7.15 - WORK CLOTHES
In accordance with the ILO Code of Practice, a company must establish a policy concerning: work clothing, protective clothing, clothes washing, change rooms and lunchroom facilities.
1. Coveralls should be provided to each employee in contact with chrysotile asbestos or chrysotile asbestos containing products;
2. Vacuum cleaners for de-dusting of clothes should be provided near the work area and/or near the entrance of the locker room where work clothes are removed and stored;
3. Brushes and compressed air are prohibited to clean work clothes;
4. Each employee exposed to chrysotile asbestos dust should remove dust from his clothes as soon as possible upon completion of work. Where a respirator is worn, it should be removed only after de-dusting;
5. It is prohibited to take work clothes home.
7.16 - PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
1. Where dust concentrations exceed the permissible exposure limit value, workers should be provided appropriate respiratory protection equipment, as well as special protective clothing, to avoid contamination of working clothes;
2. This special protective clothing should consist of a one-piece, disposable hooded garment;
3. When a worker must wear special protective clothing, the following steps should be taken:
€ put on the special protective clothing
€ install the respirator
€ fix the hood over the respirator straps
€ put on the safety boots ensuring the bottom of the pants are tucked in the top of the boots
€ put on protective gloves ensuring the sleeves of the suit cover the top of the gloves
€ put on safety hat.
4. Protective clothing must be removed immediately after usage and discarded in a special container.
7.17 - USE OF WASHING FACILITIES, CHANGE ROOMS AND LUNCHROOMS
1. All employees working in direct contact with chrysotile asbestos must use the laundry system, provided by the employer, for their work clothes;
2. Coveralls or other working clothes must be collected on a regular basis (weekly). These should be laundered under controlled conditions to prevent the emission of airborne asbestos during handling, transport and laundering;
3. Where contaminated clothing is sent for laundering outside the factory, it should be packed in properly sealed, dust-proof containers;
4. These containers must be clearly identified as containing asbestos-contaminated clothing;
5. The shower facilities should be situated between the work area and the clean locker room (personal clothes) (see Appendix-I for model);
6. The company shall provide separate, individual lockers in order to keep separately the work clothes and the personal clothing;
7. The locker room area must be cleaned (inside and outside) regularly (daily) to ensure that no accumulation of asbestos dust occurs;
8. No meals are to be taken into the workplace. A separate lunchroom must be made available to all employees. Prior to entering into the lunchroom during a work shift, special protective clothing must be removed and regular coveralls cleaned with a HEPA vacuum. This room must be isolated from the work area;
9. Employees from other areas or outside contractors must follow the same rules as employees within the area where personal protection measures are required.