Asbestos Awareness training

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Our Asbestos Awareness Safety Training course is regulation aligned, and our online version fulfills classroom training requirements. Each class contains sections on exposure and diseases, identification, safe work practices, PPE, and more. This presentation includes intermittent practice quiz questions to prepare for the final written exam included with the course. In addition to the written exam, this course also includes a checklist for employers to use when administering a practical exam as required.

Estimated Training Length: Because everyone learns and progresses at different speeds, the amount of time you spend taking this training will vary. However, the estimated time for this training is 60 – 90 min.

Intended Audience:

• Employees
• Supervisors

OSHA Requirements: This course meets the following OSHA Requirements:

• 29 CFR 1910.1001 – Asbestos in General industry
• 29 CFR 1926.1101 – Asbestos in Construction

Our asbestos online training course provides a substantial, thorough, and effective way to learn how to work safely. 

The asbestos online course meets the classroom requirement for occupational safety training. It also includes a proficiency checklist that employers can use to perform a practical evaluation, in accordance with standards and regulations.

We have fine-tuned this asbestos training to provide you with the best experience possible. Our robust training approach gives an interactive experience that helps learners retain information and apply it on the job site, preventing costly accidents and fines. Safety training is an investment. 

• Complete Training: First and foremost our goal is to keep you safe and save you money. Don't risk getting expensive OSHA fines because you settled for a sub-par training program that didn't cover safety topics in depth. Train using a program that helps you retain what is learned so that it is put into practice on job sites.
• Cost-Effective: Hiring a trainer to come on-site can be expensive. In contrast, our online curriculum lowers costs while still providing a professional training experience.
• Train Your Way: You can use this online training program for new hire training, refresher training or train remotely. Access it from anywhere and work on your schedule.
• Interactive Learning: Special reminders and quiz questions throughout the course prep students for the final exam so that it is passed the first time.
• Corporate License: Do you want to host this course on your own server? Contact us about obtaining broadcasting rights for this and any of our other online courses.

The basics of asbestos exposure and associated health consequences are covered in asbestos awareness training. People who come into contact with asbestos are taught how to protect themselves by recognizing when they are in danger. Long-term asbestos exposure raises the likelihood of diseases, but short-term asbestos exposure carries only a minimal health risk.

Asbestos is hazardous due to its microscopically thin fibers. These fibers are so small they can penetrate the lungs of a person. Asbestos also causes mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other serious illnesses. Asbestos Awareness training is, as the name implies, training on the fundamentals of asbestos exposure and its health risks. Awareness training teaches anyone who may come into contact with asbestos how to protect themselves by knowing when they are in danger.

Both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States mandate Asbestos Awareness training. We will go more into detail later in this article. Note: this training does not qualify you to get rid of asbestos hazards; that requires a totally different training. A greater level of education and certification is required for professionals who work to repair, remove, or encapsulate asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).

Here are some concerning statics when it comes to asbestos:

• Asbestos exposure is the leading cause of work-related deaths worldwide.
• Each year, over 90,000 people worldwide die as a result of asbestos-related diseases.
• An estimated 125 million people globally are still in danger of occupational asbestos exposure.
• Today, over 1.3 million construction and general industry workers in the United States are at risk of exposure.

Asbestos refers to a class of naturally occurring mineral fibers that have resilience to fire and chemicals and have been used extensively in a variety of goods. Sadly, asbestos is also to blame for the annual death of 39,000 Americans. That’s because prolonged asbestos exposure causes a number of fatal diseases. Despite its value to the industry, asbestos later gained a reputation for being a health risk. Asbestos refers to six fibrous minerals that exist naturally all over the world.

• Chrysotile
• Tremolite
• Crocidolite
• Amosite
• Actinolite
• Anthophyllite

Chrysotile asbestos is the most often used kind of asbestos. It accounts for nearly 95 percent of all asbestos used globally.

Although asbestos is fire and chemical resistant, it degrades quickly when handled by people. When floor tiles, shingles, or any other asbestos-containing product is struck, chopped, or drilled, asbestos fibers are released into the air and can be inhaled. Additionally, drinking water from pipes made of asbestos cement increases the chance of ingesting asbestos fibers.

Short-term exposure to asbestos carries a minor health risk while long-term exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing diseases like:

• Mesothelioma – The mesothelioma diagnosis rate is around 3,000 every year. Mesothelioma is a kind of cancer that primarily results from asbestos exposure and affects the lining of the abdominal cavity and lungs. Chest or abdominal pain, shortness of breath, a dry, hacking cough, a fever or night sweats, muscle weakness, and exhaustion are all signs of mesothelioma.
• Asbestosis – Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition that results in lung tissue damage and breathlessness. Long-term asbestos exposure increases the risk of developing asbestosis. Symptoms include chest pain or tightness, trouble swallowing, crackling breathing, high blood pressure, clubbing of the fingers and toes, and clubbing of the fingers and toes. Patients with asbestosis are more likely to develop mesothelioma.
• Lung cancer – Lung cancer develops within the organ itself, whereas mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs. The most frequent causes of lung cancer include smoking and other environmental variables; however, asbestos exposure is also a cause. The risk of lung cancer is higher in smokers who have a history of asbestos exposure.
• Ovarian Cancer – Studies that examine ovarian cancer cases involving consumers of cosmetic talc products have established a connection between the condition and asbestos exposure.

You may be wondering, who needs Asbestos Awareness training? OSHA requires Asbestos Awareness training for anybody who could be exposed to asbestos-containing dust. Examples include:

• Older structures that are being repaired, renovated, or demolished by construction personnel.
• Maintenance and janitorial employees who interact with ACMs (or PACMs, potential ACMs)
• Plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians

The fire- and chemical-resistant properties of asbestos have made them quite popular for use in more than 5,000 products. At one point or another, the following products had asbestos content:

• Brake linings
• Brake pads
• Popcorn ceiling
• Ceiling tiles
• Shingles
• Wall panels
• Pipes
• Ducts
• Electrical breakers and panels
• Fire blankets and curtains
• Gaskets
• Furnace insulation
• Vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring
• Beverage filters
• Caulking and putties
• Soundproofing
• Slow cooker
• Paint
• Hair dryers
• Cigarette filters
• Fertilizer

If you breathe in asbestos fibers of any kind, you could get sick. For those who work in environments exposed to asbestos, this is a serious concern. As previously mentioned, breathing asbestos fibers can increase your risk of developing lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other dangerous illnesses. Exposure to asbestos may also raise your risk of developing digestive system cancers, such as colon cancer.​​

The presence of asbestos in the air or of damage to your lungs cannot always be detected. You won’t sneeze or cough when around asbestos. It won’t irritate your skin or throat. When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed or unsafely removed, this releases asbestos fibers into the air. These fibers are too small to be felt, tasted, or seen.

Asbestos enters the environment when it is released into the air. If you enter these environments, you may be exposed to asbestos. Many factors influence whether or not asbestos exposure causes negative health effects. These elements are as follows:

• Dose
• Duration
• How you are exposed (through breathing, eating, or drinking)
• Other chemicals to which you are exposed

Individual qualities may also have an impact, such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Nutritional situation
• Familial characteristics
• Lifestyle
• General health status
• 
  

There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Asbestos-containing products are those that have an asbestos mineral content of more than 1%. Your risk of developing an asbestos disease increases with your exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma is the only asbestos-related disease that differs. Mesothelioma can be caused by asbestos exposure in very small doses. The dust that asbestos workers brought home on their clothing has caused mesothelioma in the relatives of those workers.

The diseases caused by asbestos all have a latency period. The latency period is the interval between when you inhale asbestos and when you first experience symptoms of illness. For asbestos-related diseases, the latency period ranges from 10 to 40 years. During the latency period, you won’t feel ill. After the latency period, you will start to feel sick.

There are certain people who are not affected by asbestos-related diseases. The chance of developing an asbestos disease is higher for everybody who has been exposed to asbestos. Treatment for asbestos diseases is challenging. Most illnesses are incurable. The majority of diseases caused by asbestos may only be prevented. Because of this, it’s crucial to prevent asbestos fibers from ever entering your lungs.

A chest x-ray is the most common test used to determine whether asbestos exposure has occurred. Although an x-ray cannot see asbestos fibers, it can see early symptoms of asbestos-related lung illness. If you work in any workplace that may be exposed to asbestos, other tests, including lung scanning and computer-aided tomography (CAT scan), are also helpful to detect abnormalities in the lungs.

The easiest way to avoid asbestosis is to limit your exposure to it. In the United States, federal law compels employers in businesses that use asbestos products, such as construction, to take extra precautions.

Many homes, schools, and other structures built before the 1970s include asbestos-containing materials such as pipes and floor tiles. As long as the asbestos is contained and undisturbed, there is no risk of exposure. When asbestos-containing materials are destroyed, asbestos fibers are discharged into the air and can be inhaled. Always have asbestos products inspected, repaired, or removed by asbestos professionals who are trained and accredited.

OSHA requires Asbestos Awareness training for workers who have been exposed to asbestos fibers in amounts equal to or more than the permissible exposure limit (PEL).

The EPA requires asbestos training to be completed within 60 days of starting work, and OSHA requires Asbestos Awareness training to be completed before or on the day of a relevant assignment.

According to EPA regulations, school cleaning and maintenance staff members are required to complete some sort of training if they operate in a structure that includes ACMs (or materials that may contain ACMs). This is more stringent than OSHA, which bases its requirements on predicted exposure.

OSHA mandates Asbestos Awareness training to be completed on an annual basis. Employers can perform it more frequently, and OSHA advises extra training if a worker shows a lack of awareness or competency on the subject. This guideline also requires companies to preserve employee training records for at least a year beyond the employee’s last date of employment.

When it comes to Asbestos Awareness training, you may wonder who is the most at risk? We are all at danger of asbestos exposure because of the widespread usage of asbestos in many structures and products. However, during the peak of asbestos use, some occupations pose a higher risk of exposure than others. They are as follows:

• Raw asbestos miners
• Renovators and demolition experts
• Construction workers
• Automobile mechanics
• Manufacturing workers
• Drywall installers
• Firefighters
• Pipefitters and plumbers
• Railroad employees
• Brickmasons
• Boilermakers
• Military service members

Secondary exposure is a risk for anyone who lives with an asbestos worker. Many asbestos workers’ family members were exposed in this way. Secondary exposure is especially likely when workers’ clothes are washed.

In general, OSHA Asbestos Awareness training must include the following topics:

• The health effects of asbestos exposure
• The role of smoking and asbestos exposure in the development of lung cancer
• Methods of detecting asbestos
• Asbestos quantity, location, method of use, release, and storage
• Specific conditions that may expose workers to asbestos
• Controls and work procedures according to their job assignment
• Specific precautions, such as acceptable work practices, emergency and cleanup procedures, and personal protective equipment (PPE), to safeguard people from exposure
• The function, proper use, and limitations of respirators and protective equipment
• OSHA’s mandatory medical monitoring program’s purpose and description
• The relevant OSHA asbestos standard’s contents
• Signage and labeling requirements, as well as the meaning of the relevant legends