Asbestos and The Removal Process
Most people have heard of asbestos and that it can be harmful to your health if handled inappropriately. For owners of older Hamilton homes, you might be worried about the presence of asbestos when doing renovations around your home.
If you are looking into doing a project that requires the removal of asbestos, you will need to ensure that it is done properly and follows the right safety and regulatory guidelines. Here’s what you need to know.
Use a Professional
You may feel as though you can easily remove the asbestos from your Hamilton property, but there are professionals in this field that know what they’re doing and are up to date on all the regulations they need to follow to remove the asbestos properly.
The cost of doing so may seem high, but asbestos is almost invisible to detect with just your eyes, yet breathing even a little of it in can lead to long-term and potentially fatal health issues. If you have asbestos in your home, trusting professionals with the removal can save some major health concerns down the line.
How do you know if you have asbestos?
Asbestos can be found in several older products (late 70s or older) – from construction materials to car parts, and it was even found in some oven mitts! In regard to your foundation, you might have found Asbestos used in the insulation material found on your basement walls and ceilings as well as in any crawl spaces.
Products that contain asbestos, if undisturbed, are not necessarily cause for concern. It is once the asbestos has been disturbed and the fibres have been released into the air that it becomes dangerous. Any materials that you believe could have asbestos in them should be addressed and removed by professionals.
Asbestos removal process
Wherever there is asbestos, a containment unit will be set up along with a worker decontamination unit so that the proper safety procedures can be followed. The goal of asbestos removal is to remove all the affected materials without disturbing them or allowing the fibres to disperse into the air.
During the process, wipes will be used to clean all surfaces and objects, and any materials removed from the area will need to be double-bagged for disposal. Workers during the removal will also wear protective equipment – including respirators – to ensure they are not breathing in the hazardous materials.
You might notice that anything being removed is soaked (to help prevent fibres from getting into the air) before it’s taken out. It is then placed into bags that are doubled up and specifically labelled as containing asbestos.
Once the affected area has been cleared of the materials, the abatement team will have to dispose of them in a specific way to ensure the materials do not break and the bags do not split.
Have a plan for removal
When you hire a professional to remove the asbestos in your Hamilton home, they should be able to provide you with a written plan as to how exactly it will be removed. You are within your rights to ask any contracted workers to see their plan for safe removal because it is in your home, and you don’t want to have any risk of exposure for yourself or your family.
Contact Conterra Foundations today
If you have issues with the foundation in your Hamilton home, you can always count on the Conterra Foundation & Repair professionals. Call us today.
