Asbestos is most dangerous when inhaled – make sure the air in your home, office or work-site is safe to breathe with Asbestos Air Monitoring.
Asbestos air monitoring involves conducting tests to assess respirable fibres and the effectiveness of asbestos removal control measures. SERS offers asbestos air monitoring services conducted by suitably qualified, experienced, licensed Asbestos Assessors.
A SERS assessor will visit the site for asbestos air monitoring tests and ensure the sampling is conducted with all mitigating factors and health considerations taken into account to ensure sampling accuracy.
Further asbestos analysis is then performed at our own laboratory facilities which are NATA accredited for respirable fibre monitoring and asbestos identification. These tests must be undertaken in accordance with regulations set out by Safe Work Australia and the relevant state legislative body.
Contact SERS today to arrange asbestos air monitoring for your property.
What Are the Monitoring Requirements?
Asbestos air monitoring is mandatory for friable asbestos removals. The testing must be conducted in accordance with the Guidance Note on the Membrane Filter Method for Estimating Airborne Asbestos Fibres established by Safe Work Australia.
Asbestos air monitoring must also be:
- Conducted immediately before removal work is carried out;
- Undertaken during asbestos removals to assess safety;
- Carried out after the removal has been completed.
Asbestos air monitoring is not required for non-friable asbestos but is strongly advised and considered a good occupational hygiene practice. The purpose of the tests is to provide a quantitative analysis of risks involved and to assess whether an area is safe to occupy following a removal.
Who Conducts the Asbestos Air Monitoring?
An independent licensed asbestos assessor must perform all asbestos air monitoring. The individual must hold the necessary qualifications and be able to implement a suitable sampling strategy for the testing.
For commercial premises, the individual commissioning the removal process must arrange for an assessor to determine the asbestos air monitoring. For domestic premises, the individual performing the removal work is responsible for nominating a specialist to conduct the air monitoring.
The SERS team of personnel is quality assured through an internal quality control program and participation in the National Asbestos Program (NAP) provided by Proficiency Testing Australia. All services are conducted according to current regulations in place for asbestos monitoring. Our professionals are:
- Experienced with asbestos removals and asbestos air monitoring;
- Competent with handling monitoring equipment;
- Able to create appropriate sampling strategies;
- Capable of conducting detailed assessments of the premises.
Monitoring Methods
Exposure Monitoring
This process involves taking regular samples of the breathing zone to assess the risk of exposure to respirable asbestos fibres. The data gathered from this type of monitoring is then compared with the national exposure standard.
Control Monitoring
This method is used to assess the effectiveness of control measures while removals are underway. Positional air monitors are placed at a fixed location to test the air for respirable airborne asbestos fibres.
Background Monitoring
This process involves conducting tests for respirable fibres in the air prior to the commencement of any work which may disturb materials containing asbestos.
Clearance Monitoring
These tests are carried out after the completion of asbestos removals. An area is only deemed safe if the level of airborne fibres present are measured below 0.01 fibres/mL. Areas will need to be restricted if they fail to meet these standards.
Compliance
Samples obtained through air monitoring should be analysed by NATA laboratories.
Our in-house laboratory is ISO/IEC 17025:2005 compliant and NATA accredited to conduct such tests which include asbestos fibre counting and air volume measurement. Our team includes several Class A Asbestos Assessors as defined by federal Codes of Practice (Safe Work Australia).
Our range of equipment which includes hundreds of mobile pumps gives us the capability to analyse 12,000 fibre samples a year. All samples go through an extensive testing process with results then reported back to clients across metropolitan and remote regions.
All asbestos work completed complies with the relevant codes of practice including:
- How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice (Safe Work Australia July 2020)
- How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice (Safe Work Australia July 2020)
SERS offers complete air monitoring services for asbestos. Contact us today on 1300 542 315 to speak to one of our specialists for more details.