Asbestos

[len mazza]

Ihave recived a queary by PM regarding the use if asbestos on deck,on ShelL H Class.I replied that from a
dodgy memory that only the steam lines were lagged,can anybody confirm that?,thanks.

The enquirer was asking about working conditions on deck for some poor guy who had died of that awful
asbestos disease.

Len MazzaR621945

[jimmys]

Was not used much on deck, maybe steam pipes.

Was used extensively in the accommodation, sound proofing, insulation, fire protection and even more so in the engine rooms if he was down below. Still used up until the eighties in shipping. Very slow to ban it.

regards
jimmy

[john james]

I also mentioned to my Doctor that i was exposed to asbestos back in the 50s when i worked in ship repairing,fortunately after an xray i was pronounced in the clear.Iworked as a Shipwight and one of our jobs was to erect staging around boilers and pipes down the engine rooms so that asbestos lagging could be removed,the air would be thick with the stuff,it would be in your hair and on your clothes,no protective gear or health and safety in those days.David Carpenter makes reference to it in his book "Dockland Apprentice",a good read.There must have been a lot of poor blokes who had their lives cut short by that stuff.