This Safety Bulletin addresses Department operations involving work with asbestos or materials containing asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral-based material resistant to heat and corrosive chemicals. Fibers range in texture from coarse to silky. Qualities that make asbestos fibers so valuable to industry are high tensile strength, flexibility, heat and chemical resistance, and good frictional properties. Asbestos is a recognized health hazard for humans.
Some medical conditions associated with asbestos include asbestosis and various types of cancer.
NYS Industrial Code Rule 56 requires that anyone engaged in removal, repair, encapsulation, or disturbance of asbestos or materials containing asbestos shall be certified. Certification requires training in a course approved by the NYS Department of Health. NYS Industrial Code Rule 56 addresses asbestos abatement in buildings and construction areas. It is designed to protect public health by specifying safeguards to minimize contamination of the workplace during and after abatement projects. Employees engaged in the actual removal or repair of asbestos shall have an Asbestos Handler Certificate.