Asbestos Management

Expert management of asbestos risk – from assessment to ongoing control.

Asbestos is Australia's most significant occupational health legacy issue.

More Australians die each year from asbestos-related diseases – including mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer – than from road accidents. Despite the total ban on the manufacture, use, reuse, import, transport, storage and sale of all forms of asbestos that took effect across Australia on 31 December 2003, asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) remain present in a vast proportion of Australia’s built environment: in residential homes, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, mine infrastructure and environmental soil – and they will remain there for generations.

For employers and persons in control of workplaces, asbestos management is not optional. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA), the WHS (General) Regulations 2022 and the WHS (Mines) Regulations 2022, duty holders are required to identify asbestos in their workplaces, maintain a register, prepare and implement an asbestos management plan and ensure that work involving ACMs is carried out safely and – where removal is required – by licensed removalists. OHMS Hazmat provides the specialist expertise to meet these obligations fully and to manage asbestos risk proportionately, pragmatically and with due regard for the commercial realities of your operations.

Our Hazmat team holds the internationally recognised BOHS proficiency qualifications relevant to their roles – including IP402 (Surveying and Sampling Strategies for Asbestos in Buildings) and IP405 (Management of Asbestos in Buildings) – and brings experience across the full spectrum of asbestos management in mining, industrial, commercial and government settings. We operate with a partnership mindset: we take the time to understand your assets, your operations and your risk profile before recommending any course of action.

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Capabilities

Independent visual and air monitoring-based clearance inspections following asbestos removal works, conducted by a licensed asbestos assessor to confirm that the work area has been adequately decontaminated and is safe for reoccupation or reuse.

RED OHMS Group provides licensed asbestos assessors to fulfil the statutory assessor role required under WA legislation. Our assessors are independent of the removal contractor and provide objective, legally compliant clearance and oversight services.

Development of site-specific AMPs for workplaces where asbestos is present and will remain in situ, detailing the identification, risk assessment, control measures, monitoring, labelling, training and review processes required to manage ACMs safely throughout their remaining service life.

Assessment of sites where asbestos contamination of soil, fill, debris, or demolition waste is suspected or confirmed, including sampling, risk characterisation and the development of management or remediation strategies in accordance with WA Department of Health guidelines and relevant WHS legislation.

Assessment and management of naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) and fibrous minerals encountered in mining and exploration operations, consistent with the WorkSafe WA Guideline on Management of Fibrous Minerals in Western Australian Mining Operations and relevant public health guidance from the WA Department of Health.

Facilitation of asbestos-related stakeholder engagement, including communication with regulators, workers, building occupants, neighbouring communities and other affected parties. Particularly important for large-scale asbestos removal projects or contaminated site assessments where community concerns require proactive and transparent management.

Development of tailored asbestos management strategies for complex assets including mine sites, processing facilities, historical industrial properties and large building portfolios. Strategies are prioritised by risk, costed and sequenced to align with operational and capital planning cycles.

Asbestos Management as a Lifecycle Commitment

A common misconception is that asbestos management ends with the preparation of a register and management plan.

In practice, it is an ongoing lifecycle commitment. ACMs in buildings and infrastructure deteriorate over time due to weathering, vibration, maintenance activities and physical damage. Condition changes require re-inspection, risk re-assessment and potentially revised control strategies. Registers and management plans must be reviewed following any disturbance of ACMs, any change in the condition of identified materials, or at minimum every five years. RED OHMS Group provides the continuity of service – from initial survey and register through to ongoing re-inspection, management plan review and removal coordination – that genuine lifecycle asbestos management requires.

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FAQs

A licensed asbestos assessor is a person who holds a licence issued by WorkSafe WA (or the relevant state regulator) to conduct clearance inspections and issue clearance certificates following asbestos removal work. Under WA regulations, a clearance inspection by a licensed assessor is required after the removal of friable asbestos and, in certain circumstances, after the removal of non-friable asbestos. The assessor must be independent of the licensed removalist – they cannot be the same person or from the same business as the contractor conducting the removal. OHMS Hazmat provides licensed assessors for removal projects of all scales.

Under the WHS Regulations, an asbestos management plan is required for any workplace where asbestos or ACMs have been identified, or where the presence of asbestos is assumed. The plan must be accessible to workers and others who may be affected and must be reviewed at intervals not exceeding five years – or sooner if circumstances change. For workplaces constructed before 1 January 2004, the assumption of asbestos is a prudent starting point even before survey results are available.

Naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) – also referred to as fibrous minerals – includes chrysotile, crocidolite (blue asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos) and other asbestiform minerals that occur naturally in geological formations across Australia, including many parts of Western Australia. The Hamersley Range, Pilbara and Kimberley regions are known areas of NOA occurrence. Exploration drilling, road construction and open-cut mining in these areas can disturb NOA and create fibre release. OHMS Hazmat assists mine operators with NOA risk assessments, monitoring and the development of management plans consistent with WorkSafe WA guidelines and the WA Department of Health’s public health guidance.