Iconic hazardous waste removal: Isuzu and Icon Asbestos Removal

Asbestos Removal requires sound and flexible transport solutions that are both efficient and reliable.

Roof shingles, water supply lines, wall insulation, carpet underlay—these are just a handful of possible areas where asbestos might be found, especially if the building was constructed before 1990.

A naturally occurring mineral, asbestos was once widely used in building construction due to its affordability, flexibility, strength and heat and electricity insulating properties.

However, exposure to asbestos fibres carries health hazards, such as cancers like mesothelioma. As such, the use of asbestos has been banned in Australia since 2003.

Due to its once-pervasive use in the construction industry, asbestos is still frequently encountered, especially when working on older buildings such as residential homes.

Its removal is not lightly regarded, and is best handled by hazardous waste removal professionals such as Icon Asbestos Removal.

ICON does everything from residential to commercial asbestos removal, which includes Class A asbestos removal.

This includes a higher risk, such as in removing friable asbestos – which is in a powder form and therefore more likely to release fibres into the air – and removing asbestos in locations such as government buildings, factories, schools and hospitals.

For business owner, Curtis Lyons, the safety of his employees is paramount in this line of business.

On any job, the ICON crew is suited up with respirators and other necessary personal protective equipment. Decontamination showers are also available for an extra layer of safety. But safety precautions in ICON’s operations doesn’t stop there.

For Lyons, he understands that any professional waste removalist operation requires a sound and flexible transport solution that’s both efficient and reliable, which in turn enhances safety and productivity when removing and transporting hazardous waste.

Supported by his FRR 107-210 Tipper from Isuzu’s Ready-to-Work range, Lyons trusts that operations will run smoothly from start to end.

Once the asbestos is carefully removed, it is loaded onto the back of the FRR 107-210 Tipper, which is double-lined with plastic to seal up the removed material. The waste is then transported to licensed dumps.

With a GVM of 10,700 kg and GCM of 16,000 kg, the FRR 107-210 Tipper is well specified for this task. Equipped with Isuzu’s four-cylinder 4HK1 engine, the FRR Tipper’s power and torque sit at 154 kW at 2400 rpm and 726 Nm at 1600 rpm, respectively.

“It probably shocks a few other people in traffic when they see the size of the truck and the heavy load, tackling inclines without a problem,” Lyons says.

“The most impressive thing is that I’ve got a heavy load with over five tonnes in it and the truck is still driveable through congested Brisbane traffic.”

The ride height of the FRR Tipper cabin means Lyons can see everything on the road ahead, and large passenger windows mean peripheral vision is uninhibited too.

“The vision is great because we can see what’s coming up ahead and stop earlier if we have to,” Lyons says.

Besides power and payload capacity, the truck is a neat balance between being compact enough to access tight, hard-to-reach spaces and having enough load space for its unique application.

“With residential work, we can easily get the FRR Tipper down a side access or through gated driveways. And with the truck bed size – you can get two asbestos sheets laid flat next to each other, side by side. That’s a big win,” Lyons says.

“This means we can keep the load weight down nice and low, and get two or three jobs in each truck load without having to do multiple trips to the tip.”

For Lyons, driving the FRR Tipper five to six days a week has been a pleasure. More importantly, it is also reliable – a must-have in the hazardous waste business, where smooth and hassle-free transport is paramount.

Despite clocking up 53,000 kilometres in a year and over 1000 kilometres per week, Lyons has had no issues or unnecessary downtime with his FRR Tipper.

For Lyons, this and the accessibility of the many Isuzu Trucks authorised dealerships and service centres means he and his team can deliver this unique service to their customers quickly and efficiently.

“If I had an Isuzu truck and another truck side by side to choose from, I’d go with the Isuzu every time,” Lyons says.

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