Discovering Asbestos in a Roof Need Not Be a Problem With Safe High Level Cleaning

The process of starting a business is full of several things to think about regardless of how meticulously you plan, sometimes unexpected events can occur.

This is the story of a small manufacturing firm when it was seeking out suitable premises to set up an office when it first started to set up Roof Washing Albany Ny.

In a well-established industrial estate that had a number of vacant buildings, they came across what they believed was an affordable structure of the right size . Its owner was eager to let it go because it had been unoccupied for a while.

The first task was to clean up several years’ worth of garbage and other debris prior to a comprehensive cleanup and changes to ensure it was appropriate for business.The work was scheduled and in good order, when they discovered the structure was covered with a corrugated roof that contained asbestos, a material that was commonly used in building construction until the early 1970s due to its qualities in restraining acids, alkali, and fire. Some asbestos types eventually were banned following the found to have carcinogenic properties . Consequently, instances of serious lung damage were discovered. The risk comes from the inhalation of tiny asbestos fibers released from improper handling or in places that are exposed to wear and tear.

The new tenant of the building was faced with a problem. The lease was completed and the refurbishment was in progress but thankfully, more investigation proved that the situation may not be as serious as initially feared.A thorough examination of the roof showed, surprisingly it was not damaged and, with the aid of the vast amount of details available on the website of Health and Safety Executive it was evident that it was not required to repair the roof.

The analysis revealed that the kind of asbestos used on roofing is “white”, the least hazardous among the three types and that, with appropriate measures to safeguard workers, it could be eliminated through sealing the inside of the roof by painting and cleaning it.However it was found that the HSE guidelines for safe working indicated that a significant amount of equipment and a certain amount of expertise is required for cleaning in a safe manner.

The list of guidelines comprised the restriction of access, and tape and signs to warn others, and ensuring secure access and distributing warnings that asbestos roofs couldn’t support much weight, and they were extremely fragile.The list of items that was required included 500-gauge polythene sheets, duct tape, biocide approved as well as a specific cleansing machine and a gardening sprayer that contains wetting agent, and asbestos waste bins. Furthermore, workers would be doing the work at an elevated elevation and directly over an existing concrete flow. This means that scaffolding with safety platforms, and safety equipment had to be added to the list.

It was evident that specialist assistance could complete the task faster and cheaper rather than with the staff the business had hired to complete the cleaning up and re-stripping. They contacted the services of a specialist company that had experience in the highest level of cleaning, and with the appropriate equipment and experience to accomplish the task quickly, efficiently and most importantly safely.It was clear that in this scenario cutting corners was not the way to go and this was the best choice.