Asbestos consultants from Safe Environments conduct asbestos clearance inspections providing assurance that an area is safe to occupy following asbestos removal. Most buildings in NSW built prior to 1990 will generally contain some asbestos, requiring an asbestos inspection to provide certification where asbestos is located. To determine if asbestos is present in a building material, the consultant takes a sample during the asbestos inspection and then analyses the material in a laboratory. The results of the asbestos inspection are provided within an asbestos register, which includes the location of the asbestos containing material and a risk assessment to assess potential health risks.
In general, asbestos does not pose a significant health risk if maintained in a good condition and left undisturbed. However during demolition or refurbishment asbestos may be required to be removed. In many situations the majority of asbestos is found within fibre cement sheet. When in good condition, asbestos cement sheet is in a bonded form, which means that it can’t be pulverised or crushed by hand to a powder. When removing bonded asbestos building materials, the contractor must have a NSW asbestos license and notify NSW WorkCover 7 days prior to the asbestos removal.
During the removal process an inspection of respirable asbestos fibres in the air (control monitoring) will assist in assessing potential asbestos exposure outside the work area and also provides an indication of the effectiveness of the control measures. At the completion of the asbestos removal an asbestos clearance inspection is undertaken by the asbestos consultant to provide confirmation that all visible traces of the asbestos material have been removed.
An additional asbestos clearance inspection is generally carried out to provide certification that the amount of respirable asbestos fibres in the air is to a safe level. An area is considered to be safe when the asbestos clearance inspection measures the level of airborne asbestos fibres to be less than 0.01 fibres/mL. The results of the asbestos clearance inspection and asbestos air monitoring must be included within the asbestos register to show that the removal has been conducted in a safe manner.
Asbestos Check provides commercial and domestic clients with extensive asbestos inspection services including asbestos identification, testing, inspection and management.
