Safe Asbestos Removals in Melbourne, Australia

Are you living or working in a property that was built before 1980? If yes, then there are good chances that you might find asbestos in your walls and roofs. In the early 80s, asbestos was heavily practised in construction due to its fire-resistant and insulating properties. You can find it in wallboards, wall and ceiling plasters, floor and ceiling tiles, some vinyl floor backings and many more places.

When asbestos is intact and undamaged, it won’t harm your health in any way. There’s no reason to worry unless it gets damaged. Living under or around asbestos becomes hazardous when its tiny fibres become airborne. It happens when the asbestos in your walls or roofs gets disturbed or damaged during repairs or renovations.

Removing Asbestos Safely

Generally, it’s not recommended for you to remove asbestos-containing materials yourself from any property. Asbestos is extremely hazardous. Further, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and EPA, there’s no safe level of exposure to asbestos. Getting exposed and inhaling a few fibres can eventually cause malignant diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma or even cancer. You must also note that there are no mesothelioma treatments available that can help in its cure.

Only a person with the right training and knowledge should attempt to remove asbestos-containing materials on their own. So, if you’re not trained or certified to get it done, don’t put yours and others health at risk. It’s better to hire a professional expert for safe asbestos removal.

Here are 5 Steps to Remove Asbestos as Safely as Possible:

• Inspection of the Property
• Analysis of the Sample
• Removal of Asbestos
• Disposal of Asbestos Material
• Final Inspection

Step1: Inspection of the Property

Before you begin to perform any sort of refurbishment or demolition work, you need to hire a professional to take a few samples of the material that may be broken or damaged. It’s crucial to understand that every place or corner, where asbestos might have been used should be treated as dangerous. Initially, a licensed professional always inspects and analyses the property for potential hazards and also take samples for investigation in the lab.

Step2: Analysis of the Sample

The sample collected is checked for any traces of asbestos in a laboratory. If found positive, the expert may recommend complete removal (also referred to as abatement) or encapsulation of asbestos from the property. The material from any old property must be checked periodically for signs of wear or any damage. This analysis of the sample helps the asbestos removal specialists to take proper actions to remove all the materials safely from the property.

What’s the difference between encapsulation and removal of asbestos?

Depending on the extent of the damage to the asbestos-containing materials, the expert might come up with one of the two effective solutions; Encapsulation or Removal of asbestos materials.

In encapsulation, the materials in question are coated with a sealant that prevents fibres from escaping and becoming airborne. However, if the damage found is severe, and there exists a clear risk of exposure, it’s recommended to remove the materials from the property thoroughly.

Step3: Removing of Asbestos

Once it’s decided to remove asbestos from the property, here’s a checklist that must be followed by the specialists for safe asbestos removal:

• Seal off the entire work area
• Switch off all the Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) units
• Close down all the vents to prevent asbestos fibres from circulating
• Professionals must wear a full-face mask respirator and coveralls
• All material with asbestos must be kept inside leak-tight containers
• Make sure all the soiled clothes are bagged or contained at the end of the shift,
• The wrapped and bagged asbestos waste must be appropriately labelled for caution.

Note: After the removal process, High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter vacuums and cleanup methods must be used to clean the workspace.

Tommy Clappers

Tommy Clappers is the Owner and Founder of Asbestos Australia Removalist specialising as a Class A & B Licensed Company with highly trained ticketed staff with over 25+ years in the industry in Friable & Non-Friable Commercial, Industrial & Domestic. He's well-skilled in all types of Asbestos Removal and Hazardous Materials. He's an expert in Encapsulation, Soil Remediation and Industrial Cleaning. He prides himself on creating safer environments for his team and his client's safety and ensuring every removal is safe and clean. He currently resides in Melbourne, Australia.

Posted By: Tommy Clappers