12 - Check List for Supervisors/
Safety Representatives
1. Has your country ratified ILO Convention 162?
2. a) Does your country have national asbestos regulatory instruments in place?
b) Do you have a copy of these regulations on file?
3. Do you have a joint health & safety committee? (i.e. labour/management)
4. Does your country have asbestos waste disposal regulations?
5. Do you put a warning label on your products?
6. Do you provide a Material Safety Data Sheet with your products?
1. Is the asbestos fibre packaged in plastic or paper bags when it arrives?
2. Are transport vehicles cleaned following delivery of the fibre?
3. Are the bags shipped on pallets and "shrink-wrapped"?
4. Are damaged bags repaired before being stored?
5. Are asbestos bags stored tidily away from work area?
6. Are the empty bags stored in a container still under exhaust ventilation?
7. Is the fibre taken to working areas in sealed containers or in an enclosed conveyor?
- Fibre: mixing, moulding, carding, spinning, weaving, etc.
- Products: cutting, grinding, machining, etc.
1. Are working methods designed to reduce the amount of dust released?
2. Are fibre products used wet or damp where possible?
3. Are dusty materials kept in closed bins, etc. when not in use?
4. Are machines and processes which produce dust enclosed as much as possible?
5. Are dusty processes screened off from other areas?
6. Are spillages from machines, etc., quickly contained and removed?
7. Is a dust lamp used to check for dust emissions into the air at machines and processes?
8. Is exhaust ventilation equipment provided to control dust release?
9. Are bins, etc., provided for off-cuts and other waste?
- Enclosures, hoods, etc.
1. Is the exhaust enclosure as complete as possible?
2. Is the worker, or at least his/her head outside the enclosure?
3. If hoods are used, are they as close as possible to the place where dust is produced?
4. Is all work, which should be done in exhausted enclosures being done there?
5. Are hoods and exhaust inlets in enclosures clear and unblocked?
6. Are hoods, ducts, etc., in good condition? (Look out for holes, poor joints, etc.)
7. If air flow or suction gauges are fitted, do they work?
8. Do the gauges have marks for "OK" & "Faulty"?
9. Do employees know how and when to turn the exhaust system on?
1. Is the filter housing in good condition? (Any doors should fit well and be closed.)
2. Is the bag or bin below the filters well sealed to the discharge chute?
3. If a suction gauge is fitted, is it working?
4. Does it indicate whether the suction is OK or not?
5. If the collector is fixed, is the filtered air ducted to the outside?
6. If not, is there a dust measuring device linked to an alarm in the return air outlet?
1. Are the filters shaken or cleaned regularly (at least every day)? This may be automatic or manual.
2. Is the dust collecting bag changed before it gets too full?
3. Does the person doing this wear respiratory protective equipment and protective clothing?
4. Is all the equipment - hoods, enclosures, ducts, collectors, etc., inspected once a week?
5. Are they thoroughly examined and tested by a competent person every 14 months?
6. Does this inspection include a check with a dust lamp?
7. Are reports of the inspections available for you to see?
8. If defects are noted on the inspection reports, is there a follow-up to ensure they have been corrected?
1. For all areas, machines, etc., which could be a source of dust or waste, have cleaning schedules been prepared?
2. Has responsibility for cleaning been assigned to:
a) individuals - employees?
b) specialists - employees?
c) combination of a) and b)?
3. Where waste or fibre accumulates, are studies undertaken to determine the source?
Is corrective action taken to eliminate or reduce spillage?
4. Is the use of dry sweeping prohibited in the plant?
5. Is the use of compressed air prohibited in the plant?
6. Do you use the following to clean your operation?:
- fixed vacuum installations
- portable HEPA filtered cleaning equipment
- mobile floor cleaners
- wetting technique
1. Is there a cleaning schedule for all buildings, machines, etc.?
2. Does the schedule state who should do the cleaning and how it should be done?
3. Is all cleaning done by vacuum or other dustless method?
4. Is brushing and sweeping of asbestos waste prohibited?
5. Are there enough vacuum cleaning outlets or portable vacuum cleaners?
6. Are the portable cleaners suitable for asbestos?
7. Are portable cleaners maintained in good order and cleaned regularly?
8. Are the buildings, machines etc., clean?
1. Is all hard waste and waste water recycled in your plant?
2. If not, is it disposed of in appropriate landfills, according to national regulations?
3. If no national regulations exist, is waste disposed of according to international practices?
4. Are used asbestos bags recycled in your plant?
5. If not, are they disposed of in appropriate landfills?
6. When collecting small volumes of asbestos waste is it put in plastic bags or other containers and wetted?
7. Do workers wear appropriate personal protective equipment when handling asbestos waste?
1. Are you familiar with the membrane filter method for fibre measurement?
2. Do you have a program for monitoring airborn fibre at your plant?
3. Do you know how to take a personal sample?
A static sample?
4. Are you aware of the fundamentals of dust sampling strategies?
5. Do you monitor the dust emission in your plants regularly?
6. Do you monitor dust levels in the non-occupational environment?
7. Do you have a quality control program for fibre measurement?
1. Are there clear instructions about when and where it should be used?
2. Is the RPE approved or recognized by government authorities?
3. Is it suited for:
- the likely dust levels?
- wear for long periods if necessary?
- employees with beards or eye glasses?
4. Have employees been trained to use the RPE?
5. Are arrangements made for the equipment to be cleanedand any filters fitted to be changed?
6. Is there an area set aside to store RPE when not in use?
7. Is RPE used when it should be?
1. Are there clear instructions about when it should be worn?
2. Is it changed and cleaned often enough? (In other words, before its gets too dusty)
3. Do employees know not to take it home?
4. Does it cover employees own clothing and hair?
5. Is a changing room provided?
6. Are there separate lockers for protective clothing and employees own clothes?
7. Are vacuum lines or vacuum cleaners provided in working areas to remove dust from protective clothing?
1. Are eating and drinking in working areas prohibited?
2. Is a canteen or rest area provided for eating and drinking?
3. Do people take off their protective clothing before entering the canteen?
4. Is the canteen/rest area kept clean?
1. Are washing facilities provided at or near the changing rooms?
2. If very dusty work is done, are showers available?
3. Is the washroom kept clean?
Are soap and towels available?
4. Do employees wash/shower after taking off their protective clothing and before putting on their own clothes?
1. Has a health monitoring program been implemented for all employees?
2. Does the health monitoring program include:
- a pre-assignment medical examination?
- periodic medical examinations?
- medical examination in and where practicable following cessation of employment?
3. Do only qualified doctors specialized in radiographic analysis perform the medical examinations?
4. Are all medical records kept for at least 40 years?
5. Does the medical doctor actively communicate with the plant manager and keep abreast of information on exposure levels within the plant?
6. Are employees informed for the potential health risks of asbestos exposure?
7. Are employees aware of the greater risk to health if they smoke and work with asbestos?
8. Is advice on the dangers of smoking included in induction training of new employees?
9. Are notices/posters discouraging smoking displayed?
1. Is there a program for all employees, from shop floo to senior management?
2. Does it cover both induction training for new employees and refresher courses for existing employees?
3. Is training provided for employees when they change jobs within the company?
4. Does the program state who is responsible for organizing the training?
5. Are employees getting the required training?
6. Is practical instruction on the use of RPE included?
7. Are records kept of an individual's training?
1. Are leaflets or pamphlets indicating propertools, safety procedures and waste disposal information made available to distributors, contractors, users?
2. Are information seminars or training programs (on your industry's products) organized for distributors, contractors, architects and engineers, safety procedures, etc. ?
3. Is there interaction with customers/users to address and resolve any concern they may have regarding asbestos-containing products?
4. Are asbestos products pre-cut or pre-drilled prior to delivery in order to minimize the potential for exposure during installation?