What is an Asbestos Register?
An asbestos register is a table that sets out the details of where asbestos is located throughout buildings and homes to clearly identify which materials contain asbestos.
What is the Purpose of an Asbestos Register?
The asbestos register is provided so that all occupants in the building understand where asbestos is located and that a risk rating is applied to ensure the reasonable safety of people within the building or home. The risk assessment also serves to prioritise any removal or remediation work that may be required to provide evidence of due diligence in the safe management of asbestos in the building.
The asbestos register within the building and should be updated whenever building work is conducted and be integrated within an asbestos management plan. It also serves as a historical document of how asbestos was controlled within the building or house.
Who is required to Develop and Asbestos Register?
The Model Work Health and Safety laws have been adopted by some states such as NSW and outline that that the requirements are with the ‘Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking’ (PCBU). In essence everyone has a role to play to ensure that the asbestos register requirements are met. The asbestos register is required to be developed by a competent person, which is not defined clearly and open to interpretation.
Look for the orange NATA symbol to ensure that your asbestos register is compliant.
Asbestos Check recommends the company engaged to create the asbestos register be accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) to ensure that the quality is assured. The accreditation ensures that the company has qualified and technical competent asbestos consultants or asbestos assessors and that the Asbestos Register complies with the requirements of the state workplace health and safety laws.
Call Asbestos Check Today to Develop your Asbestos Register
The first step in creating the register is to undertake an inspection or survey of the building to first locate and identify suspected building components and materials. Sampling may be conducted to analyse and confirm the presence of asbestos in the material.
Our risk assessment is based on the UK Health and Safety Guidance material. Our requirements are greater than most in providing a risk assessment. When obtaining quote, ask the risk assessment method and ensure that it is validated by NATA or the HSE. If the HSE method is not used, then the risk assessment may be questionable.
Does your asbestos register have a site plan?
Too often than not, asbestos registers can be difficult to read and locate the material your searching for. This is due to obscure descriptions of the room that the material is located. The rooms can change over time so simply ‘managers office’ can change from time to time and raises the question which room is it really in? Also some descriptions such as the north west corner of the south end of the room on the left hand side is completely obscure. That’s why with all Asbestos Check registers we provide a site sketch so you know which room is where and whether there is asbestos present or not.
Its time to update your asbestos register, at least annually!
When was the last time your house or building was updated? You cannot just check a box and think that the risk of asbestos exposure is controlled until it is completely removed from the building. This is near on impossible in some cases and a management plan is required to ensure the risk of exposure is limited. Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) can change and deteriorate over time which may increase the risk of exposure. It is recommended that a re-inspection of the building or house be conducted on an annual basis to assess the potential changes that may have occurred. Wherever there is a change to the condition of the material a new risk assessment should reflect this change to then determine what actions may be required to reduce the risk to as low as reasonably practicable. Remember that asbestos is a carcinogen and the health effects of exposure should not be taken lightly. When asbestos is removed, the register should be updated.
Be absolutely assured. Safe Environments is NATA accredited for asbestos Inspections and preparing asbestos management plans.
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