Optimum equipment for work with a wide range of requirements.

As an electronics technician, you are exposed to various sources of danger in your field of work, ranging from slightly dangerous to life-threatening to your body and health. Whether you are exposed to high noise levels, chemical substances or electromagnetic energy, personal protective equipment is important and must fulfil different requirements depending on the job.

A current example: asbestos. The use of asbestos has been banned in the EU since 2005. But even decades after this ban, asbestos-containing materials can still be found in many buildings that were constructed before the asbestos ban. Even if asbestos fibres are often only present in small quantities, the release of asbestos fibres must be expected during demolition, refurbishment or renovation work. As asbestos is visually indistinguishable from other building materials at first glance, this makes handling asbestos particularly dangerous.

What is asbestos and why is it so dangerous?
Asbestos is a heat and chemical-resistant mineral that was often used in construction in the past – e.g. in insulating materials, cable ducts or panels. It is now known that asbestos fibres are carcinogenic and can cause serious lung diseases if inhaled.

Which activities can present a risk?
Older buildings frequently need renovation. This can involve simple repairs or measures that bring a building up to the current state of the art, e.g. retrofitting sockets, charging infrastructure, IT infrastructure, energy refurbishment, age/disability-friendly conversions, etc. With appropriate protective measures, maintenance work can be carried out safely depending on the risk assessment.

What needs to be considered before starting work?
A risk assessment must be carried out before starting work. Risk areas: low / medium / high. Depending on the risk level, appropriate protective measures must be taken.
A high-quality respirator mask, gloves and protective overalls are the minimum equipment for handling asbestos. Only preventive measures and thorough cleaning can effectively minimise the risk of asbestos fibres in the workplace.

CIMCO has an asbestos day kit in three different sizes in its programme. The protective clothing must be changed when leaving the work area (e.g. during breaks).

One day set contains three disposable sets each for body and respiratory protection as well as masking tape for masking off clothing transitions to gloves and overshoes. A sticker for labelling the work area and an essential asbestos disposal bag round off the day kit. Safely protected for re-entering the work area up to three times a day.