Manufacture, handling and processing of asbestos and its products
A hazardous process listed in the First Schedule to the Factories Act 1948 (s.2(cb)).
Typical industries: Asbestos-cement, friction-material, textile and insulation product manufacture; asbestos handling.
Principal hazards
- Respirable asbestos fibres (chrysotile/amphiboles)
Health effects
Asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, pleural plaques/thickening (long latency, no safe threshold).
Key engineering controls
Strict enclosure and total-LEV with HEPA filtration; wet processing and dust suppression; sealed waste handling; fibre-count air monitoring against statutory limits; restricted/controlled areas, decontamination units; medical surveillance and registers.
PPE
- FFP3 or air-fed respirators
- Disposable category-III coveralls (controlled disposal)
- Gloves and boots
- Decontamination/changing facilities
- No reuse of contaminated PPE
This page is a statutory / occupational-health reference for factory Occupational Health Centres. It is not medical or legal advice. Verify against the current bare Act, Rules and your State amendments before acting.