Asbestos Hazardous Materials

Asbestos and Hazardous Materials

Asbestos and hazardous materials remain a wide-spread health risk to workers if poorly managed

We know you haven’t come here to be told the dangers around asbestos or hazardous materials. If you are here for help in managing the risks then let us help you! Our licences asbestos assessors can assist you from identification, management & control methods to keep your workers safe. AusSafety is a leading provider of asbestos & hazardous materials management across all industries of Australia. Call us or request a quote today!

Asbestos and hazardous materials remain a wide-spread health risk to workers if poorly managed

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Our Approach to Asbestos & Hazardous Materials

It is estimated that asbestos makes up approximately 6.4 million Tonnes of the built environment of Australia. Exposure to asbestos or hazardous materials can lead to chronic, life shortening disease or other serious health effects. As an example, the incidence of mesothelioma has been steadily increasing since the early 1980’s.

Hazardous materials management is undertaken by licensed assessors to assist PCBU’s control the risk of exposure to workers. When it comes to asbestos and hazardous materials management, our consultants offer a range of services that include but are not limited to:

Building, plant, structure, vehicle inspections and suspect material sampling
Asbestos and Hazardous Materials Surveys and Register development
Asbestos and Hazardous Materials Risk Assessments
Asbestos Air Monitoring, including personal exposure monitoring and asbestos removal control monitoring
Asbestos Clearance Inspections and Reports
Asbestos and Hazardous Materials Management Plans
Asbestos Awareness Training
Emergency Response and Critical Incident Response; and
Technical Advice for Regulatory Compliance Issues

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We Service Australia Wide

Hazardous Materials in the Built Environment:

Along with Asbestos, these hazardous materials are commonly found in the build environment around Australia:

Synthetic mineral fibres
Lead paint
Ozone depleting substances (ODS)
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)

All of these materials have been routinely used in workplaces throughout history. These materials have been known to cause a number of adverse health and environmental effects. Asbestos for example is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis in humans.

The need for all organisations to minimise the risk posed to building occupants by asbestos and hazardous materials is enshrined in workplace health and safety law. One of the largest sections of the model WHS Regulations deals with the management of asbestos. It is a highly regulated material.

National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratories

We partner with National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratories for the sample analysis, whether it be bulk asbestos samples, asbestos or synthetic mineral fibre counts, or lead in paint. Given the highly regulated nature of asbestos, if there is any doubt as to what steps should be taken, it is best to speak with an expert to provide the right advice. To briefly display how regulated asbestos is within the workplace, the following is true based on the model WHS Regulations in Australia:

All workplaces that have building built prior to 2003 are required to have Asbestos Registers if there is reason to believe that asbestos may be present.
An asbestos register must state the location, condition and risk of the material, amongst other things.
The asbestos register must be regularly reviewed and revised as necessary, typically with intervals no greater than 5 years. Individual risk assessments may require more regular reviews.
Where asbestos is present in a workplace, an asbestos management plan must be developed and in place. There are stringent requirements about what must be in an asbestos management plan.
Asbestos can typically only be removed by licensed tradespeople. There are few exceptions where this is not the case, however they must be competent and knowledgeable about the correct removal and disposal requirements.
Air monitoring may be required by law, however is generally best practice, for when asbestos is being removed. Air monitoring ensures that the asbestos being removed is done so in a controlled manner.
Asbestos clearance inspections must be undertaken at the completion of licensed asbestos removal. This is to ensure all asbestos containing materials within the scope or work have been removed and the area is safe for re-occupation.