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Removal of asbestos cement building products

Asbestos cement (AC) building products can be removed safely and without risk to workers or the public, provided safe work procedures are complied with.

Content

  1. Safe asbestos removal
  2. Hazards
  3. Identifying asbestos
  4. Legislation
  5. Disposal and landfill sites
  6. Safe work procedures 

1. Safe asbestos removal

Left undisturbed in buildings, asbestos cement (AC) building products do not present a threat to health. This has been shown by studies carried out in Western Australia and elsewhere.* There is no need to remove or to coat asbestos cement materials because of health concerns.

If inhaled by humans, asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a disease that is invariably fatal. However, all AC building products can be removed safely and without risk to workers or the public, provided safe work procedures are complied with.

(* Report of the WA Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances: "Asbestos Cement Building Products" August 1990.)

2. Hazards

A significant hazard will be created if power tools are used for cutting, drilling, sanding, grinding or sawing AC products.

Non-powered hand tools or portable power tools incorporating dust suppression or dust extraction attachments designed to collect asbestos fibres must be used.

Safe work procedures must be implemented and followed at all stages of removal and disposal of AC products. The use of high-pressure equipment to clean materials that contain asbestos is strictly prohibited.

Although the risk to humans from installed and undisturbed AC products is negligible, surface weathering of AC products can lead to the release of asbestos fibres during removal.

3. Identifying asbestos

Fibrous cement products in use before 1987 may contain asbestos, whereas similar building products manufactured and sold today do not contain asbestos fibres. Careful visual inspection and microscopic examination by experienced people are the only ways of confirming whether fibrous materials contain asbestos.

Identifying, assessing and controlling hazards during AC removal and disposal should be jointly achieved through consultation and cooperation between employers and employees and, where elected, safety and health representatives. The safe work procedures listed in this document are minimum standards outlined from the Code of Practice for the Safe Removal of Asbestos 2nd Edition [NOHSC: 2002 (2005)].

4. Legislation

The safety and health of workers handling AC building products is covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 and regulations. Safe removal of AC products is specifically referred to in regulation 5.50. Regulation 5.50 requires any work involving asbestos cement building materials at the workplace to be done in accordance with Part 9 of the Code of Practice for the Safe Removal of Asbestos 2nd Edition [NOHSC: 2002 (2005)].

The safe work procedures below should be observed, as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 and Health (Asbestos) Regulations 1992. A Class 3 Demolition License is required to remove asbestos cement roof material where the area of roof is 200m2 or more.

The Health (Asbestos) Regulations 1992, administered by the Environmental Health Branch of the Health Department, make it an offence to sell, swap, give away or supply second hand AC sheeting.

5. Disposal and landfill sites

Asbestos must be disposed of at approved asbestos disposal sites.

Details of approved disposal sites and further information about disposal of AC products can be obtained from the Department of Environment (DOE) website at www.environment.wa.gov.au.

6. Safe work procedures

These safe work procedures must be followed when removing AC building products:

  • When AC building products are being removed, signs and barriers must be erected to warn of the danger and to prevent unauthorised people entering.
  • All people in the AC removal area must wear disposable coveralls and either a class Pl or P2 respirator.
  • AC sheets must be sprayed with a PVA (poly vinyl acetate) solution or kept wet with water during removal. Care must be taken on roofs because AC sheets are brittle and slippery when wet.
  • Angle grinders must not be used to remove screws.
  • AC products must be removed with minimal breakage, and lowered to the ground, not dropped.
    Removed sheets are to be stacked on polythene sheeting, then wrapped and sealed into bundles for disposal, or placed directly into disposable bins that have been lined with polythene sheeting, and sealed for disposal.
  • Sheets must not be left lying about the site where they may be further broken or crushed by machinery or site traffic.
  • When removed sheets are being stacked, care must be taken not to skid one sheet over another, as this will result in the release of fibres.
  • Roof gutters must be cleaned or sealed prior to their removal.
  • Any AC visible residue remaining in the roof space or within the removal area is to be cleaned up, using an approved vacuum cleaner if necessary.
  • All waste containing asbestos is to be kept wet, wrapped in polythene or otherwise sealed, and removed from the site as soon as practicable.
  • Used disposable coveralls and masks are to be placed in bags for removal with other asbestos waste.

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