If you work in a commercial automotive shop that 

performs work on no more than five brake or clutch 

jobs per week, OSHA regulations allow the following 

method instead: 

Wet Wipe Method This method involves using a spray 

bottle or other device capable of delivering a fine mist of 

water, or amended water (water with a detergent), at 

low pressure to wet all brake and clutch parts. The 

brakes can then be wiped clean with a cloth. 

As a home mechanic, what can I do to 

protect myself from asbestos 

exposure? 

If you are not able to determine whether your brakes or 

clutch contain asbestos, you may want to consider 

having your brakes or clutch serviced at a commercial 

automotive shop. OSHA requires special work 

practices for professional automotive technicians. If, 

however, this is not possible and you do not have 

access to the equipment professional automotive 

shops use to comply with the OSHA work practices, 

you may want to consider using the wet wipe method 

described in this brochure (www.osha.gov/SLTC/ 

asbestos/standards.html). This method has been 

deemed acceptable by OSHA for shops that service 

no more than five brake or clutch jobs per week. 

Work Practice Don’ts for Home Mechanics: 

It is recommended that you: 

• Do not use compressed air for cleaning.

 Compressed air blows dust into the air. 

• Do not clean brakes or clutches with a dry

 rag, brush (wet or dry), or garden hose. 

• Do not use an ordinary wet/dry vac

 without a high-efficiency particulate air

 (HEPA) filter to vacuum dust. Invisible

 particles of brake or clutch dust can stay in

 the air and on your clothes long after a job is

 complete. 

• Avoid taking work clothing inside the home or

 tracking dust through the house after

 performing brake and clutch work to prevent

 exposing your family to dust particles that may

 contain asbestos. 

Work Practice Do’s for Home Mechanics:

 It is recommended that you: 

• Use pre-ground, ready-to-install parts. 

• If a brake or clutch lining must be drilled, grooved,

 cut, bevelled, or lathe-turned, use low speeds to

 keep down the amount of dust created. 

• Use machinery with a local exhaust dust collection

 system equipped with HEPA filtration to prevent

 dust exposures and work area contamination. 

• Change into clean clothes before going inside the

 home and wash soiled clothes separately. 

• Minimize exposure to others by keeping

 bystanders, as well as food and drinks, away

 from the work area. 

How do I dispose of waste that 

contains asbestos? 

Employers of professional automotive technicians 

must ensure that they or their waste haulers dispose 

of waste that contains brake or clutch dust, including 

wet rags used to wipe this dust, in accordance with 

Federal and local regulations, including the OSHA 

asbestos waste disposal regulations. OSHA 

regulations (29 CFR 1910.1001(k)(6) and 29 CFR 

1910.1001(j)(4)) require that, before waste containers 

with brake and clutch dust and other asbestos waste 

in them are collected, they must be sealed. The 

containers also must be impermeable and must be 

appropriately labeled. These regulations do not apply 

to home mechanics. For home mechanics, EPA 

recommends that asbestos waste be double-bagged 

and disposed of following appropriate local 

regulations to minimize exposure. You may contact 

your state asbestos representative for more disposal 

and other information. 

http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/statecontact.pdf

Where can I get additional information? 

OSHA has issued a Safety and Health Information 

Bulletin on brake and clutch repair that is available at 

http://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib072606.html. 

EPA’s Asbestos Worker Protection Rule regulations 

apply to certain state and local government employees 

(40 CFR Part 763, Subpart G). For more information 

on EPA ‘s Asbestos Program visit: 

http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/ 

or call 202-554-1404. 

Current Best Practices For 

Preventing Asbestos 

Exposure Among 

Brake and Clutch 

Repair Workers 

March 2007 EPA-747-F-04-004 
Who can this information help? 

This information can help professional automotive 

technicians and home mechanics who repair and 

replace brakes and clutches. By law, most 

professional automotive shops must follow the 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s 

(OSHA) regulations at 29 CFR 1910.1001, specifically 

paragraph (f)(3) and Appendix F. These are mandatory 

measures that employers must implement for 

automotive brake and clutch inspection, disassembly, 

repair, and assembly operations. State and local 

governments with employees who perform brake and 

clutch work in states without OSHA-approved state 

plans must follow the identical regulations found 

under the EPA Asbestos Worker Protection Rule 

(Subpart G of 40 CFR 763). 

While home mechanics are not required to follow the 

OSHA work practices (or the identical requirements 

under the EPA Asbestos Worker Protection Rule), by 

using these practices home mechanics can minimize 

potential exposure to asbestos if it is present and 

thereby reduce their potential risk of developing any 

asbestos-related diseases. 

What is asbestos and how can it 

cause health problems? 

Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral fiber that is 

highly heat resistant, can cause serious health 

problems when inhaled into the lungs. If products 

containing asbestos are disturbed, thin, lightweight 

asbestos fibers can be released into the air. Persons 

breathing the air may then inhale asbestos fibers. 

Continued exposure can increase the amount of fibers 

deposited in the lung. Fibers embedded in the lung 

tissue over time may result in lung diseases such as 

asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. It can take 

from 10 to 40 years or more for symptoms of an 

asbestos-related condition to appear. Smoking 

increases the risk of developing illness from asbestos 

exposure. 

For more information on the health effects of asbestos 

exposure, visit the Agency for Toxic Substances and 

Disease Registry (ATSDR) at 

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/index.html. 

Why should mechanics be concerned 

about asbestos exposure? 

Because some, but not all, automotive brakes and 

clutches available or in use today may contain 

asbestos, professional automotive technicians and 

home mechanics who repair and replace brakes and 

clutches may be exposed to asbestos dust. Brake and 

clutch dust can be seen when a brake disk, drum, 

clutch cover, or the wheel is removed from a car, truck, 

or other equipment. There are also many small dust 

particles that cannot be seen with the eye. If the brakes 

contain asbestos, the dust may contain asbestos 

fibers, which could be inhaled. 

Do not blow dust 

from brakes and 

clutches! 

Using compressed air, a brush (wet or dry), or a dry rag to 

clean brake assemblages has the potential to expose 

you to asbestos fibers. 

How do I know if I have asbestos 

brake or clutch components? 

You cannot tell whether brake or clutch components 

contain asbestos simply by looking at them. For 

newer vehicles and parts, auto manufacturers, auto 

parts retailers and packaging information, such as 

labels or Material Safety Data Sheets, may be able to 

tell you whether or not your brake or clutch 

components contain asbestos. For older vehicles, or 

vehicles that have had brakes replaced, you may not 

be able to easily find out if the brake or clutch 

components contain asbestos. 

As a best practice, OSHA states that mechanics 

should assume that all brakes have asbestos-type 

shoes. Worn non-asbestos-type brake shoes cannot 

be readily distinguished from asbestos-type shoes. If 

a mechanic assumes incorrectly that a shoe is a nonasbestos type and fails to utilize brake dust control 

procedures, increased asbestos exposure may result. 

As a professional automotive 

technician, what work practices must I 

follow to reduce potential exposures 

to asbestos? 

If you work in a commercial automotive shop that 

performs work on more than five brake or clutch jobs 

per week, OSHA regulations require the use of one of 

the following work practices or an equivalent method 

such as the spray can/solvent system. 

Negative-Pressure Enclosure/HEPA Vacuum System 

Method This type of enclosure and vacuum system 

has a special box with clear plastic walls or windows, 

which fits tightly around a brake or clutch assembly to 

prevent asbestos exposure. 

Low Pressure/Wet Cleaning Method This specially 

designed low-pressure spray equipment wets down 

the brake assembly and catches the runoff in a special 

basin to prevent airborne brake dust from spreading in 

the work area. (over)