Asbestos Legislation

Courtesy Queensland Department of Workplace Health & Safety

The Queensland Department of Workplace Health and Safety are in the process of finalising a number of asbestos advisory notes to assist industry to better manage the risk of asbestos exposure. The advisory notes include:

Advisory Note 1 - Identification, notification and labelling of ACM at a workplace;
Advisory Note 2 - Who is a competent person;
Advisory Note 3 - Air monitoring when conducting ACM removal work;
Advisory Note 4 - Clearance inspections for asbestos work areas;
Advisory Note 5 - Asbestos backed vinyl sheet flooring and asbestos containing vinyl tiles; and
Advisory Note 6 - Abestolux.

The purpose of the advisory notes is to provide further guidance around the sometimes misunderstood requirements associated with the application of the Queensland regulation and National Codes of Practice.

Importantly, advisory note 6 discusses a type of asbestos containing board that was produced by Australian industry from the late 1950's onward until approximately 1982. This boarding typically contains a high percentage of both brown (amosite) and white (chrysotile) asbestos and was formed as flat or perforated panels. These panels appear similar in shape and structure to 'asbestos cement' panels however contain much greater concentrations of asbestos and are a higher risk when disturbed as the asbestos becomes airborne more easily (friable).

Issue: This product may previously have been falsely identified in asbestos audits as being "asbestos cement". However, it is important to differentiate between the two materials as the asbestolux boarding is friable when damaged and MUST only be removed by an A class licensed removal contractor.