Old Industrial Switchgear.

I have met and do respect John Ward. That said I thought this video was irresponsible to the point of downright dangerous.


He points out the presence of asbestos and then says at one point that the unit he is inspecting is full of dust!


Asbestos kills people and it has killed my mates many years after they have had contact with it in the electrical industry. Mesothelioma  is a fatal disease with no cure and leads to a miserable painful death.


If you find asbestos inside switch gear and boards shut the door, don't work on it and fit an asbestos label. Before anyone says how do you know it is asbestos without testing it it is going to be as nothing else was used at that time for arc flash pads.


As one of my engineers said, "They are not giving out medals for working on electrical kit with asbestos in it, so why do it"?


I am having a plasterboard ceiling taken down this week that is covered with Artex from the 1980s. I have engaged a licensed contractor to do this which is costing a Kings ransom but why would I not do that given my training and knowing what the potential consequences are?


Don't drill Artex ceilings to put in down lighters it may kill you or maybe a member of your family when you take home some fibres on your clothing. 

My father died of asbestosis and I completely endorse what JP has posted above. Do not take any chances, one fibre is all it takes to break a big hard man in to a wheezing skeleton!

Following on from John's comments about asbestos this may be of benefit......

http://www.merryhillenvirotec.com/what-does-asbestos-look-like/



Z.

Sorry to hear that Lyle. 


It is very hard to get people to realise the dangers of asbestos unless they have suffered the personal pain of losing friends and loved ones through exposure.

We doomed, we're all doomed! ?


Leaving aside working in an office with asbestos stickers all over the place, many of us will have had exposure to asbestos dust. Apart from building materials (last year I took down what was left of an Artexed ceiling) we had brake shoes and clutches, exhaust heat shields, etc. and thought nothing of handling it. I still have a car with asbestos insulation in an exhaust box, but an expert has declared it safe for use. Maintenance is a completely different issue.


Asbestosis requires quite substantial exposure and industrial injuries compensation for it is confined to certain trades (e.g. laggers) who would have had daily exposure. It causes inflammation in the lungs and effectively, clogs them up.


Mesothelioma is very different. It is a particularly nasty and invariably rapidly fatal cancer. It is treated differently in law. The lead time may be as long as 60 years.


Just before I left RN, I had some dealings with claims under the inheritance tax rules, which grant an exemption to those who have died as a consequence (at least in part) of injuries sustained during active service. There has been a steady trickle of claims related to mesothelioma. So I had to read up on the science as well as the case law.


The difficulty was identifying when exposure occurred. Walking past lagging on a daily basis is safe. Living on board during refit when there is white dust everywhere was undoubtedly not! In one case, copies of letters sent home by a young officer during the Suez Crisis, which were submitted in evidence, were very interesting.


There have been cases of mesothelioma with no occupational exposure - there is asbestos in the atmosphere. So whilst the necessary exposure may be very small, only one fibre is a bit of an exaggeration.

Fortunately, there have been no known deaths in the family caused through asbestos inhalation. I have however, worked with most of the older switchgear, either to strip out from indusrtial/commercial buildings or used as training aids in electrical workshops. It always surprised me how 'over engineered' the fused switch enclosures appeared, perhaps with good cause now looking at some of the modern enclosures.


I found the Merryhill link interesting as I remember lifting a vinal tiled kitchen floor similar to the one illustrated back in the eightties. 


Legh