Australia imposed a total ban on the mining, manufacture and use of asbestos on 31 December 2003, including chrysotile asbestos. This ban was the culmination of many years of smaller bans and restrictions put in place by Australian State or Territory governments to limit the damage of asbestos on the community.
Because of the prolonged use of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in a number ofseveral industries across Australia, it now faces a massive problem of legacy ACMs which are present in both domestic housing and commercial infrastructure. Over 1.5 million tonnes of all forms of asbestos were imported into Australia between 1930-1983[i]. This combined with locally mined asbestos, resulted in an estimated 12.8 million tonnes of asbestos containing materials being placed in the built environment from 1920 through to 2003. Eventually all this material will require removal and disposal.
To ensure that management and removal of legacy ACMs is achieved safely there needs to be:
Having a national strategic plan ensures there is consistent and coordinated approach to asbestos awareness, management and removal. A national strategic plan provides the framework to direct and coordinate asbestos management and awareness over several years or decades.
The national strategic plan should contain:
Australia’s National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019-2023 is an example of such an approach.
Systems of laws, regulations and guidance across the workplace, public health, environment and transport to protect the community from asbestos exposure.
Effective management of the health risks that arise from potential exposure to asbestos requires systems of laws, regulations and guidance to be in place across the workplace, public health and the environment. Identification, management, removal, transportation and disposal of asbestos needs to be strictly controlled so as not to put the workforce and broader community at risk. The laws need to be aligned so they complement each other and include significant penalties for breaches of them. There also needs to be an inspectorate established to enforce compliance with the laws. An example of Australian’s regulatory framework for asbestos is provided below.
The laws set out a general duty to prevent or minimize harm to the public. Breaching this duty attracts substantial penalties (fines or imprisonment). A person removing asbestos-containing materials is responsible for taking all reasonable steps to prevent or minimize any harm to public health caused by, or likely to be caused by, anything done or omitted to be done by the person.
The public health legislation allows the appointment of local government officials who have wide powers to support enforcement of the Act. An example of such powers is to enter a property to take samples and investigate if asbestos fibers have been released that may cause harm to public health.
The primary focus of the work health and safety legislative framework is the creation of a safe work environment by eliminating or controlling risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Work health and safety legal obligations consist of general duties often contained in primary legislation (Principal Act) which defines obligations in terms of broad goals and can set performance outcomes or targets. There are also prescriptive standards which specify the required action to be taken as well as process-based standards which set out ways to address work health and safety matters. These standards and processes are often contained in subordinate legislation (Regulations) which sets out specific requirements for particular hazards like asbestos. There can also be codes of practice or guidance which provide practical information on how the requirements can be met in the Act and Regulations.
The key principles of asbestos risk management in workplaces are for employers and persons with management and control of workplaces to:
Throughout this process it is advisable to draw on the expertise of competent asbestos professionals, asbestos removalists, waste transporters and disposal facility managers.
Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in good condition are relatively safe if they remain undisturbed and undamaged.
Options to identify asbestos are:
1. hiring a competent person to conduct a full asbestos assessment of the premises. They may take samples to confirm the presence of asbestos in certain products.
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2. identifying products that were manufactured or imported that are likely to contain asbestos.
Then for each product, either:
An Asbestos Register is the foundation of the workplace’s asbestos management plan and should be provided to all workers and contractors so that they know where asbestos is located and can avoid disturbing or damaging it. It should include:
Table 1 below is a method for classifying the condition of the product.
Photographs (date-stamped) and sketches of the asbestos in place will record the condition of the ACM at that time. These can be used to track any changes in the material and indicate when removal or maintenance is required.
The Asbestos Register should be reviewed at least once a year to ensure it is up to date and to record any changes to asbestos materials. Other triggers for reviewing and updating the Asbestos Register include:
Assessing the risk of exposure to asbestos fibers means understanding how likely it is for the fibers to be released and inhaled. The risk assessment takes three factors into consideration: the friability and type of material, the condition the product is currently in, and its disturbance potential.
This factor ranks how friable the type of material is. As previously described, friable asbestos means asbestos that is loosely contained in materials that could easily be crushed by hand, and non-friable asbestos is where asbestos fibers are bound in firm material such as concrete or mastic.
The type of material that binds asbestos fibers dictates the potential for airborne asbestos to be released into the air. For example, a loosely bound sprayed (or limpet) coating is more likely to release fibers when disturbed than asbestos cement in which fibers are firmly bound.
The following figure ranks different types of asbestos according to the likelihood that airborne asbestos can be released into the air when deteriorated, damaged or disturbed. The higher the likelihood of fiber release, the higher the risk of exposure.
NOTE: All ACMs release asbestos fibers if they are disturbed, damaged or deteriorated.
The condition of asbestos containing materials indicates how friable the product is or may become (refer to Table 1).
If non-friable ACMs are in good condition and left undisturbed, fibers are unlikely to be released into the air and therefore the exposure risk is lower. However, if the asbestos or ACM has deteriorated, has been damaged, or if asbestos-contaminated dust is present, the likelihood of asbestos fibers becoming airborne is increased and so is the exposure risk.
This factor identifies all workplace activities, actions or conditions around ACMs that could disrupt the bonds that hold the asbestos fibers in place and how often these occur.
Questions to ask include:
Examples of asbestos disturbance include:
Referring to the friability, the condition and the disturbance potential, the following terms can be used to rate the likelihood of asbestos fibers being released for each identified ACM. (There are other risk rating tools and criteria available on the internet). The likelihood rating process is best done with a group of people to agree on the rating. Once the rating is agreed to, this can be noted in the Asbestos Register.
The final step is to assess the overall risk of exposure to assist in deciding which controls are appropriate and how quickly they need to be applied. There are risk rating matrices available internationally to assist with ranking the risks using categories such as: extreme, high, medium, and low risk.
Note: All asbestos carries a health risk until it is safely disposed of
Rank the products from the highest risk of releasing fibers to the lowest. This ranking enables prioritization for implementation of control measures to the highest ranked ACMs first.
The hierarchy of control measures orders the most effective ways to control risks at the top to the least effective at the bottom:
The ACMs rated the highest risk of releasing fibers should be eliminated from the workplace by professional removal as soon as possible.
The preferred outcome for all ACMs is to eliminate the risk of asbestos exposure by removing it from the workplace. However, if it is not possible, or if it is in good condition, then the other controls for minimizing the risk should be considered.
Other than elimination, a combination of these controls may be required in order to adequately manage and control asbestos or ACM.
Even where asbestos is contained or in good condition, there is always a risk of fiber release until the ACMs are removed and disposed of by burial in a landfill.
Asbestos must be removed and disposed of by qualified and trained professionals and in accordance with all workplace laws.
Examples of where removal may be the best control measure include:
Where it is not reasonable for asbestos be removed, it must be managed to minimize the risk of asbestos fibers being released. Using the hierarchy of controls, this may be done through a combination of the remaining control options – isolation/engineering, administrative and personal protective equipment controls.
Where it is not reasonably practicable to remove non-friable asbestos that is in good, fair, or medium condition, the preferred alternative control measure is enclosure.
Enclosure involves building a solid structure (such as using plywood) around the asbestos to protect it from damage and inadvertent access. The structure needs to:
If the asbestos cannot be removed or enclosed, encapsulation or sealing will be the next appropriate control measure.
Encapsulation means binding asbestos in a resilient compound to minimize the release of fibers. Examples of encapsulant compounds include reinforced plastics, vinyls, resins, mastics, bitumen, flexible plasters and cements. Encapsulation will bind loose fibers into place and should be used only when the original asbestos bond is still intact.
Encapsulation helps protect the asbestos from mechanical damage and can be used as an interim measure to extend the life of an asbestos product until it can be safely removed. Encapsulation can also be used to strengthen asbestos materials during removal.
Sealing is the process of covering the surface of the material with a protective coating. This only covers the material to minimize asbestos fiber release. This is opposed to encapsulation where the compound binds the asbestos fibers within the compound.
Speak to suppliers and experts to select a suitable coating for the material and its use. The coating (sealant) may deteriorate if it is exposed to chemicals, extreme heat or cold, wet or dry conditions or physical impacts. The ACM’s location may require the sealant to provide fire resistance, thermal insulation or ultraviolet (UV) protection.
Choosing a different colored sealant to the underlying asbestos can ensure complete coverage during application and assist with monitoring its condition over time.
The surface on which the sealant is to be applied should be cleaned first with:
These actions capture any loose dust or debris from the surface and ensure good adhesion of the sealant. Do not use sandpaper to prepare the surface.
Apply the sealant using an airless sprayer at low pressure. Several coatings may be needed for full protection. Rollers and brushes should not be used because they cause abrasion or damage to unsealed asbestos and result in fibers being released.
These controls help employees and contractors know where asbestos is, what to do to prevent fiber release and what to do in an emergency. Administrative controls include asbestos registers, signs, training, emergency procedures and safe work instructions. Examples include:
The provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) is the last line of defense to protect workers if fibers are released by the work they are doing. PPE relies on workers wearing it correctly and is only effective if it fits properly and is used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
An Asbestos Management Plan sets out how the identified ACM will be managed to prevent or minimize risks to health of workers and others.
An Asbestos Management Plan includes:
Once implemented, the Asbestos Management Plan should be reviewed annually to:
The Asbestos Management Plan remains active for as long as there is asbestos in the workplace. To keep it up to date and effective, it should also be reviewed whenever asbestos has been damaged, removed or repaired.
When arranging for professionals to carry out any demolition or refurbishment work, the person with management or control of the workplaces should:
After any demolition or refurbishment work is complete, the Asbestos Register and the Asbestos Management Plan should both be updated.
The primary focus of environmental and transport laws is to prevent the pollution of the environment. The transport and disposal of asbestos must be done in accordance with those laws.
The main components of an asbestos waste management system are:
The transport and disposal of asbestos must occur in a manner that eliminates the release of airborne asbestos fibres, by ensuring:
Every vehicle carrying asbestos waste in a quantity of over 500kg, or 500 litres is considered a placarded load and must display Dangerous Goods Class label 9 signage (the size of the label must be no less than 250mm square), at the front and the rear of the vehicle.
The asbestos waste must be disposed of at a licensed asbestos waste disposal site of as soon as reasonably practicable, whether that is:
Licenced asbestos waste landfill facilities are required to handle and cover asbestos waste in such a manner that no dust is generated. The procedures for landfilling asbestos typically involve digging a hole in the general waste, depositing the asbestos and immediately covering it with soil. Some sites store asbestos in a skip bin near the entrance to the site for transport and burial at the end of the day; others are required to deposit each load immediately on arrival. When not receiving waste, any containers used for temporary storage at a site must be covered.
The following landfilling practices are recommended for asbestos waste disposal:
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