Managing an older building? Know where the asbestos is before anyone starts work.
From tourism, hospitality and retail buildings in the CBD to marine, aviation, sugar and agricultural facilities, Cairns’ commercial buildings span every era of asbestos use. For businesses and property managers, asbestos isn’t just a safety issue, it’s a legal responsibility under Queensland’s Work Health and Safety laws. A planned, documented approach protects your staff, tenants, contractors and customers, and keeps your projects on schedule.
Under Queensland Work Health and Safety laws, if you manage or control a workplace built before 31 December 2003, you must identify asbestos at the workplace (or assume it is present), keep an asbestos register, and have an asbestos management plan where asbestos is present. The register must be available to workers and anyone carrying out work at the site, and both documents must be kept up to date.
Workers who may come across asbestos in their work should also receive asbestos awareness training. Having asbestos on site doesn’t mean it must be removed — asbestos in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed is often safely managed in place. What the law requires is that the risk is understood and controlled before anyone disturbs it. Queensland’s codes of practice, How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace and How to Safely Remove Asbestos, set out these requirements in detail.
Common property in a strata scheme can be a workplace whenever contractors, cleaners or maintenance staff work there. Body corporates and strata managers should know where asbestos is located in common areas, keep records accessible, and brief contractors before painting, re-roofing, balcony and bathroom works, or upgrades involving meter boards and service ducts.
Before refurbishing a workplace, asbestos likely to be disturbed must be identified and the register reviewed. Before demolition, asbestos must be identified and, so far as reasonably practicable, removed before demolition begins. Building a hazardous materials survey into your project plan early avoids costly stop-work orders and contractor delays.
Asbestos often surfaces during fit-outs, strip-outs and end-of-lease make-good works. Check your lease to confirm whether the landlord or tenant is responsible for asbestos found during the works, and ask for a copy of the building’s asbestos register before you start.
In Queensland, a Class A asbestos removal licence is required to remove any amount of friable asbestos. A Class A or Class B licence is required to remove more than 10 square metres of non-friable (bonded) asbestos. Before starting licensed asbestos removal work, the removalist must notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, generally at least five days in advance.
The work area must be isolated with barriers and signage, and after licensed removal, the area must pass a clearance inspection before it’s used again. For friable (Class A) removal, this must be done by an independent licensed asbestos assessor, with air monitoring required. For bonded (Class B) removal, it’s done by an independent competent person.
Queensland has specific rules for moving asbestos waste. An environmental authority is needed to transport more than 175 kilograms of asbestos waste (roughly a fifth of a standard box trailer of flat sheeting). Anyone transporting asbestos commercially must complete waste tracking documentation for any quantity, and homeowners must do so for loads over 250 kilograms. Asbestos can only be taken to a facility licensed to accept it. Your removalist should give you documentation of the waste chain for your records.
Removal can often be scheduled out of hours, on weekends, during shutdowns or in stages to keep tenants, staff and customers away from work areas. Your removalist will explain access requirements, work windows and any areas that need to be vacated.
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Asbestos emergencies at your workplace. If asbestos has been damaged by storm, fire, vehicle impact or accidental disturbance, stop all work in the area and keep people clear. Don’t attempt an informal clean-up, sweep or use a standard vacuum — seek qualified advice straight away. An uncontrolled release of asbestos at a workplace may need to be reported to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) on 1300 362 128.
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