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Asbestos Latvia

You are new here. What are your thoughts, first?
I'm glad you asked,

when the chain of command is warned by their own Environmental Health team that there is a risk of asbestos and chooses to ignore it I don't think they should be protected by Crown Exemptions in the Health and Safety Legislation and should therefore be liable for prosecution in the same way as any other civilian would be.

There should have been a criminal investigation and those that were involved in the planning phase of this exercise should have been held criminally accountable and discharged for breaches of H&S law and misconduct in a public office.

I completely accept that in times of war, things happen and troops are exposed to all manner of dangers, but for this to happen during a training exercise where the chain of command had 12 weeks' notice of the danger and did nothing about it is completely unacceptable and shows a reckless disregard for subordinates.

By contrast, the Canadian army did carry out an asbestos survey in the same training facility and banned all Canadian troops from exercising there until the Latvian authorities had properly decontaminated the site.

Asbestos is a dangerous substance that acts very much in the same way as a gas, the dust that contained asbestos in Skurnda will have become airborne simply by the turbulence of air as people walk past it and will have therefore posed a serious risk of respiration. On the risk assessment for this exercise, the danger was rated at 10/12.

So to conclude my thoughts are that if the MoD is to maintain Crown Exemptions in law they should justify why in cases such as this they deserve it.
 
I lived in Barracks at CFB Toronto and the building was full of asbestos, the washroom next door to my room had the ceiling fall down right over the toilets and urinals on the first floor. Weeks later it was closed off for repairs, no warnings just closed off for a few days then a new ceiling was installed.

move forward 30 years later I learn thru my job the dangers of asbestos and how they clean up and remove it.

always have wondered about my exposure to asbestos during that time in the barracks, we used the washroom over the weekend before it was even cleaned up by the janitors or who ever
 
I lived in Barracks at CFB Toronto and the building was full of asbestos, the washroom next door to my room had the ceiling fall down right over the toilets and urinals on the first floor. Weeks later it was closed off for repairs, no warnings just closed off for a few days then a new ceiling was installed.

move forward 30 years later I learn thru my job the dangers of asbestos and how they clean up and remove it.

always have wondered about my exposure to asbestos during that time in the barracks, we used the washroom over the weekend before it was even cleaned up by the janitors or who ever

It's OK.... DND tracks the asbestos so (I guess) it can't hurt you, right? ;)

National inventory of asbestos in National Defence buildings​



 
It's OK.... DND tracks the asbestos so (I guess) it can't hurt you, right? ;)

National inventory of asbestos in National Defence buildings​



But building 132 at CFB Toronto is long gone
Now a green space lol
 
I lived in Barracks at CFB Toronto and the building was full of asbestos, the washroom next door to my room had the ceiling fall down right over the toilets and urinals on the first floor. Weeks later it was closed off for repairs, no warnings just closed off for a few days then a new ceiling was installed.

move forward 30 years later I learn thru my job the dangers of asbestos and how they clean up and remove it.

always have wondered about my exposure to asbestos during that time in the barracks, we used the washroom over the weekend before it was even cleaned up by the janitors or who ever
Remember your more likely to be exposed to asbestos through civilian side than military.

Any house built before the late 80s has a very good chance of having asbestos something in it. Asbestos insulation, asbestos plaster, asbestos tile, etc.

Not minimalizing the risks associated with the substance, simply outlining how common it really is.
 
Remember your more likely to be exposed to asbestos through civilian side than military.

Any house built before the late 80s has a very good chance of having asbestos something in it. Asbestos insulation, asbestos plaster, asbestos tile, etc.

Not minimalizing the risks associated with the substance, simply outlining how common it really is.
i totally understand that, i was just curious now that i know more about than i did when was younger ( professional line of work have over seen a lot of removal jobs ).

9"x9" floor tiles almost 100 % chance
dry wall mud ( till early 90s taking old stock into account)
textured ceilings
fire proofing material
suspended ceiling tiles ( depends on the direction of the pattern in tile)

I am more curious if exposure or risks were tracked back home
 
Our hall has asbestos in the glue holding the floor covering in the galley. The jointing compound has 3% asbestos in it, but thankfully not the drywall.
 
Asbestos is one of those funny materials.

Unless it's particulate / dust, in a friable state, it's fairly stable, and harmless.

PSPC, and DND have conducted exhaustive inventories of the stuff in all buildings in current portfolio, remediated where required.

Depending on when the buildings referred to were demolished, or removed from inventory, there would have been a DSS survey done. Sadly, lots of them would have been occupied, and removed long before any legislation caught up ( See RCMP facility in Kemptville).

FHG. lots of shacks had it. Unless there was work taking place that turned the materials into dust ( cutting / grinding / sanding etc). Risk would have been minimal, even if a ceiling containing ACM did collapse..
 
Remember your more likely to be exposed to asbestos through civilian side than military.

Any house built before the late 80s has a very good chance of having asbestos something in it. Asbestos insulation, asbestos plaster, asbestos tile, etc.

Not minimalizing the risks associated with the substance, simply outlining how common it really is.
My house in Halifax built in the 40s had siding tiles that were made of some kind of concrete with asbestos binders. They were basically indestructible and just needed to occasionally paint them to keep them sealed. When people updated their siding most opted to simply cover it over vice tear it apart.
 
It seems that almost every building in Borden has those yellow warnings on them.
 
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