Asbestos is a dangerous unknown for many building owners. The building material called “asbestos” was commonly used during the construction of many Perth buildings in the past for heat-resistant properties. The tiny fibers of this material are easily inhaled and can cling to lung tissue and cause health problems such as mesothelioma. An Asbestos Management Plan can help you get started in identifying and removing these dangerous fibres and ensure your site is up to code.
How Can I Tell if My Building has Asbestos?
While the material is now banned in new construction, asbestos is often found in older buildings. It’s hard to tell if your building contains asbestos, but there are a few signs to look out for.
- Older buildings (constructed before 1990) are more likely to have asbestos than new ones.
- Flat roofs may contain a type of asbestos.
- Nine by nine-inch tiles are likely to contain asbestos.
- Many buildings that are advertised as “fireproof” probably contain asbestos.
More information about these common signs can be found in the post “Five Signs Your Home May Contain Asbestos in Perth.”
What to do if I find asbestos in my home?
If your building fits these criteria, it’s probably a good idea to have your property checked out. At SERS, we pride ourselves in our no-hassle asbestos removal service. Our dedicated, highly qualified team will work with your schedule to sample, test, and remove any asbestos from your building.
As a building owner, it’s important that you work with the removal crew to design an asbestos management plan.
What is an Asbestos Management Plan?
An asbestos management plan is a detailed plan of action designed to prevent the spread of airborne asbestos fibres during removal. These fibres are incredibly small, so containing them fully is nearly impossible.
The asbestos management plan will help clearly explain the responsibilities of those in control of the removal process. This is also an important document for alerting all employees to the potential asbestos hazard. While complete asbestos removal is always the goal, it is not always attainable.
The first step in setting up your asbestos management plan is contacting an asbestos consultant with experience in removal. This asbestos consultant will be able to give you a better understanding of the removal process and help start drafting the management plan.
An asbestos survey will confirm the presence and spread of asbestos in your property through a collection process called asbestos sampling. It’s also an important step in assessing the risk of the situation. Potential samples will be sent to a laboratory accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) for study. If the samples are confirmed as asbestos, a strategy for removal will be added to your asbestos management plan.
This asbestos management plan is intended to reduce all asbestos-related risks. As such, the area may be restricted to prevent anyone but the properly protected removal crew from the hazard.
Post-Removal Management
One of the most important parts of your asbestos management plan happens after the removal. Periodic asbestos surveys are crucial to ensure the levels of asbestos in the environment have not risen. Reviews are often conducted yearly, or whenever there is a significant disturbance to the building, and can include asbestos sampling, asbestos testing, asbestos analysis and asbestos air monitoring.
These reviews are crucial to ensure that your property remains a safe environment. These surveys will be outlined in your asbestos management plan to ensure that the risk of exposure is minimized.
Where Do I Start my Asbestos Management Plan?
If you’re worried your building may contain asbestos, contact SERS expert asbestos consultants. At SERS, we employ only the best asbestos consultants to ensure that we remove as much asbestos as possible from your property. Our in-house NATA lab offers quicker turnaround time and removed costs to our clients.
With asbestos removal, asbestos sampling, and asbestos monitoring services, SERS is the greatest partner for full asbestos management plans in Australia.