Part 9Asbestos-related work

Part 9—Asbestos-related work 478—Application of Chapter 8 Part 9 This Part applies in relation to asbestos‑related work. 479—Uncertainty as to presence of asbestos (1) If there is uncertainty (based on reasonable grounds) as to whether work to be carried out for a business or undertaking is asbestos‑related work, the person conducting the business or undertaking must ensure that analysis of a sample is undertaken to determine if asbestos or ACM is present. (2) For the purposes of subregulation (1), the person must ensure that the sample is analysed only by— (a) a NATA-accredited laboratory accredited for the relevant test method; or (b) a laboratory approved by the regulator in accordance with guidelines published by Safe Work Australia; or (c) a laboratory operated by the regulator. (3) Subregulation (1) does not apply if the person assumes that asbestos is present. 480—Duty to give information about health risks of asbestos‑related work A person conducting a business or undertaking must give the following information to a person likely to be engaged to carry out asbestos‑related work for the business or undertaking before the person is engaged to carry out the work: (a) the health risks and health effects associated with exposure to asbestos; (b) the need for, and details of, health monitoring of a worker carrying out asbestos‑related work. 481—Asbestos-related work to be in separate area A person conducting a business or undertaking that involves the carrying out of asbestos‑related work must ensure that— (a) the asbestos‑related work area is separated from other work areas at the workplace; and (b) signs alerting persons to the presence of asbestos are placed to indicate where the asbestos‑related work is being carried out; and (c) barricades are erected to delineate the asbestos‑related work area. 482—Air monitoring (1) A person conducting a business or undertaking at a workplace must ensure that a competent person carries out air monitoring of the work area where asbestos‑related work is being carried out if there is uncertainty as to whether the exposure standard is likely to be exceeded. (2) If the competent person determines that the exposure standard has been exceeded at any time in a work area, the person conducting the business or undertaking must, so far as is reasonably practicable— (a) determine the workers and other persons who were in the work area during that time; and (b) warn those workers about possible exposure to respirable asbestos fibres; and (c) so far as is reasonably practicable, warn the other persons about possible exposure to respirable asbestos fibres. (3) The person conducting the business or undertaking must ensure that information about exposure to respirable asbestos fibres, including the determination made by the competent person and the results of the air monitoring, is readily accessible to the workers and other persons referred to in subregulation (2). 483—Decontamination facilities (1) A person conducting a business or undertaking for which asbestos‑related work is carried out must ensure that facilities are available to decontaminate the following: (a) the asbestos‑related work area; (b) any plant used in the asbestos‑related work area; (c) workers carrying out the asbestos‑related work. (2) The person must ensure that nothing that is likely to be contaminated with asbestos is removed from the asbestos‑related work area unless the thing— (a) is decontaminated before being removed; or (b) is sealed in a container, and the exterior of the container is— (i) decontaminated; and (ii) labelled in accordance with the GHS to indicate the presence of asbestos, before being removed. 484—Disposing of asbestos waste and contaminated personal protective equipment (1) Subject to subregulation (2), a person conducting a business or undertaking for which asbestos‑related work is carried out must ensure that asbestos waste— (a) is contained and labelled in accordance with the GHS before the waste is removed from an asbestos‑related work area; and (b) is disposed of as soon as practicable at a site authorised to accept asbestos waste. (2) The person must ensure that personal protective equipment used in asbestos‑related work and contaminated with asbestos— (a) is sealed in a container, and that the exterior of the container is decontaminated and labelled in accordance with the GHS to indicate the presence of asbestos before being removed; and (b) so far as is reasonably practicable, is disposed of on the completion of the asbestos‑related work at a site authorised to accept asbestos waste; and (i) in the case of clothing used by an emergency service organisation—is laundered by an organisation that supplies and maintains equipment for emergency service organisations; or (ii) in any other case or if it is not practicable to launder the clothing—is kept in the sealed container until it is re‑used for the purposes of asbestos‑related work; and (i) is decontaminated before it is removed from the asbestos removal area; or (ii) if it is not practicable to decontaminate the equipment in the asbestos removal area, is kept in the sealed container until it is re‑used for the purposes of asbestos‑related work. (3) The person must ensure that a sealed container referred to in subregulation (2) is decontaminated and labelled in accordance with the GHS to indicate the presence of asbestos before being removed from the asbestos‑related work area.