Thread: Asbestos removal

I suspect your right Mario.
Theres a reason all the safety aspects were implemented. It's interesting that they are just loading it in the back of a truck,, a tipper maybe(?). As far as I'm aware from a mate that was close to this kind of work, was it had to be placed gently in drums and then sealed.
A lot of the 200Lt drums we discard at work end up with these guys.
It'd be interesting to see what the authorities would have to say about it,, I believe it's quite a hefty fine if the rules are not followed to the letter. I think this is one of the reasons you have to be licenced to do this work,, otherwise every man and his dog would be doing it privately, and we'd end up with a heap of very sick puppies.

Take some happy snaps and or video and inform the EPA
It is not just them that are at risk but all in the area

I forgot too,, I think if their working on the outside of a house, they may actually have to cover the entire house. Rules may have been relaxed, but I don't think so.
Because this is such a big expensive job, my step daughter bought a newer house with no asbestos in it, as opposed to buying her Grandads old place.

Originally Posted by Chops

I suspect your right Mario.
Theres a reason all the safety aspects were implemented. It's interesting that they are just loading it in the back of a truck,, a tipper maybe(?). As far as I'm aware from a mate that was close to this kind of work, was it had to be placed gently in drums and then sealed.
A lot of the 200Lt drums we discard at work end up with these guys.
It'd be interesting to see what the authorities would have to say about it,, I believe it's quite a hefty fine if the rules are not followed to the letter. I think this is one of the reasons you have to be licenced to do this work,, otherwise every man and his dog would be doing it privately, and we'd end up with a heap of very sick puppies.

Chops I think fibrous asbestos must be put into drums, but sheets go into a tipper lined in plastic.

The Rosebud tip will take small quanties of DYI home owners, but not commercial quantities.
They say the Asbestos must be wrapped in H/D plastic sheet and sealed, and labled asbestos, it must also be small enough for some one to be able to handle it. From what I read on the Vic g
asbestos.vic.gov.au
Licensed asbestos removalists

Unlicensed removal of asbestos can be legally carried out by homeowners, however, some jobs are best left to the experts. If you are considering a renovation or demolition that involves disturbing large amounts of asbestos cement materials, removing friable asbestos products, or demolition of all or part of your property, you are strongly advised to engage a licensed asbestos removalist who knows how to manage this work safely, and without risk to you or your neighbours.

Generally, asbestos removal is required to be carried out by a removalist licensed by WorkSafe, or trained employees of a licence-holder. The licence-holder is usually required to notify WorkSafe in advance before any asbestos removal work is carried out.
There are two types of licenses for asbestos removalists:
Class B licence-holders are only permitted to remove non-friable asbestos and must comply with a number of requirements, including:

• appointing a nominated supervisor to oversee the removal work
• developing a control plan before the job
• informing employers in the immediate and adjacent areas of proposed domestic removal work
• using specific methods for removal, waste containment and waste disposal
• using signs and barricades
• providing decontamination facilities
• providing their employees with information, training, personal protective clothing and equipment, and medical examinations

Only Class A licence-holders are permitted to remove friable asbestos. Class A licence-holders must comply with the same requirements outlined above for Class B licence holders, but must also implement a range of specific measures to carry out the work safely and control the risk, including using enclosures and always having the nominated supervisor on site.
You can use WorkSafe's Service Providers Directory to find a licensed asbestos removalist

Originally Posted by rangieman

Take some happy snaps and or video and inform the EPA
It is not just them that are at risk but all in the area

Chris, My private investigator days ended over 30 years ago. Anyway it's almost all done now.

Cheers Mario

Did they keep it wet or spray bondcrete before removal?
And you get what you pay for!! Recently had my bath room done and the price difference between reputable and the guy down the road were remarkable!! I payed to have it done correctly as I didn't want the kids or the wife getting asbestosis!!
They even vacuumed the internal walls after removal and also seal with bondcrete!

Not trying to any way lessen he dangers of asbestos. But Fibro sheet used to be 10% asbestos and 90% cement. So not a lot of asbestos in any sheet. So due care taken and proper procedures the risks are fairly low. At a place I worked they where ripping up old but still serviceable lino tiles that contained 1% asbestos.
Cheers Hall

We're soon to have the entire roof replaced on my young bloke's house here in Kalgoorlie. It is currently fibro / asbestos sheet lined, with ridge capping in the same material. Some of the ridge capping was blown off in a recent storm, and you cannot purchase replacement in the same or similar materials - so the entire roof has to be replaced.

Currently waiting on advice from his insurers as two builders have quoted to replace roof. But - before we got insurance company / builders involved, we priced up doing the job ourselves as it is a pretty straight forward roof and could easily be sheeted in iron in a single day. We obtained a quote from the recommended "demolition" people in Kalgoorlie who are licenced to remove asbestos (about $3K to remove the entire roof and take it to the tip). They told us that everything had to be removed and placed into heavy duty plastic bags, sealed and labelled, and then delivered to the tip.

His house / property has been hit hard by three severe storms in the past few weeks. The first one was strong wind only, and was when the roof was damaged. The two subsequent storms resulted in flooding of his yard and sheds - luckily only a very small amount of water got into the house through the damaged section of the roof (even though we have a pretty good temporary patch on it). The last of the three storms saw his back fence and gate blown out into the laneway behind his property - we had to pull what was left of the fence down and re-build it in the following couple of days. This same storm flooded his back shed - where his Mazda RX7 was locked up. The Mazda is currently at one of the local panel beaters where it has been assessed, and has now been declared a write-off by the insurance company. To say that he and his neighbours are not happy with the local council's **** poor attempt at street drainage us an understatement.