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Asbestos becomes a health hazard when it breaks into minuscule particles that can be inhaled by humans. Individuals who breathe in particles of asbestos are at risk of developing serious diseases, including lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, or asbestosis. Each year, about 10,000 deaths occur in the United States due to asbestos exposure.  The majority of that exposure occurs in the workplace.

That’s why a recent Florida worker safety alert details the hazards of asbestos in the workplace. Many older vehicles have asbestos in the brakes and clutches. Auto mechanics and other workers in the industry may be exposed to asbestos daily when completing repairs on these vehicles. It’s important for employers to establish safe procedures for handling asbestos, and to make sure that employees follow them. One employee who doesn’t follow the proper procedures can expose everyone in the shop to dangerous levels of asbestos.

Newer cars and trucks pose no risk, since their brakes and clutches are free of asbestos. However, with older vehicles, it’s very difficult to determine which have parts that include asbestos, and which do not. For this reason, OSHA recommends that mechanics handle all brakes and clutches as if they contain asbestos. In this area, the old maxim “better safe than sorry” applies.

Most people believe that asbestos has been removed from the workplace, but they are mistaken. Many workers in the auto repair industry are exposed to this potentially toxic chemical daily. Employers must establish written rules for safely handling asbestos, and train all employees in those procedures.

OSHA recommends a number of systems to handle asbestos safely, including wetting the asbestos and storing parts such as clutches and brakes in sealed, labeled bags.

The negative pressure enclosure/HEPA vacuum system method is one of the methods to control asbestos in auto repair shops that OSHA recommends.  Another recommended procedure is the low pressure/wet cleaning method. These two methods are the most effective in controlling asbestos particles. OSHA accepts two alternate methods only in shops that perform less than 5 brake and clutch jobs per week. The two alternate methods are the wet method and the spray can/solvent method.

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