New asbestos checklist for tradies

As part of National Asbestos Awareness month (which ends today) tradies are invited to remain vigilant when working on projects which may contain asbestos materials. To help identify potential hazards, you can download the 'Residential checklist for tradies — a tradesperson's guide to asbestos-containing materials in domestic properties' PDF file from the Asbestos Awareness website.

The checklist includes product images and lists each possible location where asbestos-containing materials might be found both inside and outside homes, with simple step-by-step instructions to ensure safe management.

While the risks to home owners when doing maintenance or renovations is concerning, tradies are at greater risk because they can come into contact with asbestos in their everyday work, increasing the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres if they don’t manage it safely.

Peter Dunphy, founding chair of the Asbestos Education Committee, said, "Tradespersons are particularly at risk because all too often they've come from a culture where asbestos risks have been ignored.

"While tradies may have worked with asbestos in the past and ignored the warnings, they need to be aware that the more a person is exposed to fibres, the greater the risk of developing asbestos-related diseases, so it's vital that they conduct visual inspections of properties to look for the potential dangers to ensure they're managed safely.

"The guide will increase tradies' understanding of the various products they need to be wary of when working on residential properties and ensure they engage suitably qualified professionals to conduct asbestos-related work or remove asbestos-containing materials safely," Dunphy said.

The checklist provides instructions on how to conduct a visual inspection only, after which users are encouraged to have an inspection conducted by a licensed asbestos assessor if they suspect asbestos-containing materials may be in need of repair or removal.

Click here and scroll down to the 'Tradies' section to download the guide, as well as other helpful resources.