Asbestos removalist suspended for safety breaches

A Class B asbestos removal licence holder has been suspended as a result of SafeWork SA’s compliance program on asbestos safety, for failing to safely remove asbestos from a property. The licence holder failed to identify and remove all of the asbestos from a residential demolition site, decontaminate the work area where asbestos had been removed, and ensure that asbestos waste was contained before it was removed from the area. The business failed to comply with section 19 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA) and did not take reasonable care of worker health and safety. The company also failed to ensure that it did not adversely affect the health and safety of others.

SafeWork SA Acting Executive Director Glenn Farrell said this is the second time the licence holder has had their asbestos removal licence suspended within the last 12 months, and emphasised SafeWork SA’s commitment to ensuring that asbestos licence holders comply with asbestos regulations.

“Repeat offences such as this demonstrate complete contempt for health and safety and, had the demolition commenced, it would have created a risk of exposure to asbestos fibres to workers and others,” said Farrell.

SafeWork SA has issued a number of suspensions to asbestos licence holders, including a Class A asbestos removalist in September 2019, a Class B asbestos removalist and demolition contractor in April 2020, a Class B asbestos removalist in September 2020, and an asbestos assessor in August 2020.

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