20 years since asbestos was banned but the danger still remains
Today is the start of National Asbestos Awareness Week (20-26 November 2023) and Territorians are asked to Think Twice about Asbestos.
Despite being banned in Australia 20 years ago, asbestos was used in a wide range of building products before the ban, and those asbestos containing products still remain in older buildings unless it’s been removed.
NT WorkSafe’s Manager WHS Assurance, Rob Fereday has urged Territorians to think twice about asbestos and take precautions when doing maintenance or renovation work in buildings built before 1990, as asbestos is still present in older homes, as well as in public and commercial buildings across the Territory.
“In the 20 years since the national ban, we have a new generation of tradies working in the industry that may not fully appreciate the risks of asbestos exposure.”
“As asbestos-related diseases take time to develop and there is no immediate injury from exposure, there is also a danger of complacency from more experienced workers,” Mr Fereday said.
“Unfortunately there have been a few incidents of asbestos exposure in both residential homes and commercial premises over the past 12 months.”
“And while it’s not guaranteed the people exposed will develop an asbestos-related disease, it would be an unpleasant concern to have in your mind as the years progress,” Mr Fereday said.
Territory workers are urged to check the age of the building before commencing any work. Public and commercial buildings built before 2004 are required to have an asbestos register which lists all identified (or assumed) asbestos in a building. One of the first steps before starting work is to always ask to see the building’s asbestos register.
When working in a residential home, ask the home owner if they know if asbestos is present. If the home owner doesn’t know and you suspect something is asbestos, treat it as asbestos or engage a licensed asbestos assessor to confirm.
Asbestos.nt.gov.au is the Territory’s website for asbestos information and includes an image gallery of asbestos products.
Related links
- Safety alert - Asbestos found in external and internal render
- Incident information release - Lack of checks leads to asbestos contamination of two homes
- How to manage and control asbestos in the workplace Code of Practice
- How to safely remove asbestos Code of Practice
- List of licenced asbestos assessors
- List of licenced asbestos removalists