Electrical safety - not just about voltage

Australia has the highest per capita rate of asbestos-related disease in the world. We have a long relationship with the silicate material initially lauded for its superior insulation qualities. Asbestos mining began in here in the 1880s and continued well into the 20th century, and it was only around the mid-point of the 1900s that we began to suspect that something noxious was contained within those fibres.

As a burgeoning nation, Australia’s appetite for asbestos was seemingly insatiable. Much of the residential construction between World War II and 1983 utilised the fibrous cement sheets which release a deadly dust when cut, sanded, perforated or dismantled. Estimates suggest that over 70,000 asbestos cement homes were constructed in Australia in the year 1954 alone.

All was not what it seemed

Regardless of suspicion that all was not as it seemed with the supposed ‘super-material’, we continued to import product containing asbestos, as well as the raw material itself, till the late 1960s. In the late 1970s, facts came to the forefront or someone came to their senses and regulation commenced. Of the three asbestos classes, crocidolite (blue) asbestos was considered the most deadly and was banned in 1967. Amosite (brown) asbestos use continued for another 20 years, till the mid-1980s, and chrysotile (white) asbestos remained in widespread employment till the end of 2003; a mere 10 years ago.

Given the longstanding love affair, it’s not surprising that safe removal and management of asbestos is still a problem in Australia. We are now seeing a third wave of victims who have been exposed through non-occupational activities, in addition to those who have been put at risk as a result of their profession.

Electrical workers at risk

According to the Mesothelioma Center, electrical workers are most likely to come into contact with asbestos materials when repairing existing wiring during remodelling or renovations. Depending on the duration and repetition, this kind of exposure can lead to an asbestos-related disease like pleural mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer.

The centre advises that maintenance and repair work on older equipment including turbines, generators, heating units and water tanks is potentially unsafe, as is any instance where felted asbestos materials have been used as insulation, including around old wiring or inside breaker boxes. Older circuit breakers can be problematic as they used arc chutes containing an asbestos plastic moulding compound before the mid-1980s.

The thing that makes asbestos so insidious is that it can take decades for affected individuals to exhibit any symptoms as a result of exposure and it doesn’t treat everyone equally; contact is not necessarily a guarantee that an illness will eventuate. Given the slow-moving nature of the consequences, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that mesothelioma deaths will not peak until 2014, 48 years after questions were raised about the increasing prevalence of ‘dust diseases’ in mine workers.

In case there is any doubt about the susceptibility of those in the electrical industry, the Mesothelioma Centre cites a 2008 study whereby Italian researchers analysed data from clinical examinations and from interviews of 119 workers who were occupationally exposed to asbestos, including electricians. The purpose of the study was to determine if certain known mesothelioma biomarkers (proteins that can be measured) were present in exposed workers that could be used to predict how much risk they were at for developing the disease. When it is present at too high a level, it means the disease is present and the higher the level of the biomarker, the more severe the condition.

Researchers found that among electricians, their high rate of exposure to asbestos fibres increased the content of 80HdG iun their DNA. High levels of 80HdG are a sign of the presence of soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRPs), a known biomarker for mesothelioma. These electricians also had high levels of angiogenic factors, certain proteins that help the growth of new blood vessels. When angiogenic factors are present, it can mean that a dormant tumour is becoming malignant. Based on the combination of angiogenic factors and SMRPs, the researchers concluded the electrical workers were candidates for mesothelioma monitoring.

Tip of the iceberg?

Leaving behind the science speak and landing back on home soil, many local energy providers have issued guidelines for work practices to guard against asbestos risks, given that use of the material was historically so pervasive in the electrical industry. NSW electricity supplier Ausgrid has been operating for over 100 years and claims to have had a dedicated asbestos management program in place for over a decade.

Towards the end of 2012, Ausgrid publicly refuted assertions made by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) that the company had suspended asbestos removal programs. The ETU maintained that Ausgrid had delayed its endeavours based on reluctance to pay overtime, which the energy provider vigorously denied. According to information issued in November 2012, “an audit of 4000 underground electricity pits had been completed and 57 of those pits were found to contain friable asbestos. Asbestos has been removed from all but one of those pits. Each pit has also been cleaned.”

It further claims “there are 55 underground substations in the Sydney CBD. All of these underground substations have been subject to an asbestos audit and 50 of those substations have been cleaned and any asbestos removed.”

In addition to supplying statistical information, the company made public details from its Asbestos Safety Management Plan, which covers training programs, planned removals, operational resources, hazard assessment tools, health monitoring implementation and more.

So, that’s 4000 sites, overseen by one company, in one city, in one state of Australia. Is this just the tip of the iceberg?

Not just sparkies

It’s not just professionals at risk either. While DIY renovators are an obvious target, uncontrolled exposure through natural disasters such as floods and fires, both of which much of the country has endured over the last couple of years, puts everyone in the firing line.

In addition, it seems that despite all the publicity - and let’s face it, we’ve been talking about this for years - some companies have turned a blind eye and reckless individuals don’t appear to care who they harm. This was obviously the case when two tonnes of asbestos sheeting was recently found illegally dumped metres from an inner-Sydney childcare facility.

Given the far-reaching nature of what we can surely consider an epidemic, interest groups such as Asbestos Free Future (AFF) have been calling for a national approach to asbestos management. AFF wants Australia asbestos free by 2030 and suggests that inadequate public awareness and education, lack of a national authority and a scarcity of national laws are clear blockades to this imperative. It additionally calls for a program of compulsory supply of asbestos safety certificates for residential buildings and audits of commercial premises to facilitate complete elimination.

In response to such demands, the Australian Government took a nationally coordinated approach to reduce exposure to asbestos through the introduction of the Office of Asbestos Safety (OAS) in August of last year. Sitting within the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the OAS worked with jurisdictions and stakeholders in an effort to develop a National Strategic Plan for asbestos awareness and management by 30 June 2013.

Back in 2010, the Australian Government established the Asbestos Management Review (AMR), which developed a 12-point report containing recommendations for a national strategic plan to improve asbestos awareness and management arrangements across all sectors of the Australian community. The report noted that asbestos issues are regulated by each level of government in Australia and highlighted the need for a measure to improve coordination between government agencies.

In developing the National Strategic Plan, the recommendations of the AMR were considered, including how they might be practically implemented. Input from stakeholder groups is considered vital to ensure that the end plan is practical, implementable and comprehensive. A draft is due for posting to the OAS website in April and feedback on the included recommendations is sought.

A unified front

In late March this year, the Gillard Government put forward the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency Bill 2013 to establish an independent body which will focus “beyond workplace health and safety to environmental and public health issues”. It is being pushed as an international first in terms of a true nationwide attempt to achieve complete eradication of asbestos, an initiative that is undoubtedly being warmly received by the likes of AFF and other interest groups.

All I can say is, at least it’s on the radar because, trust me, the more you look into this the more frightening it becomes. The number of parties who have chosen to look the other way in the past and continue to do so extends way beyond the major miner and manufacturer of asbestos that has lived largest in the public eye over the last couple of decades. Not to serve as an excuse for James Hardie, but I think that side of the issue has been covered amply across every media source imaginable.

From a base point, I still struggle to comprehend that a mine was open for operation in 1943 and bolstered by a company-established, purpose-built town to house workers in 1947, presumably at no small cost. This mine was closed in 1966 due to growing health concerns for workers and their families. So, it operated for 23 years and included a full-blown civic development, yet it took us, as a nation, an additional 37 years to determine that we should rid our shores of this truly sinister material.

Admittedly, they were simpler times and we didn’t have access to the information that we now do. Add to that, the mine in question was the sole source of the particularly virulent crocidolite blue asbestos, not the ‘less dangerous’ brown and white varieties, which have since been banned. Still ... you’ve got to wonder. The fact remains; they knew in 1966 but we kept rolling in one form or another till 2003.

What should you do?

So, history lesson aside - in 2013, what does it mean to you, an electrical industry professional? Ultimately, there’s no point in looking backward and pointing the finger of blame, because we have to deal with the here and the now. You have to know what you are dealing with and it seems that many still don’t, which is understandable given the fragmented information available.

Essentially, make sure that you are confident that you can identify potentially hazardous material before you find yourself in a risky situation. Organisations such as your local WorkSafe authority or equivalent and the national Office of Asbestos Safety can provide guidelines for identifying situations that put you at risk and what to do when you encounter them. Simply put, if you’re not sure, don’t do it.

Never work without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), including face respirators, dust filters, coveralls with fitted hoods and suitable footwear. In addition to cover-up protection, you will need to decontaminate when you leave an asbestos work area to ensure that any harmful materials remain behind. Leave your respirator on when conducting any decontamination processes.

There are qualified asbestos removal professionals out there, so you may never find yourself in a situation that calls for personal involvement but, as the adage goes, forewarned is forearmed. Don’t be the guy that walks in unknowingly and thinks in 30 years “If only I’d ...”.