Asbestos removal is one of the most dangerous things your demolition firm will ever do. The consequences of poor practices can follow you far into the future, and impact a lot more than your workers’ health. Usually, when this happens, it’s due to misinformation. Companies just don’t understand why it matters, or how to prevent problems.
So what do you need to know before starting demolition asbestos removal?
Demolition & Asbestos Removal: What Are the Risks?
Asbestos was a common building material until the 1980s and 1990s, when it slowly started to be phased out. It is a known carcinogen (a substance that is proven to cause cancer). When built into a structure, it is generally safe – the problem arises when you try to remove it, as it is very fragile and will easily break down into tiny shards that can be inhaled. Aside from their carcinogenic properties, these shards are also very sharp and can tear the lungs, causing significant damage.
Failure to observe proper workplace health and safety practices while removing asbestos carries a range of risks:
- Health Problems: Staff and bystanders can experience a variety of severe, life-threatening health consequences (including various types of cancer). Many of these will go on to become chronic conditions requiring long-term care.
- Financial Loss: Staff injuries, legal issues, and insurance rejections all dig into your budget. Over time this makes it harder to justify new investments, and dulls your competitive edge.
- Damaged Trust: Poor workplace safety practices, especially if they lead to an injury or illness, make you look irresponsible. This damages trust with both clients and employees, resulting in higher turnover and fewer contracts.
- Legal Penalties: You have a legal obligation to protect employees and bystanders from harm. Failure to do so may lead to fines or other penalties.
- Insurance Issues: A history of avoidable health incidents hinders you from obtaining enough coverage to handle future emergencies. It can also increase premiums, and decrease your chances of a successful claim. These consequences can spread beyond asbestos removal insurance, affecting other policies such as demolition liability or public liability.
In the long run, any one of these could cause significant damage to your firm – or even close it down entirely.
Read more: Why Public Liability Insurance is Essential for Demolition Projects
Identifying Asbestos
An ability to correctly identify threats is essential for safe demolition work. Before any demolition work begins, the first question you must ask is “Is asbestos likely to be present in this structure?” Unfortunately, asbestos cannot always be identified by sight alone. It is often combined with other materials or used as insulation, making it difficult to spot.
Your best warning sign of potential asbestos exposure is the structure’s age. Anything built before or during the 1980s is very likely to contain asbestos, and should be treated as a possible exposure risk. Structures built during the 1990s should be treated as medium-risk, as while the material was being phased out, it was still used in construction. Anything built after the 2000s is likely safe.
If you’re uncertain, have a licensed asbestos assessor inspect the property. They can help you determine how much risk is involved in a particular project. It’s always better to check than to endanger your staff and company.
Legal and Regulatory Considerations
In Australia, asbestos removal work is heavily regulated due to the risk involved. The governing body that handles this is your state’s equivalent of WorkSafe (which may have a slightly different name, depending on location). You typically must:
- Hold an asbestos removal license or permit
- Develop a written plan outlining how safety will be ensured
- Provide all necessary safety equipment (such as masks, disposal bags, and coveralls)
- Have the property assessed by a licensed asbestos assessor
- Dispose of all asbestos materials in a safe manner
You must obey all legal requirements during removal and disposal of asbestos. Failure to do so may result in heavy fines, or even the loss of your demolition license.
Best Practices for Safe Demolition and Asbestos Removal
These best practices will help you safely remove and dispose of asbestos:
- Choose the Right Team: All personnel on-site should be experienced with asbestos removal and understand the risks involved. Provide comprehensive training to ensure that everyone knows their responsibilities.
- Identify the Threat: Know how to spot a structure that may contain asbestos, and make sure your employees do as well. Always warn your team if you suspect asbestos may be present.
- Develop a Game Plan: Have a thorough written plan that outlines how asbestos removal and demolition will be handled. Include a contingency plan for emergencies. Place your plan somewhere easily accessible, and provide copies during asbestos removal work.
- Prevent Contamination: Position a ‘clean area’ between the demolition site and the outside world, where personnel can safely change in and out of asbestos gear. Outside clothes should never be uncovered within the demolition area, and contaminated clothes/equipment should never leave the clean room without being thoroughly sanitised or properly bagged for disposal.
- Have the Right Insurance: Always have an asbestos removal insurance policy in place, to cover you in the event that something goes wrong.
- Document Everything: Keep multiple copies of all important documents related to asbestos removal, including incident reports, precautionary measures, and project details.
The Crucial Role of Insurance for Demolition Asbestos Removal
If all else fails and you experience an incident while performing asbestos removal work, insurance is your last line of defence. It helps cover the costs associated with:
- Third-party injury and property damage
- Worker injury
- Certain legal expenses
This could save you thousands of dollars, which would otherwise come out of your pocket. It also strengthens your case should you run into regulatory issues. Since insurers typically demand proof of strong workplace safety, the mere existence of a policy demonstrates that you have taken enough care to be deemed relatively low-risk.
For these reasons, you should always have asbestos removal insurance before attempting to carry out any work. You should also have an environmental liability insurance policy, as this can help cover expenses resulting from poor disposal practices.
FAQs
It is extremely dangerous to perform demolition work if you’re unsure whether asbestos is present within the structure. You should always have a licensed assessor check the property. If you ever are uncertain, treat the project as if there is definitely asbestos involved.
While asbestos removal insurance is usually not mandatory (with a few possible exceptions), you should always have it anyway. It provides a valuable layer of financial protection in the event that something goes wrong.
Not necessarily. Some states only require a license under certain circumstances. For example, NSW does not require a license for removal of non-friable asbestos under a certain amount. However, you will likely be removing enough as a professional that you will need a license. Such exceptions are usually intended for small home jobs, not regular work performed by a business.
Asbestos was almost universally used for internal purposes (such as insulation), so it is very difficult to remove it before completing any demolition work. This presents a health hazard, as the violent nature of demolition inherently breaks apart the fibres, creating the circumstances that make asbestos a dangerous material.
Lower Your Risk Level With the Right Insurance
Demolition asbestos removal is not a job you can afford to rush. If the proper considerations are not taken into account before any work begins, you put your staff, innocent bystanders, and the company as a whole in serious danger. Some basic precautionary measures now could do a lot to protect you in the future. Don’t risk it – put in the work to ensure that this dangerous work is completed safely.
One of the easiest ways to reduce your risk level is by obtaining the right insurance. But there is very little information available about what each policy is, what it covers, and how to obtain it. We want to fix that. If you’d like to learn more about how asbestos removal policies work, read our comprehensive guide to get started.