Asbestos Removal NSW

Asbestos Removal NSW

Your 2021 Ultimate Guide on

How to Safely Remove Asbestos

Do you think there’s asbestos in your NSW home? Make sure not to disturb it. When damaged or mishandled, asbestos fibres may spread. These fibres, when inhaled, can be deposited in the linings of your heart, lungs and abdomen and cause lung-related diseases, such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Therefore, asbestos should be handled safely to avoid asbestos exposure.

What is Asbestos and where to find it?


Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals that are resistant to heat, corrosion and electricity. Also an effective insulator, these minerals were largely used in the construction industry to make materials stronger. 


Asbestos cannot be seen by the naked eye. Its fibres are too small. These fibres also have no odour. These make identifying asbestos in your NSW home difficult. A general rule that’s been used to know if there’s asbestos in your home is by the date your house was built. 


If your house was constructed or renovated in Australia [1]:

  • before the mid-1980s - it is highly likely to contain asbestos-containing products,
  • between the mid-1980s and 1990 - it is likely to contain asbestos-containing products and
  • after 1990 - it is unlikely to contain asbestos-containing products.


If present, asbestos in your NSW home can be seen in the exteriors and interiors of your house. These include your wall and roof sheeting, brick cladding, the lining of fences, insulation of wood heaters, vinyl floor tiles, cement sheet walls, the backing of electrical metre board, plaster sealants, fibreboard walls and many other materials.

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What to do if you find Asbestos in your home?

When there’s possibly asbestos in your NSW home, you should contact an asbestos specialist to survey your place and confirm its presence. If it’s confirmed, then you can either remove it or call an asbestos removalist. However, the latter is recommended. The same should be done if you find asbestos in the soil at home. Immediately call a licensed asbestos assessor.


In NSW, if the asbestos to be removed is 10 m2 of bonded asbestos or below, you can be allowed to get rid of it. If it’s more than 10 m2, you should hire a licensed asbestos removalist in NSW or an asbestos abatement company to do the work. Otherwise, you must obtain an asbestos removal license by attending appropriate training courses [2].


On the other hand, if you found loose or friable asbestos in your NSW home, then you’re not allowed to remove it by yourself. Loose or friable asbestos presents a greater risk when mishandled. Only a professional should remove it.

Legal Requirements for Managing Household Asbestos Waste

If you hire an asbestos removalist, you should check their license requirements. A person conducting a business or undertaking needs a license to remove some types of asbestos. The two types of license are Class A and Class B [3].


  • Class A license can remove any quantity or amount of asbestos or asbestos-containing material (ACM), including any amount of asbestos-containing dust (ACD), any amount of friable asbestos or ACM and any amount of non-friable asbestos or ACM.
  • Class B can remove any amount of ACD associated with the removal of non-friable asbestos or ACM or any amount of non-friable asbestos or ACM.


A licensed asbestos removalist may have all the requirements from removal to disposal. However, if you’re going to do it yourself, you have to observe several protocols from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) [4]:

  • Dispose of asbestos waste at a licensed landfill.
  • Store your asbestos on your premises in a manner that won’t pose any risk to anyone or the environment.
  • Do not place asbestos waste in your kerbside bins.
  • Do not put asbestos in a skip bin that’s uncovered or not approved to hold asbestos.
  • Do not reuse, recycle or illegally dump asbestos-contaminated waste or asbestos products.

According to EPA, if you happen to break the law about proper asbestos removal and disposal, you can be fined up to $7,500 and $15,000 for individual and company cases, respectively. If the matter is heard in court, your penalties can go up to $1,000,000.


How to Remove Asbestos Safely


The following are some do’s and don’ts to keep you and your family safe during asbestos removal [2]:

  • Wear personal protective equipment.
  • Put plastic sheeting on the work area to avoid ground contamination.
  • Close all doors and windows.
  • Seal off places where dust can get in.
  • Turn off the heating, ventilating and conditioning units.
  • Do not use power tools, which can produce dust.
  • Do not eat, drink or smoke in the work area to avoid inhalation of fibres.
  • Do not drill, cut or break asbestos products.
  • Do not use brooms, brushes or household vacuum cleaners. Only H class asbestos vacuum cleaners should be used to collect dust and debris.
  • Wet the area that contains asbestos with a gentle mist sprayer, not a high-pressure water spray.
  • After removal, decontaminate yourself, the work area and the equipment used.


Asbestos in NSW home is dangerous. Despite the do-it-yourself guides on asbestos removal, the EPA still recommends that homeowners and building owners should hire licensed professional to handle or manage asbestos in their places.

References:

[1] “About Asbestos.” Asbestos.Sa.Gov.Au, www.asbestos.sa.gov.au/about-asbestos.

[2] “DIY Removal.” Asbestosawareness.Com.Au, asbestosawareness.com.au/disposal-legalities-nsw/diy-removal-nsw.

[3] “How to Safely Remove Asbestos: Code of Practice.” Safe Work Australia, Nov. 2018, www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files/documents/1810/model-cop-how-to-safely-remove-asbestos_0.pdf.

[4] “Dealing With Household Asbestos.” NSW Environment Protection Authority, www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/household-building-and-renovation/dealing-with-household-asbestos.

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