Step 1: Planning Planning starts by finding out where asbestos is on your property. Have a licensed asbestos assessor inspect your property and give you a report. Asbestos can only be confirmed by testing samples at a NATA-accredited lab. Once you know where asbestos is in your property, you can plan for renovation or maintenance. You may be able to leave asbestos undisturbed or cover it safely. We strongly recommend using a licensed asbestos removalist to remove asbestos.
If you choose to remove asbestos on your own property, take steps to keep everyone safe.
This includes:
sealing off the work area from the rest of the building – using plastic drop sheets with a thickness of 200 microns
having enough asbestos-safe PPE for everyone on site
limiting how many people are on site during removal work
communicating with neighbours about the removal
setting up a decontamination area to avoid spreading asbestos fibres
having the right materials ready to wrap and label asbestos waste planning for disposal.
SafeWork NSW have produced a series of videos to help professionals when working with asbestos. We recommend anyone planning to have asbestos removed watch this.
Step 2: Personal protective equipment (PPE) PPE is protective gear that creates a physical barrier between you and dangerous asbestos fibres. Wearing PPE stops you breathing in fibres and protects your clothes from contamination. Follow the recommended standards for asbestos PPE. A standard dust mask will not protect you from asbestos fibres. Always wear a P2 rated face mask available from hardware stores.
It’s important to put on PPE in the right order and wear it correctly, or you risk exposure to dangerous asbestos fibres. The long-term effects of asbestos exposure are not worth the risk.
To protect your health, it’s important to wear PPE in the following order:
Disposable coveralls. These should include a hood and elasticised cuffs. Choose the next size up to reduce the risk of tearing.
Shoes. Don’t wear shoes with laces as they are hard to decontaminate. Gumboots are safer as they can be wiped down.
Disposable shoe covers. These should be secure and cover the entire shoe. The soles must be non-slip.
Disposable gloves. Tuck gloves under the elasticised cuffs. If the cuffs are loose, tape them down to create a seal.
Face mask. Don’t use a standard dust mask. Always use a P2 rated particulate face mask. It should fit well and cover half your face. You must be clean shaven for the mask to seal properly.
Protective eyewear. Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from dust.
You will also need:
200 micron thick plastic drop sheets
duct tape
wet wipes or disposable cloths
bucket of water
water sprayer (hose or bottle with misting attachment)
non-electrical tools
200 micron thick asbestos waste plastic bags
signs
barriers to exclude others from the area
bin or designated waste storage area.
Do not reuse disposable items - treat them as asbestos waste. Clean and decontaminate shoes, mask, eyewear, and decontaminate the area you’ve been working in.
Disposing of PPE and asbestos waste After working with asbestos, your disposable PPE is contaminated and becomes asbestos waste. After finishing the work, you need to remove your PPE carefully and in the right order. You can safely dispose of your PPE and asbestos waste at a landfill licensed to accept asbestos in NSW.
(Reference: https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/removal.../how-to-safely- remove-asbestos/personal-protective-equipment-ppe).
Step 3: Decontamination after asbestos removal After asbestos removal, the work area must be decontaminated to remove all asbestos fibres and protect everyone’s health. It is important to minimise dust and stop that dust from spreading in the air. Before decontaminating the asbestos removal work area.
Prepare:
wet wipes or rags
plastic or plastic waste bags at least 200 microns thick duct tape. You can find 200 micron thick plastic where you get your PPE.
a pen to clearly label the asbestos waste bags before you start the decontamination. The label should read: DANGER: ASBESTOS WASTE.
Remove dust in the work area
Use a wet wipe or rag to clean any dust or debris on the drop sheet.
Fold rags to use a clean surface, but don’t scrunch them.
Use a new wet wipe or rag to remove dust from your disposable coveralls and any other PPE and tools used during removal.
Don’t rinse rags and re-use them. Once they have been used, throw them away.
Remove the drop sheets
Wrap plastic drop sheets by folding each sheet in on itself so no asbestos is on the outside.
Wrap the wet wipes or rags used for the first part of the decontamination in the drop sheet.
Seal the wrapped plastic sheets with duct tape and put into a labelled asbestos waste bag.
Remove your PPE
Keep your face mask on while you remove the rest of your PPE.
Remove coveralls by rolling inside out from the top down. Put your coveralls in a labelled asbestos waste bag or plastic drop sheet.
Remove your shoe covers and clean your gumboots with a wet wipe. Place shoe covers and wet wipes in the waste bag.
Remove your face mask and put it in the waste bag.
Use a wet wipe or wet rag to wipe down the outside of the asbestos waste bags (or drop sheets). Put the wet wipes you used inside the bag.
Seal the waste bag or drop sheets securely with duct tape and label any waste as DANGER: ASBESTOS WASTE.
Wash your hands, nails and face thoroughly with soapy water.
Used PPE is contaminated asbestos waste. You must take asbestos waste to a licensed landfill. Check before you go that they can accept the asbestos waste.
(Reference: https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/removal.../how-to-safely- remove-asbestos/decontamination-after-asbestos-removal).
Step 4: Disposal of asbestos waste You can only dispose of asbestos waste at a landfill that’s licensed to accept it. Contact your nearest landfill site to confirm they accept asbestos and ask about disposal processes.
Using a licensed landfill keeps asbestos in a well-managed space and away from the community.
The cost of asbestos disposal varies between licensed disposal facilities. If you choose to remove small sections of asbestos yourself, you are responsible for disposal costs.
WasteLocate uses GPS to track asbestos from pickup to disposal.
If you are removing and transporting more than 100kg or 10m2 of asbestos waste, you must use Waste Locate. This includes unlicensed asbestos removal and licensed asbestos removalists.
If you own the property where the asbestos waste came from, you are responsible for how the waste is disposed of, even if a licensed removalist or tradesperson is doing the job for you. Ask your removalist for a Waste Locate consignment number and use the tracker to check on the disposal.
Always phone ahead to the licensed landfill before you start asbestos removal. They can confirm if they can accept your asbestos waste and contaminated PPE.
It is illegal to:
dump asbestos waste — it must go to a landfill licensed to accept it
put asbestos in your kerbside bin
put asbestos in an uncovered skip bin or skip bin not approved to hold asbestos
reuse or recycle asbestos such as using it for building or fencing.
If you think you’ve spotted illegally dumped asbestos, don’t touch it. Report the asbestos to your local council or the NSW EPA Environment line on 131 555.
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