General information, not safety or legal advice. Asbestos rules are set and enforced by each state and territory; the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency explains the national picture and differences between states, and your state’s work health and safety regulator has the rules that bind.
Note 1 · Why it comes first
A hazard the demolition would spread
Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, and although asbestos was banned in 2003, thousands of buildings still contain it. The national agency says that if a home was built or renovated before 1990 it might contain asbestos, and it lists the places it is often found: wall and ceiling sheeting, especially in kitchens, bathrooms, toilets and laundries; vinyl floor tiles and the felt backing under vinyl and linoleum; insulation in heaters, stoves, roof spaces and around hot water pipes; and gutters, downpipes, gables and eaves linings.
Demolition is the work most likely to break all of those at once. That is why the model code treats any construction work, including demolition, that involves or is likely to involve disturbing asbestos as high risk construction work, needing a safe work method statement before it starts.
Note 2 · Finding it
Identify it, or assume it is there
The model code for demolition sets out who must find the asbestos and what happens when they cannot be sure.
- A competent person identifies itThe business that manages or controls the workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that a competent person identifies all asbestos at the workplace, and any asbestos assumed to be present.
- The asbestos register goes to the demolition contractorWhere a workplace keeps an asbestos register, it must be reviewed before demolition, revised if it is not adequate for the planned work, and a copy given to the business doing the demolition before the work starts.
- Where uncertain, it is assumedThe business doing the demolition must assume asbestos is fixed to or installed in the structure if the competent person is, on reasonable grounds, uncertain, or if part of the structure is inaccessible and likely to be disturbed.
- Only what the demolition will reachIf only part of a building is to come down, only the asbestos likely to be disturbed in that part has to be removed first, so far as is reasonably practicable. Part of a wall may even be demolished to reach asbestos in the wall cavity so it can be removed before the rest.
The person carrying out the demolition must not start until the structure has been inspected by a competent person to determine whether asbestos is fixed to or installed in it. If asbestos is found or assumed, on domestic premises they must tell the owner and the occupier.
For a house, the national agency’s advice is to ask an asbestos professional and have a sample tested, or to assume the material contains asbestos and take the precautions that go with it. SafeWork NSW strongly recommends that a licensed professional collect any samples for testing, and the NSW planning department notes that a licensed asbestos assessor can inspect a property to help plan removal.
Note 3 · Who may remove it
Two licence classes, and a small unlicensed limit
The national agency says it is “not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself”, and the law goes further. Under the model code, removing any friable material, or non-friable material over 10 square metres, needs a licence (the table below sets out the classes), and SafeWork NSW applies the same thresholds. In the Australian Capital Territory any removal needs a licensed removalist, unless it is part of minor routine maintenance or other minor work. In Queensland a home owner must be trained before taking out more than 10 square metres of non-friable material, and friable material needs a Class A removalist. The national agency adds that having a professional do the job is easier, safer and often cheaper. The NSW planning department strongly recommends a licensed removalist for any amount, because there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos.
Friable asbestos is material in powder form, or that can be crumbled or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry. The class of licence needed depends on whether the asbestos is friable or non-friable, and how much there is.
| Licence | What it may remove |
|---|---|
| Class A | Any amount of friable asbestos, any amount of non-friable asbestos, and any amount of asbestos-contaminated dust or debris. |
| Class B | Any amount of non-friable asbestos, and the contaminated dust or debris that comes with removing it. |
| No licence | Up to 10 m² of non-friable asbestos, and minor contamination from dust or debris linked to that work. |
The national agency says 10 square metres is roughly one wall of an average-sized bathroom, or about four sheets of asbestos cement wall sheeting.
SafeWork NSW says anyone who still decides to remove less than 10 square metres themselves must, before starting, read and follow the Code of Practice on how to safely remove asbestos, know and tell any workers about the health risks, do asbestos awareness training, and provide health monitoring if the work is likely to be ongoing; if they cannot commit to that, they should engage a licensed asbestos professional.
The NSW planning department also lists what must not be done to material that may contain asbestos, because it releases fibres: cutting, drilling, sanding, scraping, scrubbing and water-blasting. The national agency adds its own: never dry-sweep asbestos dust with a broom or brush, never cut, grind, sand or drill asbestos materials with high-speed power tools, and never clean them with high-pressure water or compressed air.
In Western Australia, Class A is called “unrestricted” and Class B “restricted”.
Note 4 · Licensed removal
What licensed removal looks like, start to clearance
Safe Work Australia’s model code on how to safely remove asbestos sets out the steps a licensed removalist takes.
- A removal control planBefore licensed removal work starts, the removalist must prepare an asbestos removal control plan setting out the specific control measures for that job, and keep a copy at the workplace.
- The regulator is toldThe removalist must notify the regulator in writing at least five days before licensed removal work begins, including whether the asbestos is friable, roughly how much there is, and who will do the clearance inspection. Only a sudden, unexpected event or an unexpected breakdown of an essential service allows work to start sooner, and then the regulator must be told immediately by telephone and in writing within 24 hours.
- The removalThe code requires decontamination facilities for the work area, the plant and the workers, and asbestos waste contained and labelled before it leaves the removal area.
- A clearance inspectionWhen licensed removal is finished, a clearance inspection must be carried out and a written clearance certificate issued before the area is used again, and that includes being used for demolition.
After work that needs a Class A licence, such as removing friable asbestos, the clearance is done by “an independent licensed asbestos assessor”; after other licensed work, by “an independent competent person”. To be independent, the code says, the person must not be involved in removing the asbestos for that specific job, nor in a business involved in removing it. In NSW, SafeWork NSW says clearance certificates for friable removal must come from an asbestos assessor, and for non-friable removal from a competent person or an assessor.
A clearance certificate is only issued if the removal area and its surroundings are free of visible asbestos contamination, and if air monitoring was done, the respirable fibre level found must be below 0.01 fibres per millilitre.
Note 5 · Not only asbestos
Other materials the code asks about first
The demolition code names other hazardous materials a building may hold: lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), contaminated dust and combustible materials. Before work starts, every area, including basements, cellars and vaults, should be examined for fire or explosion risks and for toxic, radioactive or other hazardous chemicals.
Lead
Found in paint, old water pipes and fittings, sheet lead, solder, flashing and leadlight. The code’s table links paint and plumbing built between about 1920 and 1978 to lead hazards, and says paint suspected of containing lead should be tested. Its precautions: keep lead dust and fumes to a minimum, clean work areas properly during and after the work, wear the right personal protective equipment, and keep up good personal hygiene.
PCBs and insulation
Workers can be exposed to PCBs when dismantling electrical capacitors and transformers, or cleaning up spills and leaks. The code asks for controls so spills from damaged capacitors do not reach workers and are cleaned up, PCB parts bagged in polyethylene inside a marked, sealable metal container, and gloves resistant to PCBs. Containers that cannot be taken for disposal straight away are stored in a protected area that prevents PCBs escaping to the environment. Synthetic mineral fibre insulation in walls, ceilings and ductwork should be identified and handled to the manufacturer’s instructions, with protective equipment worn and dust damped down as it is removed.
The model code is guidance under the model work health and safety laws, which every state and territory except Victoria has implemented, some with variations.
The model code says asbestos waste must be transported and disposed of under the state or territory environment protection authority’s requirements, can only be disposed of at a site licensed by the EPA, and must never go into the general waste system. In NSW, the planning department says it cannot go into demolition waste skip bins or kerbside bins, and only to a landfill licensed to accept it; the NSW EPA’s household asbestos page has the details.