Personal Decontamination for Asbestos Workers
When you hire an asbestos removal company to undertake asbestos removal in your home or business, you likely understand the seriousness of the work. Asbestos is a deadly natural mineral that causes tens of thousands of deaths annually. Failure to take care when removing it can result in even more future deaths.
Aside from hiring a reputable company that you know will undertake all precautions, it can also offer much-needed peace of mind to know what they do to keep themselves and those around them safe. Read on to learn what a high-quality asbestos removal company’s personal contamination procedure looks like.
What is Personal Decontamination?
Personal decontamination is not a term you hear very often in everyday conversation. However, when you start undertaking renovations around your home or business, it quickly becomes one.
Personal decontamination refers to the process of removing asbestos dust and residue from personal protective equipment (PPE) and respiratory protective equipment (RPE). This process should be carried out each time an asbestos removalist leaves an asbestos removal work site and then at the completion of the job.
It’s also an important safety measure where a small-scale removal or maintenance is carried out that doesn’t require a decontamination unit.
The procedure outlines essential information that all asbestos removalists must follow – all in the name of making sure asbestos does not contaminate areas outside of the immediate work area.
This includes making sure work clothes and footwear are removed before exiting the worksite and vacuuming asbestos fibres with an asbestos vacuum cleaner. Procedures can even be as detailed as ensuring footwear is wet wiped, and all clothing has been vacuumed, removed, or bagged.
What’s Involved in the Decontamination Process?
One of many reasons why it’s best to leave asbestos removal to the experts is the extensive steps that must be taken to prevent contamination.
After an asbestos removal job is complete, the worker(s) must remove visible asbestos dust and residue from their PPE with an asbestos vacuum cleaner or single-use damp cloths. While still wearing their RPE, they must also dispose of their protective clothing and any cloths they have used into 200µm+ thick disposable plastic bags.
All bags must be sealed with duct tape then placed into secondary sealed bags labelled as ‘asbestos waste’. Once all disposable PPE and cloths are in their respective bags, they must be wiped down with damp cloths before repeating the same bagging process with those cloths. All waste is then disposed of safely at an approved disposal facility.
How a Personal Decontamination Area is Set Up
If you are about to hire someone to undertake asbestos removal at your home or business, you may be curious as to how they set up their decontamination area to ensure all people, tools, and equipment are decontaminated before leaving a work site.
Generally, all ‘dirty’ decontamination areas have a rack for air lines, hosing and vacuuming equipment, and storage for contaminated footwear and clothing. They also have plenty of labelled waste bags and bins, a shower area with hot and cold water, and a toilet.
A ‘clean’ contamination area looks a little different. Typically, it has storage for each person’s RPE in lockers or containers, along with a shower area with hot and cold water and a toilet. Airflow is also directed toward the ‘dirty’ decontamination area.
There is also a third decontamination area called a ‘clean changing area’. This has clean clothing storage, clean and dirty towel storage, and airflow directed toward the ‘clean’ contamination area.
How Asbestos Workers Enter and Leave the Removal Area
When you know just how dangerous asbestos can be, you often feel much safer leaving its removal to the professionals. However, it can offer even more peace of mind to know how they carry out their safety processes.
They start by entering the clean change area of the removal area, where they put on clean work clothes and PPE. They store their removed clothing in dust-proof containers that move with them into the clean decontamination area.
Once in here, they put on their RPE, check that it’s working properly and has a sealed fit, before moving into the dirty decontamination here. They will then put on any more PPE that had been stored in this area, such as their footwear. If required, asbestos workers will connect to an RPE air supply before transitioning from the decontamination unit to the removal work area.
Once they have carried out their range of asbestos services, removalists will use an asbestos vacuum cleaner to remove asbestos dust and remove their shoes. They will leave these behind before moving into the dirty decontamination area to disconnect their air line and shower while still wearing PPE and RPE.
They can then remove all their PPE and place them into labelled waste bags while still wearing their RPE. Any wet underclothing can be placed in a storage unit in the dirty decontamination area. Once this process is complete, they pass through an airlock into a clean contamination area.
In the clean contamination area, the asbestos removalist will shower again and remove their RPE. They will wash their hands, face, head, fingernails, and respirator before storing their RPE in a container in the clean contamination area. Finally, they are ready to enter the clean change area and get dressed in their regular clothing.
Avoid Hassle and Hire the Experts
Understanding the intensity and importance of personal decontamination may help you understand why calling in the experts is crucial. They know just what it takes to keep themselves and you safe while taking care of the troublesome asbestos removal process from start to finish.