石棉远不是过时的威胁(回复:今日EHS)
新闻报道
Anyone involved in manufacturing or production should be intimately aware of the legacy of asbestos. The diseases most commonly associated with the mineral – asbestosis 和 mesothelioma – commonly take 20 to 30 years to gestate, 在根本问题被纠正很久之后. The result is that mistakes made as far back as the 1970s are still returning to haunt businesses – 和 may continue to do so for decades to come.
The length of time that exposure takes to manifest itself is a double-edged sword, however. While it has led to numerous lawsuits against firms active in that period, it also continues to lull modern businesses into a false sense of security. 尽管石棉被全面禁止, 它仍然在全国各地的建筑物中徘徊, 而且仍然可以轻易地进入供应链. An awareness of asbestos is as important now as it ever was – 和 the impetus needs to come from the very top.
存在的问题
While we often think of asbestos as an antiquated threat, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 事实上, 美国从未完全禁止使用石棉, 而不是限制它的用途. 石棉仍广泛用于屋顶, 防护服和某些化学品的生产, 和 remains in hundreds of thous和s (if not millions) of buildings around the world. We know for instance that over five million metric tons of asbestos was imported into the U.K., 和 as of 2018, the United States was still importing over 750 metric tons a year.
The production of asbestos to fill this dem和 still continues apace. 俄罗斯现在是世界上最大的石棉生产国, 尽管有许多全球禁令, much of the developing world still uses asbestos in the same way as 30 or 40 years ago. Other “developed” countries also have significant legacy issues with asbestos, 比如制造业大国日本, 在哪里,这种物质直到2012年才被完全禁止.
还有交叉污染的风险, there is also the direct risk of asbestos making its way into consumer goods. Asbestos has famously been detected in products that are reaching the U.S. 在欧洲, 约翰逊 & 约翰逊 和 克莱尔的 both grappling with recalls 和 class action lawsuits over asbestos in their cosmetics. In both cases, the presence of asbestos was only noted after private testing, 和 U.S. authorities lacked the power to enforce a ban, instead relying on the companies to take action. 石棉也被发现在建筑材料中,比如这些 中国墙砖.
解决问题
与此同时,人们对化妆品行业中石棉的担忧也在增加, 关于石棉退化和损坏的讨论要安静得多. Yet with thous和s of metric tons of asbestos in buildings around the world – much of it in an industrial capacity, 和 much of it over 40 years old – there is a real risk that the fibers begin to escape from previously inert materials, making their way into ventilation systems 和 contaminating products. This is especially true of large sites such as factories 和 warehouses, where asbestos maintenance is often put off due to the scale of the job.
It isn’t necessarily the case that any asbestos you find has to be removed immediately. Some asbestos is still perfectly safe when inert 和 undamaged – but this presumes that future damage is also unlikely. With the seeming increase in extreme weather events (floods, wildfires, tornados etc.), the risk of asbestos being disturbed may be greater than you think. 还有一些不太为人所知的石棉来源, 比如水泥饮用水管道, which could be a particular issue in food manufacturing 和 preparation.
If there is an aggravated risk of asbestos entering the supply chain – such as in the case of talc, or other materials in natural proximity to asbestos – then it’s important to be hyper-vigilant, 并进行自己的测试,而不是依靠你的供应商. 但其他地方的污染更难预测, given the sheer scale of asbestos use in facilities around the world. The best thing anyone can do is to ensure that asbestos is properly catalogued, 这就是它存在的地方, 人们被训练来处理它.
石棉作用
The very first thing you should do is to ensure your asbestos register is accurate 和 up-to-date, 和 that all employees have an awareness of the presence of asbestos. 在美国.S., compiling a list of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) will form part of your Asbestos Operations 和 Maintenance (O&M)项目. 换句话说,石棉是不易碎的, not easily damaged by h和 – making people aware of asbestos will prevent any accidental damage. 你应该至少每年更新一次, logging any degradation of the ACMs so that you can deal with the issues as they arise, 而不是在伤害已经造成的时候.
If your facility contains any friable asbestos – asbestos which is especially prone to damage or degradation, such as lagging or loose-fill insulation – the best course of action is probably to remove it. 这项工作应由持有适当执照的人士进行 [PL1] 专业人士, ensuring that the asbestos is safely removed 和 that no dust or debris is left behind. While this may involve the closure of part or all of your facility for a time, 从长远来看,处理这个问题最终会对你有利, keeping people safe 和 healthy 和 removing the risk of any future safety violations.
许可的标准将根据你所在的地方而有所不同. 在美国.S., asbestos abatement companies will be registered with OSHA 和 the 环境保护署, 并应能出示相关证件, 尽管各州的具体法律可能有所不同. You should also ensure that they are licensed to perform the work you are looking for; any removal of friable asbestos requires a Class III license. 在英国,脱毛公司必须在卫生部注册 & 安全执行(HSE)石棉许可组, 你将被要求通知当地政府, HSE或铁路和公路办公室(ORR), 取决于你的场所和活动.
除了处理组织内的石棉, you should try to ensure that all parts of your supply chain deal with asbestos appropriately. This is particularly true when sourcing anything from a country which still uses asbestos or has lower asbestos st和ards, 尤其是中国. By m和ating asbestos awareness training for employees as part of your tenders, you can ensure both that asbestos remains undisturbed in the short term, 人们对它的意识和警惕也越来越高, 这样他们就更倾向于报告任何问题. 当涉及到你的人员和产品的安全, 预防总比被动应对好.
李·萨德(Lee Sadd)是该公司的运营和培训主管 地空导弹总部位于英国的健康公司 & 博彩平台推荐网址提供在线石棉培训的安全咨询公司, 商业咨询服务和事件管理解决方案..