Page 3940 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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Giving workers the knowledge to identify asbestos-containing material is a vital first step in increasing asbestos safety in the territory. I am aware that over 14,500 people have attended this training course to date. It is also important to note that this training course is not just for tradespeople. Other occupations which are required to undertake the course include pest control inspectors, architects, commercial cleaners, locksmiths, telecommunications technicians, and even interior decorators. In fact I would encourage anyone considering DIY jobs around their home to take this course to learn what asbestos looks like and where you are likely to find it in your home.
To further facilitate public education about this asbestos reform package, WorkSafe ACT and the Office of Regulatory Services are working on fact sheets to assist tradespeople and home owners in understanding their duties. I anticipate these will be finalised shortly and publicised widely.
Following on from education, it is important to have a competent and committed safety regulator to oversee and enforce the legislation passed by the Assembly. I am confident that WorkSafe ACT has the skill and expertise in this important area of regulation.
In adopting the national model asbestos regulations, WorkSafe ACT will now be notified five days prior to asbestos removal activities taking place. This new notification provision will allow the safety regulator to be increasingly proactive in its oversight of asbestos removal through early engagement in the process. WorkSafe ACT will also be responsible for enforcing the government’s decision to no longer allow the removal of up to 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos or asbestos contaminated dust without an asbestos removal licence.
From 1 January 2015 all asbestos-related work, including assessment, identification and removal, must be undertaken by an appropriately qualified asbestos removalist or assessor. This will also apply outside workplace settings—for example, do-it-yourself home renovators.
This is because the government acknowledges the importance of licensed asbestos professionals in the safe removal of asbestos throughout the territory. We have also retained the requirement for risk assessments to be undertaken and reviewed by a licensed asbestos assessor. This is a provision currently captured in the dangerous substances legislation but not provided for in the national model regulations.
The government has also maintained the highest possible standards for asbestos identification by specifying that this work must be undertaken by a licensed asbestos assessor, not merely by a “competent person” as defined in the model regulations.
In considering the implications of the bill, members should understand that protecting our community today will reduce the health impacts of asbestos in years to come. The federal government publication Asbestos: a guide for householders and the general public states that “there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos fibres”. Our focus must therefore be on preventing this exposure, as this is the only true means of preventing asbestos-related diseases.
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