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.
SafeWork NSW recently released a series of videos to keep tradies and anyone doing DIY home renovations safe when managing asbestos. This video explains how to set up an area for safe asbestos removal.
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.
Licensed asbestos assessors and removalists must have a plan in line with the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice.
