Managing risks of exposure to asbestos
A guide for the non-professional on mitigating the risks of exposure to asbestos.
Common activities which lead to the greatest risk of exposure to asbestos fibres
High pressure water spray or compressed air
Using high pressure water spray or compressed air or a garden hose with a trigger attachment on asbestos containing products such as:
- roofs
- gutters
- downpipes
- eaves, or,
- ridge and barge capping
can be a high-risk activity.
What are the risks?
- widespread asbestos contamination on the property and neighbouring properties
- inhaled asbestos fibres which may lead to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma
- remediation costs (up to hundreds of thousands of dollars).
How to mitigate the risks
Never use high-pressure water or compressed air on asbestos containing materials.
If you are planning on cleaning or renovating an older roof, check whether the roof, gutters, down pipes, ridge and barge capping contain asbestos.
If your roof contains asbestos, the best solution is to replace it. If that’s not an option, a fungicide and sealant can be applied to clean the roof surface, prior to re-painting. Certain paints already contain fungicides and don’t require the roof surface to be cleaned first.
Any work on a roof should always be done by a competent licensed professional.
More information
Using high pressure water or compressed air on asbestos containing materials is prohibited (unless for firefighting or fire protection purposes) - Clause 446 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation)
Video
For more information about the dangers of using high pressure on asbestos containing materials watch our video - Pressure cleaning asbestos roofs - safety alert. [4:09 min]
Watch this video in:
Falls from heights
Roofs containing asbestos can be brittle, making them easy to fall through. Falls continue to be one of the main high-risk construction hazards resulting in multiple deaths and serious injuries per year
What are the risks?
Falls off or through an asbestos containing roof due to no / inadequate measures in place to eliminate or control the risk.
How to mitigate the risks
When working on asbestos roofs have appropriate precautions in place such as walking and work platforms, scaffolds and fall arrest restraints. (As per Clause 78-80 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation.)
More information
Working at heights in construction - you fall, they fall campaign
High-speed power tools
Using brooms, implements or high-speed power and pneumatic tools such as:
- angle grinders
- sanders
- saws
- high speed drills
on asbestos containing products can be a high-risk activity.
What are the risks?
The use of this equipment on asbestos containing products causes the release of airborne asbestos fibres, which if inhaled, may lead to asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.
How to mitigate the risks?
As per Clause 446 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation, tools and equipment that cause the release of asbestos, including brooms, pneumatic and power tools must only be used on asbestos containing materials if the equipment is enclosed and/or designed to capture or suppress asbestos fibres and/or the equipment is used in a way that is designed to capture or suppress asbestos fibres safely, for example:
- enclosing the tool or instrument
- using engineering controls such as extraction ventilation, and
- using the tools and instruments within an enclosed removal area.
Tools and equipment you can use during asbestos removal work include:
- HEPA filtered H-Class industrial vacuum cleaners
- manually operated hand tools that have been designed to capture or suppress respirable dust or are used in a way that is designed to capture or suppress respirable dust.
Removing friable asbestos
Removing friable asbestos without controls or a licence is a high-risk activity.
What are the risks?
Disturbing friable asbestos poses a higher risk of inhalation of asbestos fibres than non-friable asbestos.
Inhaling asbestos fibres may lead to asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.
How to mitigate the risk to prevent exposure?
As per clauses 475-477 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation Friable asbestos can only be removed by a Class A (friable) licensed asbestos removalist.
The licensed Class A asbestos removalist must have appropriate controls in place in line with the SafeWork Code of Practice – How to safely remove asbestos including
- full enclosure
- negative air pressure
- air monitoring
- leak testing of enclosure
- full personal protective equipment
- respiratory protective equipment
Not wearing PPE
Removing asbestos without wearing fit for purpose personal protective equipment.
What are the risks?
Working with asbestos without wearing personal protective equipment such as, coveralls, gloves and booties means asbestos fibres may get onto your clothes which may cause asbestos contamination into other places, including car and home where asbestos fibres may be inhaled by not only yourself, but others as well.
Working with asbestos without wearing respiratory equipment significantly increases the risk of workers inhaling asbestos fibres.
Wearing negative pressure respiratory protection with beards, stubble, or facial hair, prevents the face mask from sealing correctly against the face which means the worker is at risk of inhaling asbestos fibres.
Inhaling asbestos fibres, may lead to asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.
How to mitigate the risks
As per clauses 44-47 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation and the Code of Practice – “How to safely remove asbestos” when working with asbestos you:
- must wear correct Personal Protective equipment including disposable coveralls, gloves, booties and respiratory equipment which is fit for purpose.
- must be clean shaven to ensure a correct seal of your respiratory protection
- should wear a loose fitting continuous-flow positive pressure respirator if you have a beard, stubble, or facial hair (only for non-friable asbestos removal).
For more information about the correct personal protective equipment to wear when working with asbestos watch Video 3 - personal Protective Equipment below.
Video
This is the third of five videos in a series, showing tradies how to manage asbestos safely on the job. This video demonstrates the use of correct personal protective equipment needed, when working with or removing less than 10sqm of non-friable asbestos.
Inhaling asbestos fibres
A high risk when working with asbestos is elevated respirable fibre readings (>0.02f/ml not reported to SafeWork).
What are the risks?
If air monitoring shows elevated respirable fibre readings of greater than 0.02 f/ml workers are at greater danger of being exposed to asbestos fibres.
Inhaling asbestos fibres, may lead to asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.
How to mitigate the risks
As per Clause 476 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation where friable asbestos is being removed, if air monitoring readings show elevated respirable fibre readings of greater than 0.02 f/ml:
- the asbestos removal work must stop immediately
- SafeWork NSW must be notified
- the cause of the increased respirable asbestos fibre level must be investigated and rectified.
Contamination
A high risk when working with asbestos is failing to decontaminate the removal area, plant used, workers and others in the removal area.
What are the risks?
Failing to decontaminate creates a risk of inhaling asbestos fibres to not only workers but to others who may come in contact with the area, plant used or workers.
Inhaling asbestos fibres, may lead to asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.
How to mitigate the risks
As per Clause 471 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation, asbestos removalists must ensure that facilities are available to decontaminate:
- the asbestos removal area
- any plant used in the asbestos removal area
- orders carrying out asbestos removal work
- the persons who have access to the asbestos removal area.
Nothing that is likely to be contaminated with asbestos can be removed from the asbestos removal area unless it has been decontaminated before being removed or is sealed in a container and the exterior of the container is labelled (before being removed).
The decontamination area should be set up adjacent to the asbestos removal area and should be conducted in line with the “Code of Practice – How to Safely Remove Asbestos”.
Video
For more information see our decontamination video below.
This is the final video in a series of five, showing tradies how to manage asbestos safely on the job. This video demonstrates how to correctly decontaminate an asbestos work area when working with or removing less than 10sqm of non-friable asbestos.
Obtaining an asbestos clearance certificate
A high risk is failing to have a clearance certificate issued when licensed asbestos removal work has been commissioned.
What are the risks?
If there is remaining asbestos containing material it may be subject to crushing / pulverising by plant or processes.
This creates a risk of asbestos fibres being inhaled which may lead to asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.
How to mitigate the risks
As per Clause 473-474 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation, an independent licensed asbestos assessor (LAA) (for friable asbestos removal) or competent person/ LAA (for more than 10sqm of non-friable asbestos removal) must:
- inspect the removal area and the area immediately surrounding it
- ensure the area is free from visible asbestos contamination
- issue a clearance certificate providing there is no evidence of asbestos remaining at the premises, prior to the area being reoccupied.
- ensure the air monitoring shows respirable asbestos fibres are below 0.01 fibres/ml (if air monitoring was undertaken as part of the clearance inspection). This must be recorded on the clearance certificate.
Find a licenced asbestos removalist
Electrical risks associated with asbestos
Removal of asbestos roofs or sheeting must be undertaken safely to prevent electric shock or electrocution.
The electricity supply should be disconnected by an ASP (accredited service provider)
What are the risks?
Removal of asbestos roofs or sheeting must be undertaken safely to prevent electric shock or electrocution.
The electricity supply should be disconnected by an ASP (accredited service provider)
How to mitigate the risk
As per Clause 166 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation, when undertaking asbestos removal work, you must control the risks to health and safety associated with electrical risks including:
- De-energising and removing electrical equipment from the asbestos removal work area. If the electrical equipment cannot be disconnected and removed it must be de-energised. You must ensure the de-energised equipment is secured so it cannot be inadvertently re-energised.
- Labelling
More information
Images of asbestos in the home including electrical wiring and fuse boxes