UKATA Safe Working Practices — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Before starting any maintenance or refurbishment work in a pre-2000 building, what should you always do first?
- Start work immediately and check for asbestos later
- Check the asbestos register and management plan (Correct answer)
- Ask a colleague if they think there is asbestos
- Wear a hard hat only
Correct answer: Check the asbestos register and management plan
Before starting any work in a pre-2000 building, you must check the asbestos register and management plan. This will tell you whether asbestos is present in the area where you will be working and what precautions are needed.
Question 2: What type of RPE (respiratory protective equipment) is the minimum standard for asbestos work?
- A standard dust mask
- An FFP3 disposable respirator or half-mask with P3 filter (Correct answer)
- A scarf over the nose and mouth
- No RPE is needed for short tasks
Correct answer: An FFP3 disposable respirator or half-mask with P3 filter
The minimum RPE for asbestos work is an FFP3 disposable respirator or a half-mask with P3 filter. Standard dust masks do not provide adequate protection against asbestos fibres. RPE must be face-fit tested to the individual wearer.
Question 3: What should you do if you accidentally disturb material you suspect contains asbestos?
- Continue working but wear gloves
- Stop work immediately, warn others, restrict access, and report to your supervisor (Correct answer)
- Clean it up with a normal vacuum cleaner
- Open all windows to ventilate the area
Correct answer: Stop work immediately, warn others, restrict access, and report to your supervisor
If you accidentally disturb suspected asbestos, you must stop work immediately, warn anyone nearby, leave the area, prevent others from entering, and report the incident to your supervisor. Never attempt to clean it up yourself without proper training and equipment.
Question 4: Why should you NEVER use a standard vacuum cleaner to clean up asbestos debris?
- It is too noisy
- Standard vacuums blow asbestos fibres back into the air through the exhaust (Correct answer)
- It takes too long
- Standard vacuums are too expensive
Correct answer: Standard vacuums blow asbestos fibres back into the air through the exhaust
Standard vacuum cleaners cannot filter asbestos fibres, which are smaller than the filter pores. The fibres pass through the filter and are blown back into the air through the exhaust, actually increasing airborne contamination. Only Type H (HEPA) vacuums must be used.
Question 5: What does 'wet working' mean in the context of asbestos work?
- Working in rainy conditions
- Keeping asbestos materials damp to suppress fibre release (Correct answer)
- Using water-based paint over asbestos
- Washing hands after handling asbestos
Correct answer: Keeping asbestos materials damp to suppress fibre release
Wet working involves keeping asbestos materials damp during work to suppress the release of fibres into the air. Water prevents fibres from becoming airborne. This is a fundamental control measure for many types of asbestos work.
Question 6: What should happen to disposable PPE after completing asbestos work?
- It should be washed and reused
- It should be treated as asbestos waste and disposed of accordingly (Correct answer)
- It can be placed in normal waste bins
- It should be stored for the next job
Correct answer: It should be treated as asbestos waste and disposed of accordingly
Disposable PPE used during asbestos work is contaminated and must be treated as asbestos waste. It must be placed in labelled asbestos waste bags and disposed of at a licensed waste facility. Reusing contaminated PPE would cause further exposure.
UKATA Safe Working Practices
Before starting any maintenance or refurbishment work in a pre-2000 building, what should you always do first?