Asbestos is a material that can have potentially fatal health effects. Asbestos is now banned from use. It was prevalent in different products from the 1940s until the late 1980s.
If asbestos is disturbed or broken it can release fibres that once airborne are capable of being inhaled deep into a person lungs, causing significant health problems.
When inhaled the fibres can cause lung cancer which might not be detected until many years after exposure.
Asbestos is dangerous and it essential that adequate measures are taken to protect people against unnecessary exposure and risk.
Asbestos generally comes in three types:
- Chrysotile (white asbestos)
- Amosite (brown asbestos)
- Crocidolite (blue asbestos)
When dealing with asbestos it""s condition is generally referred to as bonded asbestos-containing material (bonded asbestos) contains a bonding compound reinforced with asbestos fibres; or friable asbestos-containing material (friable asbestos) is unbonded asbestos-containing material that, when dry, is or may become crumbled, pulverised or reduced to powder by hand pressure.
Bonded asbestos can be found in products such as asbestos cement sheeting commonly used in building materials between 1940s to the late 1980s.
Other bonded asbestos products include:
- profiled sheets used on roofs and walls and flat sheets in flashings
- imitation brick cladding
- roof shingles
- water or flue pipes
- plaster patching compounds
- textured paint
- vinyl floor tiles
- friction products such as brake shoes, disc pads, clutch housings or elevator brakes
Friable asbestos is easily crumbled or reduced to powder by hand. Common forms of friable asbestos materials include:
sprayed on fireproofing/soundproofing/thermal insulation
acoustic plaster soundproofing
thermal insulation (not sprayed on)
Breathing in asbestos fibres has been linked to three respiratory diseases, all of which can be fatal:
- Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease that can lead to respiratory impairment and to diseases such as lung cancer
- Mesothelioma is a cancer in two forms - pleural which is a tumour of the lung; and peritoneal, which is a cancer of the abdominal cavity
- Lung cancer caused by asbestos cannot be distinguished from those cancers that are caused by other agents such as tobacco smoke
Where to Get Help
Your local doctor - for health concerns.
Local council - for enquiries or complaints regarding the removal or disposal of asbestos.
WorkCover Queensland - Phone 1300 362 128 or www.workcover.qld.gov.au
Queensland Government - Workplace Health and Safety - Phone 1300 369 915 or www.dir.qld.gov.au/workplace
Asbestos Disease Foundation of Australia Inc – Phone 1800 006 196 or www.adfa.org.au
Materials that contain asbestos can be found in buildings, workplaces and dwellings built before 1990. Buildings, workplaces and dwellings that have been built after 1990 can also contain asbestos. Asbestos can also be found in products or materials, for example brake disc pads.
Asbestos can be difficult to identify and it is often impossible to confirm it""s presence by a visual inspection. The only way to be certain whether asbestos is present is to have a sample of the material analysed by an accredited laboratory.
You should never attempt to sample anything you believe may contain asbestos. It is very dangerous and should only be done by a competent person and tested in an accredited laboratory.
If material is suspected of containing asbestos and you do not have it tested you MUST treat is as containing asbestos by law. For example, if there is reliable manufacturer information on a product, such as a label stating something contains asbestos, or if it is a product of a type and age that typically contains asbestos you can and should presume it contains asbestos.
The Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1997 requires owners of buildings and structures that are workplaces to comply with the requirements of the asbestos management code.
An owner is defined to include a person who has control of or manages a workplace and a lessee, licensee, mortgagee in possession and a receiver or company administrator.
Owners of workplaces have obligations that may be summarised 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)
- 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
Owners are also required to:
- consult with any person who may be affected by the presence of ACM
- such as employers, workers, contractors and occupants
- provide information and training for workers, contractors and other people who may come into contact with ACM
The training may include procedures to be followed to prevent exposure, the types and locations of asbestos and the health risks of asbestos.
All workplaces built before 1 January 1990 should already have an asbestos register, and safety policies and procedures for friable asbestos. By 1 January 2008 all workplaces must comply with the asbestos management code, which specifies obligations in relation to both friable and bonded asbestos material.
An asbestos management plan helps owners of workplaces comply with asbestos prohibitions and to prevent exposure to airborne asbestos fibres.The plan should set out clear aims, stating what is going to be done, when it is going to be done, and how it is going to be done.
It should include:
- the workplace""s register of ACM
- Details of maintenance or service work on the ACM including:
- who performed the work
- the dates it was done
- the scope of the work
- any clearance certificates (see clearance inspections, part 11.10 of the asbestos management code)
- how people at risk are informed about ACM in the workplace, the risks they pose and the control measures in place
- decisions about management options and the reasons for these decisions
- a timetable for action, including priorities and dates for reviewing risk assessments and specific circumstances that may affect the timetable
- monitoring arrangements
- the responsibilities of people involved in the plan
- training arrangements for workers and contractors
- a procedure for reviewing and updating the management plan and the register of ACM
- safe work methods
The following general principles must be applied in developing an asbestos management plan:
- the goal should be to rid workplaces of asbestos wherever possible rather than seek to control risk by sealing, enclosing or encapsulating asbestos-containing material
- all asbestos-containing material (ACM) should be labelled and recorded in a register
- a risk assessment must be conducted for all identified or suspected ACM
- control measures must be put in place to prevent exposure to airborne asbestos fibres
- there must be full consultation, information sharing and involvement during the development of each step of the asbestos management plan
- the identification of ACM and associated risk assessments should only be undertaken by competent people
- all people on premises where ACM are present must be fully informed about the consequences of exposure to asbestos and appropriate control measures
By 1 January 2008 all workplaces must comply with the asbestos management code, which specifies obligations in relation to both friable and bonded asbestos material.
Even if no asbestos is found, a register should still be kept which records this fact.
The Asbestos Management Code details the information that the register should contain. This includes:
Identification
- dates of inspections
- locations of asbestos
- details of materials presumed to contain asbestos
- inaccessible areas that contain asbestos
- analysis results
Risk assessment
- dates of risk assessments and details of the competent person that performed them
- findings and conclusions of risk assessments
- results of any air monitoring for airborne asbestos fibres
Control measures
- the control measures resulting from a risk assessment
- full details of any maintenance work or service on ACM
The register is to be made available to:
- workers and their representatives
- any other employers within the premises
- any person removing ACM
- any person engaged to perform work that may disturb ACM
- any other person who might be exposed