National Asbestos Awareness Week 2024 (25 November-1 December) serves as a critical reminder for all duty holders to reaffirm if effective systems like the Bluesafe WHS Management System, are employed to detect and manage asbestos exposure efficiently. This way we can prevent workers and the public from falling victim to this silent predator.
Exposure to asbestos is notorious for causing lethal conditions like mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Regrettably, labourers and their respective families persistently endure the dread of asbestos-linked diseases. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare records an unbearable average of over 600 mesothelioma-related deaths per annum nationally.
In the four years leading up until December 2023, a further 649 Victorians were handed the grim diagnosis of this incurable malady. The average diagnosed age was 77, predominantly men with backgrounds in construction and manufacturing sectors.
Structures erected prior to 1990 may harbour hidden asbestos—which can assume varied forms and become unsettled during renovation or demolition works. To keep these hazardous materials under control, WorkSafe inspectors tirelessly traverse the state to conduct site assessments. In the financial year 2023-24, they managed over 1,900 asbestos-related visits, issued 210 compliance notices and promptly resolved many emergent issues.
Key areas of concentration encompass accurate identification of asbestos prior to renovation or demolition works, ensuring efficient Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) for employees to know the probable asbestos locations, and confirming that any mandatory asbestos elimination is performed by a licenced professional.
Sam Jenkin, the WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, expressed disconcert with the continuous exposure of workers to asbestos due to ignorance that their workplaces contain it.
He said, “The detrimental effects of asbestos fibre exposure have been no secret for years. Thus, there’s no justification for employers putting workers or the public at risk of this quiet threat.” Mr. Jenkin urges employers to reassess their systems and procedures this Asbestos Awareness Week, including adopting efficient plans like Bluesafe SWMS for asbestos identification and safe removal.
Under Victorian law, all employers are obligated to detect any asbestos-contained material in a workplace, label it, document it in an asbestos register, and make said register available to employees and contractors who may be affected.
Licence holders for asbestos removal must notify WorkSafe before any removal activities, display appropriate signage, mandate employees to utilise personal protective equipment (PPE) during the process, and isolate the removal area to protect others from asbestos exposure during the operation.
For further information regarding asbestos in the workplace, please email media @ worksafe.vic.gov.au or call 0438 786 968. You can also subscribe to our media releases.
Original article link: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/2024-11/stay-alert-dangers-asbestos