The ACT branch of the Construction, Forestry and Mining Union has revealed that apprentices, as opposed to more senior workers, are usually the ones to identify asbestos in the workplace.

Various asbestos identification type training courses implemented in the recent past have resulted in the education of apprentices, allowing them to often identify dangerous materials such as asbestos more easily than their senior counterparts.

The ACT government is currently deciding when it will implement legislation to make such asbestos courses mandatory in the workplace, in an attempt to further educate workers on the risks of asbestos exposure, and how it can be safely handled.

Often apprentices are second or third generation building workers and have known of a family member or friend who has been diagnosed with an asbestos condition such as mesothelioma or asbestosis in Australia.

Asbestos compensation in ACT, including mesothelioma compensation in ACT, has eventuated from workers such as building workers being negligently exposed to asbestos in the past. The training of apprentices would be a positive step in the reduction of future asbestos litigation in Australia, which is expected by some experts to peak in 2020.

Finally, Australia will have uniform asbestos regulations to ensure consistency for workers involved in asbestos removal, thanks to the new Work Health and Safety (WHS) Asbestos Regulations.

Up until now, differences in training requirements between Australian states and territories have created problems in asbestos cleanup projects, such as the aftermath of the Queensland floods and the bushfires in Victoria.

The new Asbestos Regulations detail the requirements for asbestos assessors, asbestos removalists and supervisors, as well as licensing and training obligations across Australia, including Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Northern Territory and ACT.

The Asbestos Regulations separate all Australian businesses in the asbestos industry into two types of licenses: Class A and Class B. Class A allows asbestos removalists to remove all types of asbestos, while removalists under the Class B license are only permitted to remove non-friable asbestos.

Friable asbestos is any asbestos material that can be crumbled or crushed by hand pressure into powder form, allowing asbestos fibres to become airborne and potentially be inhaled by humans. Non-friable asbestos includes all other asbestos materials where the asbestos fibres are bonded by cement, vinyl, resin or other materials. However, even non-friable asbestos can become friable if broken or damaged.

Exposure to asbestos is extremely dangerous as it can cause asbestos related conditions such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestos removalists need to take care when removing asbestos. The removal of asbestos is important to ensure mesothelioma in Australia and asbestosis in Australia is reduced. The new Asbestos Regulations are important to ensure that asbestos is removed safely across Australia and to reduce rates of mesothelioma and other asbestos related conditions.

The South Australian government has shown its support for asbestos safety in response to the alarming increase in popularity of do-it-yourself home renovations in Australia.

Many Australians are putting themselves at risk when they undertake their own home renovation work, as the majority houses that were built prior to 1984 contain asbestos products. The concern of course is that even a small amount of exposure to asbestos can cause asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma.

The South Australian Minister for Industrial relations, Russell Wortley, who is advised by South Australia’s Asbestos Advisory Committee, has expressed concerns for these Australians.

In order to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos in South Australia, Mr Wortley recently announced the formation of a home renovator task force, an initiative of SafeWork SA.

The task force is made up of representatives from the South Australian Asbestos Advisory Committee, the South Australian Asbestos Coalition and the asbestos removal industry, among others, and facilitates the exchange of information, ideas and options regarding the issue of asbestos.

Last month SafeWork SA and the South Australian Asbestos Coalition provided a staffed Asbestos Awareness in the Home display at the Master Builders SA Building and Home Improvement show, which was held in Adelaide and attracted nearly 20,000 people.

The South Australian government has also pledged its ongoing support for other initiatives that promote asbestos awareness, such as the Asbestos Victims Memorial Day and the Asbestos Awareness Week each November. South Australian sufferers of mesothelioma and other asbestos conditions, along with the families of those who passed away from such asbestos conditions attend such services. For more information, contact the Asbestos Diseases Society of South Australia. See their website www.adssa-inc.com.au

Toukley ambulance station in coastal NSW has finally been declared safe after almost eight years of safety concerns regarding the presence of asbestos.

Workers discovered asbestos during renovations to the NSW station early last month, with NSW WorkCover immediately issuing a prohibition notice to block all access to the affected site in order to protect workers from asbestos exposure.

Toukley Ambulance Station has a long history with asbestos. WorkCover NSW was first alerted to the existence of asbestos in December 2004, when asbestos was identified and removed. Nine months later further remedial work was deemed necessary, and in April 2006 WorkCover NSW served an improvement notice on Toukley Ambulance Station requiring immediate action, with staff being immediately relocated to Wyong Hospital.

Exposure to asbestos can cause serious diseases such as asbestosis, asbestos related pleural disease, asbestos related pleural effusion, pleural mesothelioma, peritoneal mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions. As such, last month’s asbestos scare has been treated very seriously, with WorkCover NSW conducting extensive testing on the site and finally declaring it safe last week.

Asbestosis compensation in Australia and mesothelioma compensation in Australia unfortunately is regularly occurring given there have been some many persons affected with asbestos conditions.