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Asbestos in Fuses

R J

We have recently had asbestos survey reports return with presumed asbestos as the fuse cartridge. With the reasoning being that some fuses contain asbestos as part of the cartridge filling.

I‘m aware of flash guards and asbestos rope, but I can’t find any guidance for the fuse cartridges being asbestos?

granted some of the old fuses may have had cross contamination from old flash guards. But I’m concerned with the presumption aspect of the report, and what confusion it may cause going forward.

  • 0

    They are quite adamant that some old TIA type fuses contained asbestos as an example, with refence to internal millboard packing within the cartridge being the culprit.  As most fuses don't date have a date of manufacture and the asbestos surveyors haven't got an exact list of which fuses contain asbestos. It's a grey area with regards to disposal routes of old fuses.

    Some manufactures have confirmed that some of there old fuses may have contained asbestos in the mid to late 70's but again it doesn't really help. As who knows when a fuse was replaced or fitted in an old board.

    There is a lot guidance relating to asbestos Fuse boards containing ropes and old flash guards, and to how to deal with those cases. Though a Fuse in itself appears non-existent. 

  • 0

    I was recently given a survey report for an industrial facility wherein some (presumably expired) BS88 fuse links in an LV switchroom left out on a chair where identified as potential ACMs and duly sampled under the description "Paper within loose barrel fuse"...

    Obviously nothing detected in the lab.

    (They were still there when I visited, on the same chair, over four years later)

  • 0

    They are probably misusing the word cartridge, normally meaning the ceramic cylinder with sand and fuse wire or ribbon in , for a rewirable fuse carrier, which may well have a woven asbestos mat to catch the hot bits.  Poor, and if in your case it can cause confusion then I'd ask for clarification/rewording.

    Mike.

  • 0

    Sounds curious to me - I've never heard of asbestos inside cartridge fuses (I thought it was usually sand, and as the cartridge remains sealed even if the fuse element blows, even if there was asbestos in there I can't see it being a significant risk).  Rewirable fuse carriers certainly had a history of asbestos and of course can in some circumstances can be retrofitted with cartridge fuses, so I can imagine that some types of carriers might be suspect even if local knowledge says they contain cartridge fuses (and normally they wouldn't want to open them to check, as that would risk disturbing the fibres and increase the very risk they're trying to control). But as described it does sound muddled. Maybe someone's thinking is sound but it hasn't carried through accurately to the words, or maybe the thinking isn't quite right.

       - Andy.

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