[ad_1]
SafeWork SA’s newest Asbestos Activity Health and Safety Snapshot reveals there have been 5348 asbestos notifications acquired in 2022-23.
Two asbestos compliance campaigns run by SafeWork SA earlier this yr discovered {that a} excessive variety of responsibility holders concerned within the administration or management of buildings recognized to comprise asbestos weren’t fulfilling their obligations beneath the Work Well being and Security Act 2012 (SA).
The Asbestos Management – Demolition or Refurbishment Proactive Compliance Campaign 2023 included visits by SafeWork SA inspectors to 42 licensed asbestos elimination websites the place they carried out 95 compliance audits throughout a number of responsibility holders.
A complete of 30 Statutory Notices had been issued, consisting of 12 Prohibition Notices and 18 Enchancment Notices.
Letters of warning and reminders of authorized obligations had been issued to 13 licensed asbestos removalists who had a historical past of failing to adjust to their obligations.
On account of the marketing campaign, SafeWork SA:
➢ Instantly suspended, and subsequently cancelled an asbestos assessor for five years for failing to arrange enough air monitoring and for failing to undertake an enough and efficient clearance inspection following licensed asbestos elimination. The asbestos assessor had been beforehand suspended for 3 months in 2021 for comparable breaches.
➢ Instantly suspended, and subsequently cancelled a licensed asbestos removalist for one yr for a historical past of failing to take away asbestos safely and competently, and commencing demolition with out figuring out and eradicating the asbestos.
➢ Instantly suspended, and subsequently cancelled a licensed asbestos removalist for one yr for failing to take away asbestos safely and competently and having a historical past of failing to take away asbestos safely and competently; putting their employees in danger. The licensed asbestos removalist had been beforehand suspended for 3 months in 2022 for commencing demolition with out figuring out and eradicating the asbestos.
➢ Suspended a licensed asbestos removalist for one yr for failing to take away asbestos safely and competently and having a historical past of failing to take away asbestos safely and competently; putting their employees in danger.
➢ Refused to grant the renewal of an asbestos elimination licence because of a historical past of failing to take away asbestos safely and competently, putting their employees in danger.
A second marketing campaign, specializing in Asbestos Management, audited 70 workplaces and recognized that 61 per cent of the websites weren’t managing asbestos in accordance with the laws in comparison with 58 per cent in the course of the 2022 marketing campaign.
SafeWork SA Inspectors issued 51 Statutory Notices in response to non-compliances recognized.
The most typical areas of non-compliance associated to a failure to:
- have an asbestos register (34)
- overview an asbestos register (7)
- overview an asbestos administration plan (5)
- develop an asbestos administration plan after figuring out asbestos (2)
An estimated 4,000 Australians die yearly from asbestos-related illnesses. That is greater than triple the variety of annual Australian highway deaths.
Many public and industrial buildings, and infrastructure comprise giant quantities of ageing asbestos-containing supplies, together with one in three Australian properties.
Asbestos has been utterly banned in Australia since December 2003.
National Asbestos Awareness Week is being held from November 20-26 and contains a lot of occasions round Australia. Two memorial companies might be held in Adelaide to honour those that have misplaced their lives to asbestos-related illnesses.
Whereas 20 years have handed because the ban, a big quantity of ageing asbestos-containing materials stays in our constructed setting, which suggests there may be an ongoing want for vigilance to stop publicity to asbestos fibres and a must give attention to protected, proactive elimination.
SafeWork SA Government Director Glenn Farrell mentioned:
‘SafeWork SA performs a vital function in contributing in direction of a state freed from asbestos-related illnesses,’ he mentioned.
‘Legal guidelines are in place to guard the long-term future well being of South Australians and we’ll proceed to take motion towards those that don’t abide by these legal guidelines.
‘Regulators, authorities departments, business, employees, organisations and the neighborhood at giant will all must work collectively to make the state protected from asbestos.’
Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector Kyam Maher mentioned:
‘Twenty years on from the banning of asbestos in Australia and the hazard is as actual as ever,’ he mentioned.
‘Australia nonetheless has one of many highest loss of life charges of asbestos-related illnesses per capita on the planet.
‘As we bear in mind those that have misplaced their lives to asbestos this week, it’s also a well timed reminder to stay vigilant when working with or close to asbestos.’
Additional hyperlinks
[ad_2]
Source link