Government has made it mandatory that asbestos abatement of public building, school and non-single family residential apartments should be done only by recognized abatement professional. However, there is no such provision for single-family residential buildings. You can do the asbestos abetment and removal of your single family home with the help of simple asbestos abatement equipment. However, you have to ensure that you follow safe asbestos removal and disposal procedure.



Asbestos Abatement Equipment For Flooring Removal

Use the following asbestos abatement equipment while removing floorings.

Individual Safety Gear (ISG) - Includes respirator, disposable work suits, gloves, shoes and goggles.

Polythene sheets, minimum 4mm thick -For sealing the work area, covering the doorways, heating and ventilation ducts, and wrapping waste.

Duct tape – Used for fixing polythene on surfaces and sealing vents, sealing disposable bags, boxes etc.

Disposable bags – Heavy sacks or asbestos disposal bags with asbestos warnings visible on them.

Boxes – For storing the removed flooring. Cover them with polythene or use waste disposal bags.

Sprayer with detergent water – Scrub and clean the floor with a mixture of one cup of detergent (liquid dishwasher is the best) dissolved in five gallons of water.

Abrasive Scrub pads - Used for scrubbing the floors, removing linoleum pieces, backings and adhesives etc.

Disposable Towels/Mops - Used for cleaning the work area, asbestos abatement equipment and mopping up excess water. Use them only once to prevent contamination of non-work areas.

Utility Knife – Used for cutting polythene sheets.

Metal Putty Knife – For removing flooring from the floors.

Sealing Of Work Area With Asbestos Abatement Equipment

Seal off the work area using the asbestos abatement equipment before starting the work. Thus any asbestos fibers released during the work will remain confined to the work area. Turn off the heating and the air conditioner. Cover all the ducts, vents and openings with polythene and seal off with duct tape. Remove all movable objects so that they are not contaminated. This will reduce the time spent on cleaning them later on. Cover all fixed objects with polythene sheets and seal with tape.

Stick polythene using the duct tape on all doorways, windows and other openings. Have only one entry to the work area. Cover that doorway also with a polythene flap with one vertical slit for entry and exit. This will prevent contaminated air from circulating out of the work area.