My late father built a 3′ x 6′ welding workbench. He used a 1/2″ thick piece of solid asbestos for the top surface. Mom’s now moving out into a smaller house, so we need to sell and/or dispose of everything. I was going to put this bench up on Craig’s List, but my brother was concerned about the asbestos. Is there any liability for us to sell or otherwise dispose of this?
Thank you.
Replies
Asbestos Welding Bench
I don't know what the liability is but I don't think is worth taking a chance
"Logic" would suggest that as
"Logic" would suggest that as long as you fully disclose the asbestos content and make the other party aware of the need to properly dispose of it eventually, you'd be in the clear. But logic doesn't always apply in matters of law.
Asbestos Welding Bench
Thanks Shacko and Dan. Since the house is being sold as-is and some furniture is being left, an option is to leave the bench with the house. Seems a shame; it's a great bench, and I'm sure someone could get many more years of good usage out of it..
I wonder what "official agency" I could ask... or is that a place I shouldn't go...
I'd probably offer it on Craig's List, perhaps charging a nominal fee just to make sure the customer was serious. Have him sign a paper saying he knows it contains asbestos and knows he must make arrangements to dispose of it properly when he no longer has use of it.
If you leave it with the house it becomes a liability for the house -- a scarlet "A".
"Asbestos" is a word that has
"Asbestos" is a word that has come to symbolize mass hysteria and gross, planned ignorance.
First off, asbestos is a mineral that was frequently used as part of materials; only rarely was it used alone. I suspect that your bench top is actually a cement top that uses asbestos fibers as reinforcement.
When the asbestos fibers are trapped in a matrix, such as cement, they pose almost no risk at all. You've got a darn fine bench. Heck, I wouldn't mind it one bit if kitchen counters were made of the stuff!
Go ahead, sell it. Do as you wish. Even drop it off at the dump if you must; none of the "rules" apply to the homeowner.
I'd suggest selling it well before you started showing the house. Around here, the appraisers note anything that might have any kind of impact. Don't know exactly what the rules are, but I had an old above ground gas tank that we had used back during the 70's gas crunch. Hadn't filled it up after since delivered gas cost more than "store-bough". Sometime in the nineties we refinanced to add on. Appraiser noted it on form, examined ground around it to see if any sign of contamination. Fortunately, he concluded that there was no likely contamination.
If someone realizes that's an asbestos table-top the next question that comes up is how much of it has become airborne & settled around in the house. Asbestos cement products, like the old shingles, are considered safe as long as they're not damaged. Can't imagine the work surface of a welding table being undamaged through years of use.
Asbestos Welding Bench
I think I'll put it up on Craig's List as soon as I can, mostly because we need to get the house as empty as we can as quickly as we can. I don't think the buyers know what it's made of, because we're going into contract. I'm inclined to agree with renosteinke; undisturbed asbestos is pretty safe, so I don't feel like I'm deceiving the buyer at all. The bench surface has no cracks, chips or other damage, and there's been no welding on this bench for maybe thirty years, so if there has been any "emissions" from this bench, they've been extremely minimal.
Thanks very much.