Cement asbestos roof shingles.
Walking on asbestos roof.
Selling a property that you know or suspect contains asbestos can be a challenge.
It is the fall from height more than anything else that makes asbestos roofs dangerous.
Asbestos is lethal manys the man 2 i know of broke their back off one of those roofs the reason is you could walk across that roof nearly do a jig on it and be fine and then without warning you will drop through.
Asbestos is widely regarded as a silent killer which can go often unnoticed and the idea of its presence in the building surrounding you is enough to create feelings of uneasiness and concern.
The fragile nature of asbestos cement sheets means that they can give way without warning.
Precautions to take with asbestos roofing.
Homes with asbestos roofs are generally harder or more expensive to insure.
The simple fact is that you should never walk directly on an asbestos roof.
Its the lack of warning thats caught lads out.
Though we ve walked carefully on a few such roofs it s easy to damage them.
Walk on corrugated asbestos cement roofs if it can be avoided many people have been injured by falling through weathered asbestos cement roofs while attempting to treat or repair the roof surface.
Above all we want to stress the importance of air quality monitoring if.
See our inspection advice at asbestos fiber cement roofing and our advice about tile and slate roof inspections found in this document below.
The roof was in excellent condition for long but over the past few months there were a few incidents of tree branches falling on the roof during heavy winds causing small portions of the roof on the edges to break off.
When working indoors do.
Leave asbestos cement products around the garden or where they may be broken.
The more weathered your roof gets the more risk there is of deterioration which might expose your family and neighbors to harmful asbestos fibers.
If you are the building owner then there is an additional responsibility involved as you could be held culpable for the effects of the substance.
If you walk on on an asbestos roof sheet it can give way without warning leading to serious injury or even death.
These shingles are as fragile as slate.
Some people including experienced roofers claim that it is safe to walk along the line of the purlins where the roof sheet fixings are visible but this is definitely not the case since the purlins are usually quite narrow often only a few inches wide.
Not only can this mean people fall through the roof from walking on it but the roof will more easily break from other causes such as hail or falling branches and so release asbestos fibres.
Consequently safe access systems must be in place before any work commences to both prevent and arrest falls from height.
Hi the first floor of my house has large portion of it covered by asbestos cement it has been so for a few decades now.
On your life please do not walk on that roof.