WSH Guidelines - Management and Removal of Asbestos

Introduction

What is WSH Guideline 
WSH Guidelines showcased workplace safety and health best practices and WSH program for controlling workplace hazards and improving occupational health for various industry and program 

Check out the free WSH Guidelines - Management and Removal of Asbestos to improve your organization WSH practices. For the latest WSH Guidelines update, refer to Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council Website.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos had been widely used in buildings, plants and ships due to its excellent fire, heat and chemical resistance properties. However, exposure to asbestos, such as through inhalation of asbestos fibres, can lead to serious diseases. 

In response to these health risks, the use of asbestos in buildings was banned in Singapore in 1988 by the Building Control Division (now the Building and Construction Authority [BCA]). Many old buildings in Singapore still contain asbestos or asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).

These asbestos and ACMs can be released into the air when disturbed, affecting building occupants. It is therefore important to manage asbestos in buildings and workplaces to prevent harmful exposure.

Precaution and care must be taken when conducting work activities involving ACMs. These activities include building structural works (e.g., repair, dismantling, demolition, renovation, maintenance and alteration) and other related operations (e.g., handling, sawing, cutting, grinding, drilling, lagging and delagging).

WSH Guidelines - Management and Removal of Asbestos was developed to provide guidance on the proper management of ACMs and how to work with them safely.

It is primarily aimed at contractors, occupiers and building owners, especially those in the construction sector, shipyards and petrochemical facilities. 

The guidelines will first discuss some health effects of asbestos exposure and list examples of ACMs. It will then elaborate on the management of ACMs and good industry practices. This is followed by a description of the various aspects of asbestos-removal work. Salient points on air monitoring, training and medical surveillance will also be covered. 

Here's what you will learnt 

After reading this guide, contractors, occupiers and building owners should be able to: 

• identify ACMs in workplaces; 

• understand the health risks of work involving asbestos; and 

• manage the risk of ACMs through appropriate controls.

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