Asbestos Awareness Week targets dangers of high-pressure cleaning

Using high-pressure water hoses on these asbestos cement surfaces is illegal in Queensland. Breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 can result in substantial fines and clean-up costs. In the preceding 12 months, the Office of Work Health and Safety Prosecutor brought ten prosecutions involving asbestos-containing materials, many concerning improper high-pressure cleaning of asbestos roofs.

Office of Industrial Relations Deputy Director General Donna Heelan said asbestos was commonly used in construction materials from the 1940s to the late 1980s and posed no threat when undisturbed and in good condition. She warned that improper cleaning, handling or disposal could release dangerous fibres into the air, creating serious health risks, and that adequate precautions were needed before disturbing asbestos.

Heelan said Workplace Health and Safety Queensland conducted 182 asbestos audits during a statewide compliance campaign from 1 August to 31 October 2024. The campaign covered businesses operating in buildings constructed before 1990 and those likely to contain asbestos. Audits examined compliance with requirements for asbestos registers and management plans.

Inspectors identified 23 non-compliance issues that were rectified while they were onsite, and WHSQ also issued 151 improvement notices. The audit formed part of the National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management 2019–2023 and the Statewide Strategic Plan for the Safe Management of Asbestos in Queensland 2022–2025. Both plans aim to eliminate asbestos-related disease by preventing exposure to asbestos fibres.

Held each November, Asbestos Awareness Week seeks to raise awareness of the risks of working with asbestos-containing materials. It also aims to change attitudes and behaviour towards work health and safety when Queenslanders undertake home renovations.

WHSQ is offering a free livestreamed webinar for homeowners, renovators and trades professionals on Thursday, 28 November at 10am AEST. Topics include identifying asbestos-containing materials in homes built before 1990, safe removal practices and the dangers of high-pressure water blasting. Case studies will examine what can go wrong, including fines for illegal asbestos removal.

Registration and further information are available through the Queensland Government Asbestos website. A recording will also be available there for people who cannot attend or want to watch the session again.

Other available resources include Losing Breath – The Adam Sager Story, a film created by Queensland Safety Advocates Julie and Don Sager about their son, who died from mesothelioma after childhood asbestos exposure. Practical guidance is also available for asbestos workers and removalists, trades and contractors, licensed asbestos assessors, homeowners and renovators, commercial building owners, body corporates and tenants, volunteers and local government.

How Blue Safe can help: Our WHS platform can help you organise registers, inspections and follow-up actions in one place, supporting ongoing management of workplace asbestos risks. See Blue Safe WHS software