Asbestos website has the answers

An online information resource for dealing with asbestos in Victoria was today launched for homeowners, businesses, industry and other members of the community.

The new website, asbestos.vic.gov.au, answers frequently asked questions, including how to recognise asbestos-containing material, and provides guidelines for its safe handling and removal.

The site also features interactive tools that guide homeowners, builders and tradesmen on safely removing asbestos, and maps that locate landfills licensed to receive asbestos.

The website brings together information from the Victorian WorkCover Authority, the Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

WorkSafe Chief Executive Denise Cosgrove said the three government bodies had recognised the importance of placing their combined asbestos knowledge in one easy-to-use website.

“The use of asbestos has been banned in Australia since 2003 but its popularity as a common building and insulation material from the mid-1940s until the late 1980s means it remains widespread in the community,” Cosgrove said.

“Asbestos can be dangerous if handled incorrectly. This website is designed to make information simple to find and easy to understand, by bringing it together in one place for the Victorian community.”

EPA Chief Executive John Merritt said knowing how and where to safely dispose of asbestos was one of the most common questions that the EPA was asked.

“Consolidating this information in a single-source website will provide the clarity and confidence in our processes and regulations the community and businesses are seeking,” he said.

Find out more at www.worksafenews.com.au.