Marlin

I'm not an expert on the subject so I can't tell you what kind it was but I can tell you it wasn't someone cutting up old shipping cartons and wrapping their pipes.

Plasticman

My oldest brother got fired from a power company he worked for years ago. He was a lineman. He and his co-workers challenged the company over not supplying proper safety equipment. All they wanted was new, more modern stuff. Company fired them and hired somone else who didn't know better.
O.S.H.A. finally was called and they fined the holy moly out of them, he heard.

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tnoisaw

I use to live about an hour away from Libby and have seen the news on it the whole time I lived in Montana. It is some wicked stuff. Many people in the area suffer many problems.

jjbex

I would drop a dime before your boss puts any more plumbers into an early grave.

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Marlin

I keep thinking about that, all those other guys are killing themselves out there. If I drop the ball on him I'm screwing myself over good. He's going to know damn well who it was if he gets turned in. So I could never use him as a reference if I did that. He's not happy that I won't rip out asbestos but I know he would give me a great reference right now.
He may also go so far as to badmouth me to all the other local plumbers. We had one guy who got caught stealing. His solution was to fire him and send a fax to every plumbing company within ten miles. So the guy couldn't get a job without making a nice commute. In that case he was doing everyone a favor. Their is nothing to stop him from doing the same thing to me. Whether he says I called OSHA or flat out lies and says I stole something, am an addict, etc.
He also doesn't actually have anyone fooled into thinking asbestos isn't bad for you. As per my post in this thread a few months ago the guys know, they just don't care. They'll smoke and rip out asbestos all day long without thinking twice. Say something to them and they'll respond "everyone's going to die sometime".

Proud Plumber

Good posts Marlin. I have always believed in safety for my employees. One of my services is porcelain/fiberglass tub repair. I preached and insisted on safety with nasty chemicals involved. I would often do drop in visits with my guys in the field and many times found the guys completely disregarding my instructions and the expensive equip I purchased for them. It would be a crime if I wasn't willing to spend the needed money for safety or tell them the ramifications of prolonged exposure.

My guess is this... when they find out a marble of a softball is growing on the fore lobes of there brain it will become my fault and they will expect work comp to pay for there retirement. I documented everything including weekly safety meetings.

Marlin you did the right thing, asking to be safe at work is not a crime. I am sorry to hear you were laid off.

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Bill

"I'd rather die while I'm living then live while I'm dead"..Jimmy Buffett

Regulator

If you were in BC, you would have a case of wrongful dismissal. The company would probably be heavily fined by Worksafe BC (Workman's Comp) for such practices regarding asbestos removal.

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All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. - Bill Watterson

PLUMBER_BILL

Asbestos certainly should be cause for concern, in todays world. In my case in the early days in this trade (my apprenticeship) we put in a lot of round cast iron coal fiired boilers. Each one got covered with asbestos. First coat big fibers. 2 days later go back put on a finish coat (real fine fibers) mix in some white portland cement to make it hard. Plus all the old pipe covering we removed. Was that bad asbestos? I would have to say No! At least my health has never shown effects of any problem. But asbestos became a cheap filler for a lot of products. To name a few ceiling tiles and panels, flooring, roofing, siding. Was that bad asbestos? Yes! Why because usually there was air being blown over it and the fibers (very dry) went airborn and were sucked in through your nose. That asbestos I used was wet, no dust. Well yes when you dumped it from the bag into a bucket you probably breathed some in. But I bet I breathed in a lot more in my school room. But then I used to go to the dentist, and played with the mercury he was using to make fillings for my teeth. From a plumbing and health stand point wait until then find out that fiberglass is hazardous to your health. I just wonder how many fibers are blown out of fiber duct board?
Perhaps when we must remove asbestos today we should wet it down first? End of Rant ...

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Bill Parr LMP

www.parrsplumbing.com

A little of this and a little of that

Regulator

This is a good site (in my opinion) to quickly review the health concerns of asbestos.

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=h...ed=0CCMQ9QEwBw

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All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke

Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us. - Bill Watterson

Airgap

It needs to be removed by a trained individual, for several reasons...But you're right it needs to be wetted down before it's disturbed, and continually sprayed with water as it's being removed.

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"Are you a professional plumber?" No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night....