Safety & Compliance
Management in buildings and structures
A person who has control of a building, structure or mine containing asbestos has a duty of care towards any person who may enter that building, structure or mine. Division 9 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998 details the steps to be taken in relation to identification, risk assessment and duties.
- An asbestos management plan should be implemented.
- A building register should be created and regularly updated to record the location and condition of asbestos. The asbestos should be inspected regularly and the building register should be updated every time work is done on it.
- The presence of asbestos and the risk in each workplace should be assessed by a qualified occupational health professional. If the asbestos is in good condition, it should generally be left undisturbed, but if it is damaged or deteriorating it may need to be removed. Unless considered exempt ("exempt removal work" is defined in Schedule 1 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998) this can only be done by a licensed removalist.
- Material containing asbestos should be labelled according to AS 1216: Class labels for dangerous goods and warning signs should comply with AS 1319: Safety signs for the occupational environment.
- Make sure workers know about the asbestos management plan, and are trained accordingly.
Licensed Asbestos Removalists (GB096)