Asbestos in Construction – Closing the Gaps

Moderated by Malcolm Fabiny
Speakers: Zayne Baggot, Cassandra Fernandez, Joe Stanek, Jo Morris

What’s covered?

It is not uncommon for a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to encounter asbestos during normal day-to-day work that has, or has not, been previously identified. This is more evident during the demolition or refurbishment of a building, structures, or plant.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring carcinogenic mineral that was manufactured into over 3,000 products and widely used in the construction industry in Australia until 2003. Over time, these products can deteriorate due to natural aging, weathering, day to day operations, and other environmental factors.

Asbestos has continually been removed from buildings and plant as sites have been developed, refurbished or demolished to the standard of the day and the constraints of the building operations at the time. Without total demolition, you cannot be guaranteed that the asbestos has been entirely removed.

State Regulations (WHS and OHS) require that asbestos is identified on-site, a register prepared, labelled, managed, and removed by a licensed removalist prior to any work likely to damage the asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and prior to demolition or refurbishment. As the number of licensed asbestos assessors and competent persons across all jurisdictions of Australia increases, some state regulators are paying close attention to the standards of their work. Some of these individuals have had their competency challenged, resulting in prosecutions and/or the requirement for retraining.

This moderated panel discussion covers the difference between management and demolition surveys, competent persons, if it is reasonably foreseeable that asbestos might be present at your workplace, and if there are steps to avoid unexpected finds/exposure.

The presentation also outlines some of the legislative governance and the panel will share from their diverse experiences as active practitioners and from a  leader in the advocacy of asbestos awareness and education.