If you’re planning for an asbestos removal in your home, it’s highly advised to employ a licensed asbestos removalist. But, as long as you implement important safety measures, you can remove the bonded asbestos by yourself. The maximum area you can do is 10 square meters. If you need more than the required 10 square meters, the government suggests you employ a licensed asbestos removalist or acquire a license to remove asbestos, which obliges you to attend the correct training course provided by registered training organizations.
If you do the asbestos removal yourself, take note, you must ensure to follow these steps:
Working with Asbestos
- Work Securely
- Put on the proper dust mask or respirator when doing the job. You must also wear safety goggles or glasses, gloves, disposable coveralls with a hood and a hat.
- When you’re in the work area, refrain from eating, drinking or smoking as you may eat or inhale the dust.
- Refrain from using power tools for this can release asbestos fibres.
- Refrain from waterblasting or scrubbing with a stiff broom or brush.
- During the removal of asbestos cement sheets, pump spray should be used to dampen the sheets lightly and make sure the dust are down.
- Refrain from cutting or drilling on asbestos products.
- Make sure to remove asbestos sheets with care. It’s important to lower them and not dropping them to avoid breakage.
- Inform Others
Make sure that family members and pets are away from the work environment, even after the cleanup process. Also, talk to individuals who may be affected by the asbestos cement materials during your removal and disposal.
- Prepare the Area
Outside
- Place plastic sheets below the work area to avoid any dust to contaminate the floor or ground.
- Make sure that the toys of your children are moved away from the work area.
- Make sure that window and doors are closed and that vents are sealed to avoid dust getting inside the house; tell the neighbors to do the same.
- Other places like under the doors should be sealed to avoid dust from getting in.
Inside
- Close the doors and use plastic sheets and tape to close off the area from inside the house to avoid contaminating another part of the house.
- Tape plastic over the floor.
- Make sure to cover central heating ducts, vents, and air conditioning.
- It is also important to remove curtain, soft furnishings and rugs from the work area or if you want, you can just seal them using plastic sheets if they are hard to move.
- Remove play equipment of children from the work area.
- Other places like under the doors should be sealed to avoid dust from getting in.
- Clean Up
- Make sure to be careful in stacking asbestos materials on plastic sheets, double wrap, and tape, while still in the work area. Asbestos wastes should be labeled properly and clearly.
- During stacking sheets, make sure not to slide over the other, for this will release fibres.
- Make sure that asbestos sheets are not lying anywhere where it may be crushed or broken by people. Take away asbestos materials immediately as you can.
- It is also important that no dust leaves from the work area from tools, clothes, shoes, etc.
- Refrain from dry sweeping that can stir up dust. Use spray pump and dampen the dust with a ‘mist’ of water.
- Transport and Disposal
The disposal of asbestos wastes must be a site approved by the local council in Calgary. You may also hire a licensed Calgary asbestos removal company such as the Calgary Water & Flood Services Inc. to get and take away all the asbestos waste from your work area. You can reach them at 403-455-4379.