Asbestos

Asbestos health risks

Asbestos can be hazardous in any form, however it is most hazardous where there is the opportunity for airborne particles to spread into the atmosphere. Even where the exposure risk is low, care must be taken to ensure that those exposed are made aware of the existence of the asbestos and educated in safe working practices. Practices should ensure that all staff, particularly those visiting project sites are aware of the risks of asbestos and where they are most commonly found.

Inhalation of asbestos fibres can cause serious health problems. It has been established that exposure to asbestos may cause three specific diseases - asbestosis (a fibrous scarring of the lungs), lung cancer and mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity).

Asbestosis and mesothelioma are asbestos specific diseases (ie these diseases occur only from inhalation of asbestos fibres). The symptoms of these diseases do not become apparent immediately after inhalation of asbestos fibres. Indeed, it may be 20 years or more before a disease manifests itself or before any symptoms appear.

In general, the more asbestos fibre a person inhales the greater the risk of developing an asbestos disease. However, as with most other carcinogens (cancer-causing substances), there is no known safe exposure threshold below which no disease occurs. This makes it difficult to assess the magnitude of cancer risk for building occupants, tenants and maintenance workers or other workers who may be exposed to low levels of asbestos during the course of their work.

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Regulations

Each state and territory has its own individual regulations covering the use, management and removal of materials containing asbestos. These regulations vary and care should be taken to ensure that all regulations are considered when dealing with the management of asbestos risks.

In addition to state and territory regulations, Safe Work Australia, publishes guidance material relating to model regulations, exposure standards and codes of practice. While these are national publications and set the standard for the states and territories, they do not carry legislative force.

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Management and control

When asbestos products are present (or thought to be present in a building or other structure), a comprehensive management-and-control program should be developed and implemented to ensure that no one is unnecessarily exposed to asbestos to an extent likely to cause damage to their health. The asbestos management-and-control program should incorporate the requirements of the relevant regulations of the responsible occupational health and safety commission department in each state and territory.

It is the responsibility of the building owner to develop and maintain an asbestos register, identifying the extent and nature of asbestos-containing material (ACM). An essential principle of risk management is that the party most able to control the risk should be responsible for its management. In most cases this is generally the building owner. Owners of buildings have a duty to:

• develop an asbestos-management plan
• investigate their premises for presence of ACM
• develop a register of identified or presumed ACM
• remove or minimise the risk of ACM
• implement control measures

The building owner should provide the asbestos register to all contractors and consultants at the earliest possible time.

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Asbestos identification and testing

The building owner should ensure an inspection is carried out by a licensed contractor to identify and remove asbestos-containing material for sampling, to establish all asbestos occurrences. It is important that analysis is carried out by an analyst accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) to ensure unequivocal identification. False results are possible if analysis is not carried out using appropriate methods. This could lead to unnecessary or expensive abatement actions or to future legal action as a result of not detecting asbestos.

Note: site testing may be a prudent course of action even where an asbestos register has been maintained by the client or building owner. Past removal works or minor maintenance works may have altered the location and spread of asbestos. Specific testing will provide reliable and up-to-date information.

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Risk evaluation

The presence of asbestos in a building or other structure will not necessarily mean that a significant risk exists. Undisturbed asbestos-containing materials in good condition may not pose a health risk. However, it is essential that risk be assessed by a licensed professional as it will serve as the basis for establishing effective management controls and abatement actions.

Risk is the probability of harm occurring as a result of the presence of asbestos and depends on a number of factors such as degree of hazard and exposure.

Assessment of risk requires consideration of the overall condition and composition of the material (ie location, stability, accessibility and other indicators) and an assessment of exposure or potential for exposure to airborne asbestos. Most or all of these factors may be evaluated during inspection and identification. Exposure evaluation may consider past or current exposures as well as anticipated future exposures.

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Asbestos management plan

Once asbestos risks have been identified, they must be logged on a register and made available to all parties concerned, so that there is adequate awareness of asbestos occurrences and the need to avoid exposure. It is the building owner's responsibility to ensure that all works, including routine maintenance is undertaken only after reference to this register.

The next step is to develop control strategies and produce a suitable management/control plan to ensure that all practicable procedures are adopted in order to control risk. Some of the procedures featured in the plan may include:

• removal and substitution, enclosure or encapsulation
• engineering controls
• safe working procedures, safety plans and labelling
• personal protective equipment
• cleaning, decontamination and waste disposal
• personnel education and induction of new employees
• air monitoring
• health testing where exposure may have occurred.

Selection of the most appropriate method of control for asbestos will be based largely on risk, costs and feasibility considerations.

Lines of responsibility and authority must be clearly defined in the management-and-control plan. Where asbestos is to remain in a building or structure, its presence must be clearly labelled.

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Providing architectural services

As most professional-indemnity insurance policies exclude any matters relating to asbestos, architects have two options when considering accepting commissions involving the identification, documentation, removal and replacement of asbestos-containing materials.

They can either:

• Accept the risk and the commission but clearly advise their client of this exclusion and minimise this risk by using a specialist consultant or contractor who is expert in the investigation, analysis and identification of asbestos-containing materials and ensure that contract documents for the removal of the asbestos are in accordance with the various codes, guide notes and regulations of the national, state and territory authorities. Testing should be undertaken throughout the subject area of the site to determine the precise nature of the contamination.
• Advise their client that the client should manage the investigation, analysis and identification of asbestos-containing materials for the safe removal of it from the site of the proposed works.

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Asbestos-containing materials

Asbestos-containing materials been used extensively in many different building materials. Asbestos was banned in Australia on 31 Dec 2003. However, a number of products manufactured and installed prior to this date are known to contain asbestos.

Resources are available to help identify likely locations and materials which contain asbestos. You should refer to the relevant Work Safe information and guides in your jurisdiction. Refer Acumen note Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) for the Safe Work authority in your state or territory. The following resources provide guidance as well as specific detail related to various building types or conditions and a comprehensive register of asbestos-containing materials.

• Asbestos Awareness.com.au
• Asbestos Database A-Z
• Asbestos Products Database
• Australian Government Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency

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Conclusion

Asbestos is a risk that is very difficult to insure. The risk therefore belongs with the principal, who may have built or purchased the site containing asbestos.

If architects are prepared to take on superintendent responsibilities that involve asbestos they are advised to perform those duties with abundant care and to keep comprehensive records of their performance, since they will need to defend any claims relating to these duties uninsured.

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Further resources

Work Health & Safety Policies and Procedures Manual located on the Institute's HR Hub, covers relevant areas in responsiveness to and prevention of potentially hazardous exposure, including a Hazardous Substances Policy, Incident Notification Policy, Hazardous Substances Register and Incident Reporting Flow-Chart.