Overspray is fireproofing material that doesn't attach to the surface on which it is sprayed. Anyone who has seen fireproofing sprayed on a job site will attest to the fact that there is a tremendous amount of overspray.

When fireproofing material contained asbestos, overspray exposed everyone in the vicinity to asbestos. Fireproofing on the floor created asbestos-containing dust as workers walked through it, dragged materials and equipment through it, and/or swept it.

This photograph illustrates the wide dispersal of fireproofing spray.

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Metal decking and the piping under it are typically covered with fireproofing spray.

The huge amount of material used for such an operation is shown in this photograph.

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Fireproofing material is commonly sprayed during construction of buildings, especially those using structural steel (for example, high rises) or buildings with metal roof decks. Asbestos was the usual component of the fireproofing material sprayed.

Pipefitters and other workers were and are exposed to asbestos when they scrape fireproofing off beams to attach pipe hangers and other equipment to sprayed beams.

Monokote, manufactured by W. R. Grace, was frequently used as a fireproofing material. It is shown in this photograph of fireproofing on a steel beam.

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There was a threat of exposure at every step of a fireproofing operation (mixing, spraying, and cleaning up) as well as over the life of the spray for people engaged in routine maintenance, who encounter asbestos when working above a drop ceiling.

This photograph illustrates how maintenance of fireproofed items repeatedly exposes workers to asbestos.

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Insulating of pipes (called pipecovering) is another common operation that exposed workers applying the insulation and everyone else on the job site to unreasonably dangerous levels of asbestos exposure. Even pulling pipecovering from the carton created dangerous levels of dust. Cutting pipecovering injected billions of asbestos fibers into the air. Everyone on the site was exposed.

In this photograph, dust from pipecovering fills the air and exposes all workers in the vicinity.

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