The safe removal of asbestos from houses
30 Years Experience
Unfortunately during the Sydney and NSW building boom that tool place in the 40's 50's 60's and 70's the building products of choice were not particularly safe and quite often contained asbestos.
For modern day families who are now buying these homes and wanting to either renovate or demolish them it creates a real problem. What is required for safe removal of these products?
NSW work cover legislation clearly shows what you can legally remove without a contractor and what is required for safe removal. At the time of writing this page the limit for bonded asbestos removal was 10 sq metres, ie, you did not need a contractor for removal of less than 10 sq metres.
If you do decide to do it yourself, this is what work cover recommend.
Firstly, never use power tools when removing the sheets. Using power tools is not safe and can cause dangerous fibres to be released.
Secondly, you will need Australian Standards Protection Level two equipment including disposable coveralls and a minimum of a half face mask (P2 and disposable).
You will need to wet the sheets down before attempting removal of the materials and then take the sheets off whole and then seal them in some construction grade plastic that is a minimum of 200 microns thick.
Finally, you will need to talk to your local council to find a safe place to dispose of the asbestos sheeting.
If any of the material is pulverised or turns into powder on removal it is not safe and you will need to call in a professional with an AS1 licence.
