Malaysian Asbestos Removal Guide

With my continuing investigation into asbestos in Malaysia, I caught up with Noor Hisham Yahaya of Safe Asbestos Solutions (SAS) whilst I was in KL whose Port Dickson based company specializes in removing asbestos from commercial and industrial sites. I spent some time with Hisham checking out Safe Asbestos Solutions asbestos removal business to give readers some insight into how a professional asbestos removalist goes about dealing with the lethal asbestos found in many old factory buildings and oil refineries in Malaysia.

History
SAS have been established in Malaysia for approximately four years and are involved in many significant asbestos removal and decontamination jobs such as oil refineries & depots and several public buildings. Founder Noor Hisham Yahaya quickly identified an opening in the asbestos removal market in Malaysia when many national and international companies required asbestos material removed safely and to a recognized international standard. With local asbestos removalists either non existent or under qualified, companies were forced to use overseas contractors by flying them in with equipment at great expense.  But now they have the option to use a local company who can do the job to the same exacting world class standards.

With plenty of aging industrial facilities in Malaysia being subject to upgrade or either decommissioned, there is a never ending job of removing dangerous asbestos materials such as insulation lagging on pipes and corrugated asbestos cement sheeting as found on many roofs. With asbestos fibres recognized as the cause of lung diseases asbestosis and mesothelioma, many companies are now playing it safe with regards to worker and public safety, and choose to have asbestos removed professionally. Not only is this ethically and morally the right thing to do as in taking good corporate social responsibility, but it does potentially protect companies from future litigation and law suits.

Why choose SAS services versus Do It Yourself or inhouse asbestos removal?

As Noor Hisham Yahaya explains: Removing asbestos is in fact no simple task, especially when dealing with the very dangerous forms of blue asbestos (Crocidolite) and brown asbestos (Amosite) such as found on the insulation of pipe lagging in oil refineries, ships and power stations. Many companies simply do not have the knowledge and  experience to deal with asbestos of this calibre let alone identification skills, safety procedure, and necessary equipment to do the job properly themselves.

Correct disposal of asbestos waste is also an essential final step in the process and this must be done at a proper toxic waste disposal site and not in a general landfill site. In addition, compliance with Malaysian occupational health and safety regulations and laws must be adhered to which can often be complex. Worker safety is also essential when removing asbestos. Protective clothing and dust masks must be worn at all times during removal and not to mention, removing asbestos often involves working at great heights where there is a risk of falling and serious injury!

Services:

Asbestos removal and disposal:

Asbestos removal and disposal is SAS’s core business operation. Hisham has kindly provided me with some great photo’s of his team at work at various sites in Malaysia where SAS was contracted to remove and dispose of asbestos:

Removal of corrugated asbestos cement (AC) roof sheeting at Shell Malaysia BLI depot Butterworth.

Bagging small pieces of broken asbestos cement sheeting into plastic ‘glove bags’. (Shell Malaysia BLI depot Butterworth)

Notice the workers are equipped with safety harnesses in case of a fall. Working (and walking) on corrugated asbestos cement roofs is extremely dangerous as old sheeting tends to become brittle over age and can easily crack and give way when walked on. Also checkout how scaffolding has been erected around the worksite making access to roof a lot easier and safer for the workers to carry out the job.

Also, observe how workers clothing has sealing or duct tape wrapped around their ankles and wrists. This is to prevent asbestos dust from entering their overalls and gloves.

Bagging smaller pieces of asbestos at oil refinery. Bags are placed on pallets ready for transport to final waste disposal site. (Shell Malaysia BLI depot Butterworth)

Asbestos is plastic wrapped and placed on pallets ready for transportation to waste disposal site. (Shell Malaysia BLI depot Butterworth)

Note how the bags have the letter ‘a‘ printed on them, this is the international symbol for asbestos.

Wrapping asbestos contaminated pipes at oil refinery. (Shell Malaysia, Lutong Sarawak)

Wrapping pipes contaminated with asbestos lagging at oil refinery. (Shell Malaysia, Lutong Sarawak).

Where pipes need to be cut, a protective hood is placed over the work area to prevent asbestos fibres being released into the surrounding area.

Safety Equipment

Above: Some of the safety equipment used by SAS when removing asbestos.

Vacuum Cleaners: Note the special industrial vacuum cleaners used by SAS. These are Kerstar (KV25/2H) asbestos vacuum cleaners that have a 3 stage filtration system employing a special HEPA style filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air) which can capture the super fine asbestos fibres. It should be noted domestic type vacuum cleaners should never be used in cleaning up asbestos waste, as the asbestos fibres can easily pass through these machines spreading asbestos fibres into air and making the situation even worse.

Disposable Overalls (next to vacuum cleaner): SAS workers always wear disposable overalls or coveralls. At the end of each days work or shift, the overalls are disposed of, wrapped up in plastic bags and disposed of along with the asbestos waste. Disposable overalls are never reused.

Full face dusk mask with external filter: This the most essential piece of safety equipment for SAS workers, giving protection from the lethal asbestos fibres which otherwise may be breathed in. Note that each dusk mask is kept in a hygienically clean plastic tub that is sealed when not in use. Filters are replaced daily, the old filters are disposed of along with the overalls after each day.

Encapsulating spray (on trolley): This spray is used for small jobs to spot treat small pieces of asbestos. The spray itself is like a glue that prevents further release of asbestos dust.

Decontamination shower unit: After each day, workers themselves must be decontaminated. As work clothes may contain asbestos fibres from the job (and therefore pose a risk), correct decontamination procedure is essential to ensure workers do not breath in asbestos fibres when removing their work clothes. This small portable unit is made by Dehaco, however SAS have constructed a much larger decontamination unit based on a 20ft shipping container which can suit a team of up to 15 specialists and is built to EU safety standards. Check the SAS brochure and website below for more about this.

Other Services:

In addition to asbestos removal, SAS also provides these services:

Training: With a wealth of knowledge about asbestos and how to remove them, SAS provides workshops and training for various organisations. This includes asbestos awareness for employees and asbestos removal training to EU/UK standards.

Consultancy: Dealing with asbestos can often be a complex task, particularly in a workplace situation. Government occupational health and safety laws require asbestos be dealt with appropriately and this itself can be quite a task interpreting these regulations. With asbestos a known to cause the lung diseases mesothelioma and asbestosis, choosing the best procedure to deal with it requires the services of a professional. Dealing with asbestos correctly now reduces the chances of litigation and other legal implications (civil and criminal) in the future. In addition to Malaysia, SAS can do consultancy work in most other countries in South East Asia including Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Asbestos Surveys, Monitoring & Audits: SAS can send in experts to identify any suspect asbestos materials including buildings and naval vessels which may be subject to upgrade, or demolition. Depending on the type of survey requested by the client, the survey may involve a visual assessment and taking samples for laboratory analysis. Check the SAS website link below for more information on this.

Testing Services: Is it asbestos or not? Correctly identifying asbestos materials is essential when it comes to making decisions for demolition, upgrading or renovating older buildings. An asbestos consultant can often identify asbestos material from years of experience, however the only positive way to identify asbestos is through laboratory analysis methods such as Polarized Light Microscopy or X-ray Diffraction.

Conclusion

SAS is a dedicated asbestos removal company based in Malaysia and employs local people who are trained to EU/UK standards. From what I’ve seen of SAS operations, I can say I’m impressed with all aspects of their asbestos removal business. Indeed, SAS operates to a world class standard right here in Malaysia and conducts a very professional operation in regards to asbestos removal and worker safety.

Contact details:

• Address: No 21-1 Taman Mikamas, Bt-2 Jalan Seremban, 71000 Port Dickson, Malaysia
• Telephone: +60 66 51 20 20
• FAX: +60 66 51 02 02
• Email: info@sas.my
• Website: http://sas.my

Brochure: Safe Asbestos Solutions (pdf)

Owners of older homes in Malaysia built in the 1960′s, 70′s and 80′s may be risking their lives when doing renovations and demolitions due to exposure to asbestos contained in the once popular building products known as asbestos cement sheeting. Here are some common examples of asbestos cement products found in Malaysia today.

You might be unaware of it, but if you live in an older style home in Malaysia, there is a possibility that parts of the building may contain the extremely dangerous mineral fibre of asbestos. This will usually be in the form of asbestos cement sheeting often used on the roof, walls and ceiling. Although asbestos cement sheeting is not a substantial hazard when left undisturbed, the greatest danger comes when doing a renovation or demolition.

Many of these older buildings are now in a state of either needing extensive renovation or demolition… and it’s a sad fact, that virtually all domestic renovations / demolitions done in Malaysia are without due consideration to the danger of asbestos to workers, house occupants (if any) and the neighbours.

Asbestos cement building products were immensely popular in the 1960′s, 1970′s and 1980′s due to their low cost, durability and virtually no maintenance, not only in Malaysia but all over the world. These materials were often used in budget housing estates, shops and factories as they sped up the time of construction and were cost effective to use. The world couldn’t get enough of it and at the time, asbestos was considered a truly wondrous material. Until….

Until, eventually asbestos cement products fell out of favor, due to an alarming number of asbestos related diseases which began to appear in asbestos factory workers, builders which worked with asbestos and even home renovators. Diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma were common for those exposed to asbestos….and eventually death came soon after. There is no cure for these diseases.

If this wasn’t bad enough, it was soon discovered many major manufacturers of asbestos products were well aware of the dangers of asbestos as early as the 1920′s but continued to manufacture products and issue no health warning about them. This subsequently resulted in many famous law suits around the world claiming compensation…but that’s another story.

The fact is…asbestos is dangerous.

Like it or not, but today’s generation of Malaysians must deal with this legacy, preferably in safe manner. The first thing is to be aware of what you’re dealing with, and how to identify common asbestos products here and now in Malaysia.

Examples of Asbestos Cement Sheeting in Malaysia:

Roof of car shelter / verandah constructed using corrugated asbestos cement sheeting. SS2, Petaling Jaya 2011.

A close up of the typical asbestos cement sheeting used at the rear of many older terrace style properties in and around KL. SS2, Petaling Jaya.

Corrugated asbestos cement sheeting used as fence at the rear of terrace style house. SS2 Petaling Jaya 2011.

Corrugated asbestos cement sheeting used as wall. Rear of terrace house. SS2, Petaling Jaya.

A broken piece of corrugated asbestos cement sheeting in a alley behind terrace houses in SS2 Petaling Jaya. Although if left alone it doesn’t present a danger, however if this was broken up further by vehicles running over it, there would be a release of dangerous asbestos fibres. Such broken pieces should be cleaned up as soon as possible.

Corrugated asbestos cement sheeting near a drain in SS2, Petaling Jaya. This isn’t a danger if left alone, but if was broken up for disposal by the owner, then there would be release of asbestos fibres.

An example of illegal dumping of builders rubbish. Not only is there bricks, concrete and tiles, but also alarmingly broken asbestos cement sheeting! Seksyen 17 Petaling Jaya.

This illegal dumping shows how carelessly the asbestos sheeting was broken up by a hammer or by jumping on it, then transported to a spare block near a waste water treatment plant in Seksyen 17 Petaling Jaya. Not only were the workers were exposed to deadly asbestos fibres but the innocent neighbours nearby and over the road likely were exposed to asbestos fibres when it was dumped off the back of the truck.

Another example of illegal dumping of asbestos cement products. This asbestos pipe was captured on vacant land near SS2 Mall, Petaling Jaya.

A pile of smashed up asbestos cement sheeting probably from a recent renovation. Smashing up the sheeting like this is what you want to avoid, as this releases the dangerous asbestos fibres into the air. Seksyen 17, Petaling Jaya.

The National Aerated Water Company Building is very typical of older style factory building around Malaysia.  Near Sinchew Daily Newspaper, Seksyen 14, Petaling Jaya.

The old National Aerated Water Company factory. Whilst the asbestos cement roof doesn’t pose a hazard as it is, any future redevelopment plans may include its demolition and removal of asbestos cement sheeting, which if not properly handled will release asbestos fibres into the surrounding area. At risk will be the workmen and nearby neighbours from exposure to asbestos fibres. Another danger to workmen working on the roof is the risk of falling through asbestos roof. As asbestos cement sheet ages, it tends to become more brittle. Serious injury can occur not only from the fall, but also from the sharp asbestos which cuts like glass if you fall through. Safety precautions should be taken such as use of a body harness.

Many older schools and public building have asbestos cement roofs. An issue for government authorities to tackle come renovation time.

Flat asbestos cement sheeting used in this ceiling of abandoned shop house. Taiping, Perak.

Ceilings in older Malaysia’s homes built in the 1970 and 80′s may contain asbestos cement sheeting. But quite often, plywood was used as well.

Demolition gone wrong:An example of how NOT to do a demolition. Here we see broken pieces of asbestos cement roof sheeting scattered all over this demolition site of a shop house. The sheeting looks to have been smashed with hammers which would release asbestos fibres in to surrounds, putting the workers at risk and any nearby persons. Location Taiping, Perak.

An out building constructed from corrugated asbestos cement sheeting on a farm in Simpang, Perak.

A mixture of building rubble including broken asbestos cement sheeting on farm in Simpang, Perak.

Lower section of this roof extension is constructed from corrugated asbestos cement sheeting. Note upper section is regular concrete tiles. Asbestos sheeting was used in the 1970′s and 80′s as a cheap and quick alternative to regular roofing materials such as tiles. Pictured near Ipoh, Perak.

Mechanics Beware: Although most new vehicles are probably are equipped with asbestos free brake pads and shoes, beware of cheap after market brake pads that may contain asbestos linings, particularly those imported from China and Thailand.