MesotheliomaWeb.Org: Asbestos Removal Workers Face Difficulties
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As job fields continue to shrink during this recession, one field that has seen a remarkable increase in demand is among asbestos abatement workers. Unfortunately, the field is also very stressful and contains many potential dangers. Workers must undergo specialized training to comply with state and federal environmental and occupational safety regulations. They must also continually wear special breathing masks and protective coveralls to prevent exposure to the carcinogenic asbestos fibers.
The working conditions often involve wearing full-body environmental suits and strenuous work in small spaces. Cory Bustrum, an asbestos remediation supervisor with Diversified Concrete Cutting in Nevada, reportedly said that wearing the special masks during an eight-hour workday is comparable to “having an octopus hooked to your face.” Mr. Bustrum oversees around twenty contractors who specialize in asbestos removal.
Reportedly, he also says that the conditions require a special breed of worker. In addition to the masks and coveralls, one worker in three carries a portable air pump to determine the levels of airborne asbestos fibers in the area. Work sites also include negative air pressure enclosures, which serve to extract the dangerous fibers, and portable showers, which workers are expected to use every time they remove their coveralls.
“Not a lot of guys can do the work,” Mr. Bustrum reportable said. He mentioned that many of the new workers fail to complete their first day, with some of them even quitting mid-shift.
He also remarked that much of the equipment that he and the other asbestos remediation workers use comes from “the old days of NASA”, when the early astronauts would practice working in conditions with little to no available oxygen. Also, workers must become accustomed to the lack of air circulation in their protective suits and masks. Health effects from prolonged enclosure in the suits can range from heavy perspiration to dehydration to heat stroke.
Tony Mayorga, training instructor and president of Laborers Local 169 near Reno, Nevada, reported to said that one of the major impediments in recruiting new workers in the field is the sweltering heat that trainees encounter in the suits. “Some people just cannot stand the heat,” Mr. Mayorga commented. “You have to get used to the environment, just like any other job.”
Mr. Mayorga’s asbestos removal classes require of forty hours of training, with hands-on practice in the suits for fourteen of those hours. The remainder of the training period consists of classroom study of the effects of asbestos, how to identify the material, and a study of the state and federal regulations surrounding the proper methods of removing, disposing and transporting asbestos-laced materials.
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