HOW TO DEAL WITH ASBESTOS DURING CLEAN UP

Asbestos products may be found in many buildings and generally are not dangerous if kept in good condition. However, if an asbestos product is broken or disturbed in any way, it is extremely hazardous. Asbestos materials are either bonded (tightly bound) or friable (loosely bound). Bonded asbestos materials are commonly found in houses and often known as ‘fibro’, ‘asbestos cement’ and ‘AC sheeting’.

The recent Flood has had the potential to break and disturb asbestos products. If you suspect you have asbestos in your building, please have it checked by a qualified professional.

If you have asbestos products:

- DO NOT move or dump any asbestos materials at this time. Council will communicate when Asbestos waste services are available.

- If already disturbed wet, double wrap in heavy duty plastic and store until disposal options become available

- To remove any amount of friable asbestos, or more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos from a residence or any business requires a licensed asbestos removalist. Homeowners should NOT remove more than this amount themselves.

SafeWork NSW has waived the five-day notification period for all licensed asbestos removalists undertaking emergency asbestos removal work in flood-affected areas.

Licence holders - please place the following text in the Comments section of your notification: Waiver request relating to flood affected asbestos removal.

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