WrenchMonkey

Had a call the other day customer owns a old commercial building, mainly warehouse and some office space. I show up and he's got about six small leaks all over the complex. Well the first thing I see when I walk into the space is a large group of sighns hanging on the lines Saying "DANGER ASBESTOS" well I have a quick peak at the leaks and their all coming from inside the pipe wrap and are inaccesible. I tell the customer that he'll need to call a abatement company to deal with the wrap and then I can come back to fix the leaks. Well the next hour was spent explaining to him why I won't touch it and the reason abatement is so expensive is because the crap is toxic and the reason they wear "spacesuits and tarp the building isn't because they want to rack up a huge bill it's because they don't want to die. Well long story short he hired a plumbing company that didn't care about the asbestos and they came and fixed the leaks without hiring someone to deal with the asbestos. It blows my mind that just because plumbing companies are desperate for business they'll put their employees at risk. I just hope that the members of Plumbing Zone care more about their friends and employees to expose them to that kind of danger. Just remember that money isn't worth endangering the people you care about.

ILPlumber

Call the authorities. It is your duty to do so.

kentdmo

I'd call the EPA, city inspector, and OSHA

LEAD INGOT

I just ran into something similar yesterday, and I pretty much told him the same thing. People really don't care when it's not their lungs getting exposed. All that being said, I need a smoke.

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Scuse' me while I whip this out.

njoy plumbing

Yep turn them in. We have run into that as well. We did the demolition for a weigh scale bldg 6 years ago and I quoted for asbestos removal, and other company's didn't. I still got the job because of it.

ToUtahNow

As dangerous as they say Asbestos is today, 37-years ago or so I use to choke on it on a daily basis. Back in the day we used Asbestos tape and wheat paste to hold insulation on pipe. The tape came in 3" wide by 12" round rolls which were packaged like "Lifesavers" candy 3' long. When I would dumped them into our storage bin I would cough for an hour afterwards. Hopefully, I never see any ill affects from it.

Mark

express

With the new guide lines on lead paint removal I think you will see a lot of people ignoring it.

Roy

I would drop some dimes and make the issue heard, Part of (IIPP)
injury illness preventation program by the contractor for his employees.
Responsibility, complience, communication, hazzardous assessment, hazzardous corrections, accidential investigation review, information and trainning, record keeping.



*Safety is eveyone's business*

Master Mark

we did a home last winter with asbestos on all the old boiler lines,,,, had an abatement company come in and
quote 2000 for removal .....

they had a mexican handy man watching the whole estimation thing on Friday afternoon , and on Monday morning the job was cleaned up as pretty as punch..

I heard he got paid 300 bucks,
and where it all went , I dont know..

__________________
God created man, Sam Colt made them equal."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swkq2E8mswI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQMO1eyMRuM

mongo

I do wish there were a 911 line for OSHA. I've seen lots of irresponsibile action taken by some to try to keep from spending $$. Life and health has no price tag. Safety is above all else.

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Good plumbing ain't cheap and cheap plumbing ain't good.