Asbestos deaths set to rise

Master Electricians Australia

Wednesday, 27 February, 2013

According to a release from Master Electricans Australia, prior to the mid-1980s Australia was one of the highest users of asbestos in the world. Today, Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos-related disease in the world.

With the extended period between exposure to asbestos and the onset of the disease, it’s not surprising that asbestos-related illness is still projected to rise.

Asbestos Audits International, an asbestos auditing and management company, has seen the demand for their service increase significantly due to the rise in Australian deaths.

Managing Director Donald Pitt says the risk to electricians is steadily growing due to the home renovation trend and increase in modern lighting products requiring the cutting and drilling of asbestos materials.

“The latest statistics available identifies electricians as having the third-highest death rate from asbestos behind carpenters and fitters.

“Most electricians will only think of ‘asbestos cement sheeting’ as being very hard.

However, there are different types of sheeting and these vary in density between the materials and the age of the material,” Pitt said.

Common places electricians could come across asbestos include:

Backing boards to electrical meter boards
Asbestos insulation blankets inside electrical fuses
Asbestos-cement sheeting
Asbestos-containing plaster
Asbestos floor penetration material around electrical wiring
Asbestos mastic
Asbestos-containing paint
Ceiling-coating material (vermiculite).

In response to an extensive report on asbestos, in September 2012 the government announced the establishment of the Office of Asbestos Safety.

The Office will primarily work with state, territory and local governments to develop a national strategic plan in dealing with asbestos. The plan is due for completion by June this year.

The Office will also undertake a number of research projects such as a cost benefit analysis of prioritised removal of in-situ asbestos, a study into the current and future capacity of infrastructure dealing with asbestos waste, and community awareness of and attitudes to asbestos.