Asbestos Awareness for Manufacturing in Ireland.

Where asbestos hides in manufacturing

Ireland's manufacturing sector - from pharmaceuticals to food processing, engineering to electronics - often operates from buildings and plant installed long before asbestos was banned in 1999. Asbestos was prized for heat and fire resistance, so it was built into exactly the systems factories rely on. Knowing where it hides is the first step to staying safe.

Lagging, gaskets and seals

Pipe and boiler lagging, sprayed coatings, gaskets, rope seals and flue insulation are among the most dangerous, highly friable asbestos containing materials. They are common in boiler houses, plant rooms and on steam and process pipework, and release fibres very easily when disturbed during maintenance.

• Pipe and boiler lagging in plant rooms and service runs
• Gaskets and rope seals on valves, flanges, ovens and furnaces
• Sprayed fire protection on steelwork and ceilings
• Flue and duct insulation on heating and process plant

Building fabric and cladding

The factory shell itself can contain asbestos cement and insulating board that is easily broken during repairs or refurbishment.

Never start drilling, cutting or stripping out in a pre-2000 building until you have checked the asbestos register and survey. If you are not sure what a material is, treat it as asbestos until it is confirmed safe.

Legal duties for manufacturing employers

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Exposure to Asbestos Regulations 2006 and 2010 (SI 386/2006, SI 589/2010), manufacturing employers have clear duties:

1. Information and training - Workers who may disturb asbestos containing materials must receive asbestos awareness training before they start work. This is a legal requirement.
2. Asbestos identification - The presence of asbestos must be identified before maintenance or refurbishment begins, using the asbestos register and survey for the building.
3. Risk assessment - A written assessment must consider where ACMs may be present, their condition and how the planned work could disturb them.
4. Do not disturb - If asbestos is suspected, work must stop. Higher-risk asbestos work is reserved for trained or licensed contractors.
5. Reporting - Suspected ACMs and any accidental disturbance must be reported immediately so the area can be isolated and assessed.

Asbestos risks by manufacturing sector

Every sector runs slightly different plant, so asbestos turns up in different places. Understanding your environment helps you stay alert to where ACMs are likely to be hidden.

Food and beverage manufacturing

Older food plants often have lagged steam and hot water pipes, boiler insulation and asbestos cement roof sheets over production and storage areas. Maintenance teams should treat any old lagging, panel or roof sheet as suspect and check the register before opening up plant or fabric.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing

Pharmaceutical sites frequently combine new cleanrooms with older service buildings, plant rooms and risers where lagging and insulating board remain. Refurbishment and tie-in work to existing services is where hidden asbestos is most likely to be disturbed.

Engineering and metal fabrication

Engineering workshops and foundries used asbestos for heat protection on furnaces, ovens, kilns and pipework, as well as in gaskets, rope seals and millboard. Stripping or replacing these components without checking first can release fibres into the workshop.

Electronics and light assembly

Even modern-looking assembly units may sit in older buildings with asbestos insulating board partitions, ceiling tiles, floor tiles and cement roof sheets. Fit-out, partition changes and ceiling work are the activities most likely to disturb them.

STOP-CHECK-REPORT in the factory

Preventing asbestos exposure takes more than training alone - it needs a culture where everyone checks before they cut, drill or strip out. Awareness training teaches the simple rule that protects every worker.

Stop and do not disturb

If you find or suspect asbestos during maintenance or refurbishment, stop work immediately. Do not drill, cut, scrape, sweep or clean up, and keep colleagues away from the area so fibres are not spread further.

Check the register and survey

Before any task that could disturb the fabric or plant of an older building, check the asbestos register and survey for the area and warn anyone working nearby. A few minutes checking can prevent a lifetime of harm.

Report and wait for clearance

Report suspected asbestos to your supervisor or duty holder straight away and do not resume until the material has been assessed and you are told it is safe. Higher-risk removal is for trained or licensed contractors - awareness training does not qualify you to remove or repair asbestos.

The cost of getting asbestos wrong

Asbestos remains the biggest cause of work-related deaths in Ireland and the UK. Diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis and pleural thickening are incurable and often fatal, and the fibres breathed in today may not cause illness for decades. There is no safe level of exposure.

For manufacturers, disturbing asbestos without proper controls can mean stopped production, expensive emergency clean-ups, HSA enforcement, prosecution and lasting reputational damage. Training your engineering and maintenance teams to recognise and report asbestos is a small investment against a very large risk - and our affordable online course keeps every worker protected and compliant.