Asbestos-containing materials can be found in any Australian home built or renovated before 1990. Although asbestos was banned in Australia in 2003, thousands of different types of products remain hidden dangers in 1 in 3 homes including brick, weatherboard, fibro, clad homes and apartments as well as buildings such as garages, farm structures and in commercial properties if constructed or refurbished before 1990. Asbestos could be anywhere! Many tradespersons, workers and labourers can expect to encounter asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in their day-to-day work. Without knowing where these products might be located or how to manage asbestos safely, Tradies risk disturbing asbestos and releasing fibres when renovating or maintaining homes. If the fibres are inhaled they could lead to asbestos related diseases.
Tradies must minimise the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres!
Before commencing any work, renovations or refurbishments to residential properties, Tradies and workers must determine if asbestos containing materials are present to ensure they minimise the risks to their health and the health of colleagues, families and bystanders by following the 20 Point Safety Checklist for Tradies and use the Residential Asbestos Checklist for Tradies to assist in identifying the many various types of asbestos-containing products and where they might be located in homes.
Tradies should check out the 20 Point Asbestos Safety Checklist for Tradies at asbestosawarness.com.au or contact their trade association for guidelines.
Which trade workers are most likely to come into contact with asbestos on the job?
Bricklayers, builders, building construction and civil construction workers, building maintenance workers, carpenters, home handymen, installers of external cladding, joiners, landscapers, layers of floor covering and floor sanders (stripping carpets), painters, wallpaper hangers, plumbers and drainers, electricians, roofers, tilers, fencers, installers of kitchens, bathrooms and solar panelling. Other trades that may come into contact with asbestos in the home building and maintenance workplace include: rubbish removalists (asbestos illegally placed in bins), landscapers (buried asbestos) heating and air conditioning installers and maintenance workers, gas fitters, roof and guttering installers, telecommunications technicians (installing cabling), insulation installers, demolition workers, farmers and farmhands in rural areas, waste disposal facility workers as green waste and recycling waste can sometimes contain asbestos and land fill operators.
What are some of the most common asbestos products found in homes?
Asbestos may not just be in building materials like walls, ceilings roofing and fences. Asbestos was commonly used in wet areas and in relation to heating including wood heaters, stoves and in sheeting beneath hearths The most common uses for products include:
- Fibro sheeting (flat and corrugated) which may have been used in internal walls and ceilings, external walls and cladding, roofing, infill panels in windows and doors, eaves, fencing, carports, sheeting under floor tiles, bathroom and laundry walls, backyard sheds and dog kennels.
- Electrical switchboards, backing to floor tiles and sheet vinyl, carpet underlay, the backing behind ceramic wall tiles and textile seals to ovens.
- Water drainage, downpipes and flue pipes.
- Roofing shingles and guttering.
- In some homes, loose-fill asbestos was used in ceiling space as insulation.
Extract from asbestosawareness.com.au