Asbestos is a dangerous material that can pose a health risk when disturbed. Microscopic asbestos fibres can be inhaled and lodged in the lungs, potentially causing a range of incurable diseases such as mesothelioma.
Any suspected asbestos materials must be cleared through testing at a NATA-approved lab. It is crucial to have a professional asbestos inspection before any renovations take place or a property purchase. For the safest asbestos testing Adelaide, click here.
Asbestos Testing
If your home was built before 1990, there is a good chance it will contain some form of asbestos. The only way to know if materials in your home or workplace have asbestos is through professional testing and analysis.
Our expert asbestos testers are NATA-accredited and operate under strict quality controls. They will safely extract samples from the suspected material and send them to a laboratory for further testing. It allows them to accurately identify the type of fibres in the sample and prepare an asbestos management plan that suits your needs.
The first step involves examining the fibres under a microscope to determine whether they are organic, synthetic mineral fibre or asbestos. Next, they are mounted on a slide using oils of different refractive indexes and viewed under polarised light to determine the type of asbestos. This process can distinguish between Chrysotile, Amosite and Crocidolite. All of these fibres are incredibly dangerous when inhaled and can cause lung diseases, such as pleural thickening.
Asbestos Removal
Unless specifically indicated as non-asbestos, all suspected asbestos-containing materials (ACM) should be presumed to contain asbestos until cleared through testing at a NATA-accredited laboratory. It includes fibre cement sheet materials, floor coverings, insulation materials, roof cladding and electrical backing boards, gasket and friction materials, and mastics and putties. For the safest asbestos testing Adelaide, click here.
If undisturbed, most asbestos-containing materials pose little or no health risk; however, if they are disturbed, microscopic asbestos fibres can become airborne and be inhaled into the lungs where they lodge, leading to several incurable diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. In Australia, the number of people diagnosed with these fatal diseases is on the rise.
Our team is fully qualified to safely remove friable asbestos, any material that can crumble easily when tapped or handled. We offer this service alongside our inspection and testing packages and can include air monitoring during removal to ensure that any asbestos is removed correctly.
Asbestos Management
It is vital to ensure that asbestos-containing materials are appropriately managed. The Work Health and Safety Regulations require workplaces to maintain an asbestos register and develop an asbestos management plan. Inspectors from SafeWork SA have recently been visiting workplaces in South Australia to focus on identifying and managing asbestos. Inspectors have issued several improvement and prohibition notices for failing to comply with these regulations.
Asbestos Air Monitoring
During the asbestos removal process, air monitoring can be undertaken to ensure that the air quality is not compromised during the removal process. It is especially important if the material is in poor condition that could potentially release fibres into the air or where engineering controls may be ineffective.
Greenlight’s experienced Licensed Asbestos Assessors are fully trained and qualified to conduct exposure and control monitoring. Control monitoring is usually performed daily during asbestos removal outside the removal zone to demonstrate that airborne concentrations are not elevated above an identified limit and to test whether or not any engineering controls have been adequate.
Both types of air monitoring are required for Class A friable asbestos removal work. They must be undertaken by a ‘competent person’ by regulations set out by SafeWork Australia. Air monitoring results are reported on a clearance inspection certificate issued once the removal works have been completed. For the safest asbestos testing Adelaide, click here.