Asbestos Register & Management Plans

The Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations Act 2011 requires all persons who conduct a business or undertaking a business to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers and other persons are not put at risk from work carried out as part of the business or undertaking.

The WHS Regulations include specific obligations to manage and control asbestos and asbestos containing materials (ACM) at the workplace.

These are briefly summarised below:

Asbestos-related work:

• Must, if there is uncertainty as to whether work is asbestos-related work, assume asbestos is present or arrange for an analysis of a sample to be undertaken to determine if asbestos or ACM is present.

Identifying or assuming Asbestos or ACM:

• Must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that all asbestos or ACM at the workplace is identified by a competent person or assume its presence.
• May identify asbestos or ACM by arranging a sample of the material to be analysed.

Indicating presence and location of Asbestos:

• Must ensure the presence and location of asbestos or ACM identified (or assumed to be identified) at the workplace is clearly indicated (by a label if reasonably practicable).

Asbestos Register:

• Must ensure an asbestos register is prepared, maintained, reviewed and kept at the workplace. It must be readily available to workers, their health and safety representatives and other persons.
• Must ensure, when management or control of the workplace is relinquished, a copy of the Asbestos Register is given to the person assuming management or control.

Asbestos Management Plan:

• Must, where asbestos has been identified at the workplace, ensure an asbestos management plan is prepared, maintained and reviewed. It must be accessible to workers, their health and safety representatives and other persons.

Once Asbestos is identified in a workplace steps must be taken to comply with WHS obligations, including:

• Labelling of asbestos locations
• Creation of an asbestos register
• Creation of asbestos management plans
• Scheduled or recurrent condition inspections

Where Asbestos has been identified at a workplace an Asbestos Register and Management Plan must be prepared, maintained, reviewed and kept at the workplace – Work Health and Safety Regulation Act 2011.