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Queensland Asbestos Management Services focuses solely on Asbestos Management issues and addressing the problems faced by Employers and Building Owners.
Queensland Asbestos Management Services is dedicated to leading the way with professional services throughout Queensland including:
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a hazardous material that poses a significant risk to health if the asbestos fibres become airborne and people are exposed to potential inhalation of these airborne fibres.
Exposure to asbestos fibres is known to cause mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.
Asbestos-containing materials were used extensively in Australian buildings and structures from the 1950s through to the 1980s. The production of some materials ceased in 1983 however stockpiles were in existence for another 3 years. Some products (eg. pipes) did not cease production until 1987.
There are over 3,000 known materials that have historically contained asbestos, some in areas you wouldn't even think of ¡V for example, ceiling tiles, light fittings, fire doors, vinyl floor coverings hairdryers and sprayed insulation to name but a few.
The National Occupational Health and Safety Commission have stated in the National Code of Practice for the Management and Control of Asbestos in Workplaces [NOHSC: 2018 (2005)] that the ultimate goal is for all workplaces to be free of ACM.
Are you a person with control of a workplace that was built or given building approval prior to 1 January 1990?
If so, do you know your responsibilities?
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 established mandatory requirements for managing asbestos through the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1997 and the National Code of Practice for the Management and Control of Asbestos in Workplaces.
From 1 January 2008, all workplaces that were built or given building approval prior to 1 January 1990 must comply.
Part 7 of the Code sets out your responsibilities as follows:
- develop and implement and maintain an asbestos management plan
- investigate the premises for the presence or possible presence of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM)
- develop and maintain a register of the identified or presumed ACM, including details on their locations, accessibility, condition, risk assessments and control measures
- assess the condition of any ACM that are found and the associated asbestos risks
- develop measures to remove the ACM or otherwise to minimise the risks and prevent exposure to asbestos
- ensure the control measures are implemented as soon as possible and are maintained as long as the ACM remain in the workplace
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