified and insured professionals will enter your home or building and use tried and true techniques to ensure that all the materials are safely removed.

Finding a Contractor:

Finding a contractor is the most important step for a homeowner to take. You wouldn't want to pay significant amounts of money to have someone do the job in an unsafe fashion. Here are some helpful tips to consider:

Find out how many years the contractor has been in business - usually, the best contractors will survive the complexity of asbestos law and the difficult nature of abatement procedures.
Require that the contractor produce written documentation that he has completed a state or federally-approved training program, and is properly registered with your state, if your state so requires.
Ask for references from previous clients to learn if they were satisfied with the quality, neatness and promptness of the work.
Get a thorough written description of the work to be performed. This is vital for future reference if there are problems or misunderstandings. It also helps you shop around!
Get more than one opinion and quote. One contractor may determine that sealing the asbestos is preferred, while another may want to completely remove it! Sealing is usually the preferred method of treatment, so be wary of contractors who scream for removal.

Abatement Procedures:

Now that you've found a contractor, you might want to schedule a day-trip away from the house. You won't be able to enter the area in which they work anyway, so you might as well have fun. Your contractors will use plastic to contain any dust, enter the area in specially designed "space suits", and then remove the materials with special vacuums and tools, and dispose of it in legal ways. Don't you feel safer already!?