labor lawAdivision of labor law center

An advisory concerning Wyoming Worker Safety was issued recently to alert workers to possible asbestos dangers in the workplace. The main focus of this alert is to warn automobile mechanics of the possible presence of asbestos in the brakes and clutches of older cars.

Unfortunately, no easy way exists to detect whether asbestos is contained in clutches or brakes. As a result, mechanics and other workers need to take precautions when they handle items such as brake shoes and clutches. To be on the safe side, every item that could contain asbestos should be handled as if it does contain asbestos.

When employers have the possibility of worker exposure to asbestos, they have to develop safety regulations. These regulations should explain the procedures workers need to follow to minimize their exposure to asbestos. Moreover, employers should train workers on the necessary procedures and precautions, and oversee that employees follow these procedures.
 
Because of the way asbestos particles float through the air, if a worker mishandles an auto part that contains the substance, all employees in the shop can be exposed to asbestos. Control measures used for asbestos include wetting the substance to keep particles from floating into the air. An additional precaution to use is to store the suspect automobile parts in tightly sealed and labeled bags.

For hundreds of years, asbestos was used in industry. In recent years, though, the hazards posed to workers were discovered. Asbestos is dangerous because it breaks easily into small particles that float in the air and can be inhaled. Although the particles are tiny and not visible, they can injure the lungs of workers. The yearly fatality rate in the U.S. from diseases related to asbestos is 10,000. These diseases include lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. As people who have worked around asbestos get older, diseases such as mesothelioma appear. This form of cancer is rare and grows in the lining that protects internal organs, known as the mesothelium.

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