# Forum Home Renovation Electrical  Electrical work done on asbestos board in meter box

## Katie1984

I've recently had an RCD switch installed. I'm now worried that myself or even worse my kids were exposed due to the drilling that was being done to the board. I didn't realise until after the electrician had left that he had walked through some dust or something that resembled brick dust on my white tiles. I'm only assuming that this was something that had fallen on his boots from the drilling that was done. I vacuumed up any mess that he left on the tiles.  It wasn't until later in the day that I realised this could be asbestos from the board in the meter box. The worst worry for me is that my little one crawled through the mess on the floor.  I also don't understand how an electrician could be so careless. He either doesn't care or doesn't realise that the meter box contains asbestos. I hope someone can shed some light on this issue for me. I don't know if I'm being paranoid or do I have good reason to be!? :No:

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## Bloss

Dusts are always meant to stay outside the body not get inside so not only should workers wear safety gear (masks, goggles etc) they also should make sure that no-one else is exposed by wetting down or using a vacuum system etc.  Possibly the switch board has asbestos in it, but depending how old the house is maybe not. 
The risks are minimal and any exposure has already occurred so there is no treatment or other action to be taken. The lesson here is in future to confirm directly with any tradie (or DIYer) that you expect them to take what should be normal precautions for health & safety of them and you and your family - and make sure that them getting paid depends on theme doing so.

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## phild01

Was it a simple install or a re-work? If a simple job it might be the dust was from an other area other than the board.
One for the sparkies but doesn't the asbestos type board drilling give of a swarf rather than dust?

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## Bros

No if it is an old sw board it will be timber lined with fibro sheeting. Drilling fibro results in powder but most of the dust picked up will be sawdust with small amounts of fibro mixed with it.

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## Katie1984

It's a metal meter box with a black board on the back. House was built in 1977. Would there be timber behind the black asbestos board?

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## Bros

No there would be no timber all the brick coloured dust would comprise coal tar or epoxy and asbestos fibres. The dust on his boots would have been from drilling as he would have had to swing the panel out to do the drilling. The material in question is Zelemite. I have drilled a lot of these panels before the danger of asbestos was realized. I would still drill them now but would take a lot more precautions and he was very irresponsible in his actions.
I don't know if you have to be certified to work on these panels over and above the normal electrical qualifications. Financial compensation would be useless and how would you go about it a near impossibility however this type of approach in drilling Zelemite now has to be curtailed and it would be wise to report this but to who I don't know in your state, maybe someone in WA will be able to advise

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## Katie1984

> No there would be no timber all the brick coloured dust would comprise coal tar or epoxy and asbestos fibres. The dust on his boots would have been from drilling as he would have had to swing the panel out to do the drilling. The material in question is Zelemite. I have drilled a lot of these panels before the danger of asbestos was realized. I would still drill them now but would take a lot more precautions and he was very irresponsible in his actions.
> I don't know if you have to be certified to work on these panels over and above the normal electrical qualifications. Financial compensation would be useless and how would you go about it a near impossibility however this type of approach in drilling Zelemite now has to be curtailed and it would be wise to report this but to who I don't know in your state, maybe someone in WA will be able to advise

  Thanks for your advice. I'm pretty annoyed about the whole incident. I'm sure he would be aware that it's asbestos. I think he must work on these all the time and just doesn't care! I remember a few years back he wanted to drill into the eaves to install a flood light. I insisted that he install it into the bricks which he did. 
So many people have an attitude of 'she'll be right'  even my husband doesn't seem concerned.  I suppose there is no point loosing sleep about it. I can only learn and hire a different electrician who will take proper precautions if any work like this needs to be done in the future. With your experience in working on these boards, do they create a fine dust that could be easily inhaled or more slithers? I would have thought that most of the dust would have stayed inside the box? 
I am thinking that exposure to us was very minimal, if any at all?

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## Bros

Katie you described it pretty well as it looks like brick dust. To put it into perspective any drilling leaves drill swarf very different to cutting and grinding which leaves fine powder. Drilling while not good is much better than cutting. Most homeowners wouldn't know they have asbestos in switchboards as it is black not like the pictures of asbestos which are white. 
I won't comment as to weather you are worrying to much, I have outlined the facts as best I can.

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## DBR

> I've recently had an RCD switch installed. I'm now worried that myself or even worse my kids were exposed due to the drilling that was being done to the board. I didn't realise until after the electrician had left that he had walked through some dust or something that resembled brick dust on my white tiles. I'm only assuming that this was something that had fallen on his boots from the drilling that was done. I vacuumed up any mess that he left on the tiles.  It wasn't until later in the day that I realised this could be asbestos from the board in the meter box. The worst worry for me is that my little one crawled through the mess on the floor.  I also don't understand how an electrician could be so careless. He either doesn't care or doesn't realise that the meter box contains asbestos. I hope someone can shed some light on this issue for me. I don't know if I'm being paranoid or do I have good reason to be!?

  
Hi Katie,,  
I hope i can relieve some of your anxiety about this exposure from my experiences Im super careful when it comes to asbestos and despite previous exposures i don't worry..    Open up any meter box and at the base you will find small shards, dust pieces of asbestos backing board--- however this doesnt mean that every time somebody opens up a meter box they are exposed to a significant amount to pose risk I personally believe your risk will be negligible the dust would be an issue when the drilling took place. Light dangerous fibres would float in the air during the process and the heavier -bound large - not dangerous fibres to the floor.   the dust you can see is WAY WAy less of a hazard than the invisible dust that is created and floats away when the drilling takes place..- this is why despite all meter boxes having asbestos contaminated dust at the base- opening one up is not a hazard..  Next time it is sunny have a look at the sunlight coming through the window and the floating dust particles in the air--- these aren't overly dangerous because you can see them and the body has mechanisms to remove them- mostly coughing them up mucoscillary action and swallowing them where they pass through the body... the dangerous asbestos fibres are much smaller than these- how may of these individual fibres would be on the ground- I would think very little...                          Hope that makes sense????  
Furthermore,, according to experts- and i can site several sources- it is estimated that one single exposure to asbestos - i.e. drilling through fibreboard or even using a circular saw to cut board once--- poses a 1 in a million risk factor Still dangerous and yes it will kill- but you would need to be unlucky... 
Please don't think i am discounting the dangers of asbestos- I know a number of people who have suffered from chronic (daily) exposure.. But i think it is important to put this into context--- i.e. you didn't drill the hole,, it was a "one off"... 
I would estimate that 90% of people now over the age of 70 have been exposed at some point in their lives similarly or worse than your exposure.. Lets face it,, between 50-60's almost everybody at some point would have either had a bathroom renovated/ kitchen or built a house etc- Why isn't 90% of this age group ill from exposures like yours????? .. In the 50's, 60's people didn't know the dangers-so they helped clean up afterwards.. their fathers, uncles worked with it etc Kids burnt fibro pieces to make fireworks,, people used it for the garden edging and even oven mittens... Yes there are alot of people who have passed on and have become ill but for every person that had a one off exposure only 1 in a million would be ill..  
these are my opinions,,, So take it as you like I just hate to hear people worrying about this sort of thing post exposure If you worry about this you should also worry about driving to and from work- because it would be much much more risky than this one off exposure.Im super careful about it and have had worries myself but i have done my research.  Terrible stuff and i feel sorry for those who were chronically exposed or were very unlucky and became ill. Nasty.. but not worth worrying about at all.

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## DBR

Two other things: 
Next time you attend a barbecue with friends and their are 60+ age group people their mention the word asbestos and they will almost ALL have a story of one off exposures.- but yet they are all ok?? 
At my last house we had an electrician fit an RCD device in our meter box - he did the same thing- just drilled into the box…-- However i was lucky enough that the drilling took place down the side of the house- not on a flooring area…   But following this work i would open and close the box repeatedly every time a switch tripped in the old house (weekly)… I don't believe that i was exposed..- because once again the heavy fibres drop and the dangerous small ones float immediately as the drilling takes place…. 
After all, if having an electrician drill into a meter box gave a high chance of illness - every second person would now be ill as *everybody* has opened an older meter box at some point in their lives following electrical work from an electrician- be it the same day or weeks after-- think of the draft that opening the door would make on the fibres resting at the base of a meter box…. 
there have been studies on this type of exposure and results have been found to pose negligible risk..  rest easy… take care in future.. We put a small notice in our meter box "Caution board contains asbestos- please contact owner on 04$$*&))$$ prior to drilling or carrying out work.

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## intertd6

What ever has happened is done now, the health risks associated with asbestos are high, but the odds of it happening are low, as it has been said put up a notice if it contains asbestos & if more work has to be done on it, save up & get it replaced as it should never be disturbed in those ways.
inter

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## Whitey66

While there is no denying there are risks with asbestos, I think it is blown way out of proportion.
I live in a country town where old builders have cut (with angle grinders), smashed, drilled sanded asbestos fibro their whole lives with no breathing protection and I haven't heard of any asbestosis cases at all. Then there was the asbestos that was in all the brake pads and clutches in cars, trucks buses and trains. This asbestos was all released as fine dust that floated freely in the air. How much of this asbestos dust was breathed in by people over the years is anyone's guess.
Does anyone here have any stories of people who worked with asbestos regularly, like mechanics or builders, that have asbestosis ?
I was a mechanic for about 30 years and when I was an apprentice my boss used to blow off brake dust with compressed air back when they contained asbestos, so i'm probably a goner.

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## Bros

> Does anyone here have any stories of people who worked with asbestos regularly, like mechanics or builders, that have asbestosis ?

  I have two friends who were in engine and boiler rooms of navy ships that got asbestosis. One has died from unrelated disease.
They used to tell me it was like a haze when the guns fired.
The other thing I should add was at the time they were smokers.

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## phild01

> I have two friends who were in engine and boiler rooms of navy ships that got asbestosis. One has died from unrelated disease.
> They used to tell me it was like a haze when the guns fired.
> The other thing I should add was at the time they were smokers.

  Unfortunately they belonged to the high risk group exposed to the crocidolite type of asbestos.  Types of Asbestos | Crocidolite Asbestos and Mesothelioma

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## DBR

I think the main thing to remember is that most people who are now 60+ have had at least one significant exposure during their lives....  In relation to brake dust I am told that the type of asbestos in brake dust is chrysotile which is the lowest risk type...- So Whitey66- along with every other mechanic out there if think your risk is low too... I personally used to have a second job whilst at school helping the mechanic blow brake dust as well- I consider myself a 1 in 10000 risk from that duty so I don't worry about it..........                                                        Dad used to burn it for cheap fireworks as a child,, my neighbour was a builder and he used to eat his lunch off a piece,,, I accidentally as a child smashed up a fibro lined barbecue area without knowing... Once again, yes the one offs an kill but extremely low chance... High risk in terms of the consequence but low risk of it happening....             Like a builder said to me the other day- if the asbestos doesn't kill you, the paranoia will- as he was removing fibro walls in our old bathroom without a mask on... Hes probably right you know...- but if I was him I would have put a mask on...

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## Whitey66

> I think the main thing to remember is that most people who are now 60+ have had at least one significant exposure during their lives....  In relation to brake dust I am told that the type of asbestos in brake dust is chrysotile which is the lowest risk type...- So Whitey66- along with every other mechanic out there if think your risk is low too... I personally used to have a second job whilst at school helping the mechanic blow brake dust as well- I consider myself a 1 in 10000 risk from that duty so I don't worry about it..........                                                        Dad used to burn it for cheap fireworks as a child,, my neighbour was a builder and he used to eat his lunch off a piece,,, I accidentally as a child smashed up a fibro lined barbecue area without knowing... Once again, yes the one offs an kill but extremely low chance... High risk in terms of the consequence but low risk of it happening....             Like a builder said to me the other day- if the asbestos doesn't kill you, the paranoia will- as he was removing fibro walls in our old bathroom without a mask on... Hes probably right you know...- but if I was him I would have put a mask on...

  Chrysotile is white asbestos, which is the same type used in building materials for houses that everyone is freaking out about.
I'm not worried about it, if I was having symptoms now, I would be. 
Worrying has never cured anything so I don't see the point in it, something has to take you out in the end anyway.
In saying that, i'd rather be taken out by a B-double truck, than a microscopic asbestos particle.   :Smilie:  .

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