Ing. Stefano BIONDINI Tuscany Region Department of Health and Social Policy

Protection of workers from risk related to the exposure to asbestos: the Tuscany experience.

Ing. Stefano BIONDINITuscany RegionDepartment of Health and Social PolicyOccupational Healt and Safety office

Bucharest, 20-21 October 2005

Protection of workers from risk related to the exposure to asbestos: the Tuscany experience.

Asbestos: some data

National and regional laws

Recent action of Tuscany Region

The work plan in reclaimation and decontamination activity

Future developments

We will speak about….

Workers’ training

Tuscany Region: 3.400.000 inhabitant, 23.000 Km2 land area, chief town Florence.

Before beginning…

Introduction

Responsible Authority: Local Health Authority. There are 12 Local Health Authority in regional territory.

Nowadays the only active exposed workers to asbestos in Italy are reclaim-removal operators. Infact from 1993 national laws prohibites use of asbestos.

Reclaim is intended as remove or restrict or encapsulate material containing asbestos.

Bucharest 20, 21 October 2005

Asbestos: some data

Companies for type of job working in Tuscany, year 2002; Number of total companies 104; number of total workers 664 (20% coming outside region).

Asbestos: some data


0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

TO

NS

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

YEAR

COMPACT ASBESTOS FRIABLE ASBESTOS

Cement-Asbestos (compact matrix) removal: tons removed in Tuscany from 1995 to 2002; estimated 1÷2 million of tons

Total 85.165 t Total 9.450 t

Total 94.615 t

Asbestos: some data


Centro Operativo Regionale - Operative Regional Center

By resolution n.1252/2003 of Regional Government COR is defined (Centro Operativo Regionale – Operative Regional Center) care of CSPO (Centro per lo Studio e la Prevenzione Oncologica – Oncological Prevention and Study Centre ). Even Regional Mesotelioma Archive is formally created.

Asbestos: some data


Number of Mesotelioma of some Italian Regions recorded by Re.Na.M (ISPESL); varius range [1993-2000].

821

293

723

456

375

67

223

139

349

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Piem

onte

Lombard

ia

Ligur

ia

E. Rom

agna

Toscana

Mar

che

Puglia

Sicilia

Venet

o

Asbestos: some data


Mesotelioma cases occurred in Tuscany Region from 1994 to 2004

29

4044 43

6467

65 62

5155

73

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Asbestos: some data


Mesotelioma in percentage by producing activity 1988-2000; Total 443

Railway activity12%

Textile manifacturing

11%

Buildings 9%

Mechanical manifacturing

4%

Termical insulated3%

Harbour activity24% hydraulic system

2%

Other sector23%

Electric plants3%

Chemical manifacturing

3%

Sugar plants2%

Cem. Asb. Manifacturing

3%

Glass manifacturing3%

Iron metallurgy3%

Asbestos: some data


National Laws:

• Law D.Lgs. 277/1991

• Law 257/1992

• Decree D.P.R. 8 August 1994

• Decree D.M. 6 September 1994

• Resolution 30 March 2003

Decree D.Lgs. 277/1991

National laws

It describes subjects inherent asbestos and other phisical agent (noise and solid lead), by risk assessment but doesn’t define condition about production and importation. It grants European directive 80/1107, 82/605, 83/477, 86/188, 88/642, 91/382.

It defines in an easy and sharp way the removal planning introducing, by art. 34 (article 12 of 83/477) “Demolition and removal work of asbestos” the work plan tool.


Since March 1993 the law orders to stop quarrying, importation, manufacturing and trading of asbestos in all kind of products (art. 1 83/477)

The law imposes to set up a document describing direct or indirect use of asbestos; the report must contain:

• types and quantity of asbestos

• Work’s Method

• Risk assessment for safety of workers

Law 257/1992

National laws


The law establishes the order of technical disposition which will conduct to make regional laws:

• Decree DPR 8 August 1994 (Training, Regional Plan)

• Decree D.M. 6 September 1994 (laws and methodologies in Buildings activities)

• Decree D.M. 26 October 1995 (laws and methodologies for railways )

• D.M. 20 August 1999 (Reclamation through special procedures)

Law 257/1992

National laws


Resolution defines qualification and criteria that company must have to enrolling in the register of companies which reclaim asbestos and material containing asbestos. To reclaim asbestos, a companies must be enrolled in the register (National Reclaim Register). Some qualification to have access to the register

• Trained Technical manager

• Suitable working tools

• Economic grants

Resolution 30 March 2003

National laws


The asbestos regional plan:

• Resolution 102 8 April 1997

• The primary objective

• The “suitable plan” and collect of asbestos

The Council Resolution n. 102/97 of Tuscany Council approves the enviromental and protection plan for reclaiming, decontamination and disposing of material containing asbestos.

The above mentioned Plan deals with various subjects, for istance:

• The first census of companies which have used asbestos;

• Training of public officers of Responsible Authorities (USL and ARPAT),

• Regional mesotelioma archive

The asbestos regional plan

Resolution 8 April 1997


The main parts which compose the plan are:

• Primary objectives.

• Technical protocols.

• Suitable plans.

• Guideline to local authority to manage removal and collection.


Resolution 8 April 1997


Primary Objectives

Census of green stones quarrying sites; situation at 2001 (21):



Check of enviromental conditions and safety on worksite: some objective which have been achieved.

• Risk assessment on ferry-boat: Regional archive of ships which have asbestos on board.

• Information to civil people on risk connected to use of material containing asbestos

• Buildings and other structures where there is friable asbestos: information to companies which perform reclaim and building administrator.


Primary Objectives


Inside the plan were defined the following technical protocols:

• Cement asbestos removal and manipulation.

• Processing of asbestos or material containing this one.

• Management of reclaim yard for friable asbestos.

• Manipulation of material containing asbestos inside car workshop (brake).

• Maintenance work during navigation on material containing asbestos.


Primary Objectives


Recent actions of Tuscany Region

• Active prevention on removal and decontamination work

• Health surveillance

• Information to population


The Regional Government to safeguard workers from risk related to the exposure of asbestos, both friable and compact structure, has provided to make new professional patterns, used by accredited Regional Training Agency, for technical and removal workers that reclaim asbestos.

Decree n. 3831 29 July 2002

Active prevention on removal and decontamination work

A specific tecnhical laboratory financed by Tuscany Government in order to be more effective during relevation of asbestos fibres in emergency condition (Harbour activity).

Decree n. 7195 del 19 novembre 2004


Health surveillance

Government resolution n. 692 on 26 June 2002 approve the Guideline on health surveillance of workers who were exposed to occupational cangerogenics. The guideline deal with:

• Action and health path

• Public subjects which are involved in the surveillance system

• Action protocol for workers who were exposed



Information campaign also involved companies’s owners.

Information to population



Workers and citizen safeguarding need information activities. For this reason Regional Government activated, by specific act, some information campaigns that refer to the subject above.

The work plan in reclamation and

decontamination activity

• Who What Where

• Inside work plan

The work plan report must be drawed up as referred by article 34 277/1991, before starting dismantle works regarding material containg asbestos.The work plan must be write by reclaim-decontamination company.

The primary objective of the work plan is:

• Safeguard of workers

• Enviromental protection from asbestos fibre or dust.

The work plan report must be sent to regional responsible authority, the Local Health Authority. This Authority could issue some indication inherent the work.

The work plan of reclamation and decontamination activity

Who, what, where



Who, what, where (courtesy Dr. Pristerà)


Inside work plan

The work plan should contain:

• Displacement methods of material containing asbestos before demolition action

• Workers must have personal protection devices in order to protect himself/herself

• Methods must be defined in order to protect and decontaminate workers

• Specifics protection device if limits values are exeeded (0,2 asbestos mix, 0,6 Chrysotile only cm3)



Inside work plan (courtesy Dr. Pristerà)


Reinforced Concrete

Cement-Asbestos

Iron Beam


The report must be transmitted before the beginning of the work to the responsible autority contains:

• General Information: purchaser, kind of work and estimated duration.

• Work subject: building scheme, yard layout.

• Operative procedure : dismantle and displacement of material containing asbestos.

• Risk assessment: fall from high place, training, information.

• Waste disposal: Temporary waste storage.


Inside work plan




Worker’s training

• Training course content

• The Tuscany training system

Training course content

Workers’s training

The Law 257/1992 and Decree DPR 8 August 1994 defined reclaim and decontamination as high specialized activities. The Tuscany Government, according the above law define two kind of training course:

• Removal workers (at least 30 hour)

• Technical workers (at least 50 hour)

The course must deal with:

• Health risks

• Sampling methods of asbestos fibre

• Individual protection device


The training course could be made in all accredited Regional Training Agency on the regional territory (actually about 1000). This Agency are found on the web site of Tuscany Region: www.regione.toscana.it

Workers’s training

The Tuscany training system


Future develpment

• Manage the outcome of asbestos from regional territory;

• Improve and test continuously health surveillance guideline to help persons who were exposed.

• Take a census of asbestos inside Tuscany Region (in progress) to know, where is the asbestos and estimates closely its quantity.


Address

[email protected]

055.4383360 055.4383058

Via Taddeo Alderotti 26/N 50139 Firenze

Settore Prevenzione e SicurezzaDirezione Generale Diritto alla Salute e Politiche di Solidarietà

Regione Toscana

Thank you for your kind attention!

Documents

Ing. Stefano BIONDINI Tuscany Region Department of Health and Social Policy