Managing asbestos in workplaces - Compliance - WorkSafe Victoria

Appendices
If an employee is required to wear a respirator during an asbestos-related activity,
the employer needs to issue them with a respirator for their exclusive use. Not only
is this important from a personal hygiene perspective, it also contributes to improved
cooperation by employees to comply with the requirement to wear it and can also
lead to employees taking better care of it as well.
Individuals must be medically fit to wear a respirator. The employer needs to seek
medical advice if there is any uncertainty. If a medical condition precludes the use
of negative-pressure respirators, individuals need to be provided with a continuousflow,
positive-pressure respirator wherever possible. The suitability of these
individuals for work in the asbestos removal industry needs to be assessed
by a qualified medical practitioner.
Employees with beards or other facial hair (including stubble) will not be protected
properly by negative-pressure respirators that require a facial seal so all asbestos
removal workers using respirators that require a facial seal must be clean-shaven
otherwise a continuous flow positive-pressure respirator will be necessary.
Employees need to select a size and make of respirator that fits them. The fit
of a negative-pressure respirator to a persons face is critical. A fit test (a test
that determines the suitability of a particular respirator for an individual’s face) in
accordance with AS/NZS 1715:1994 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory
protective devices and the manufacturer’s instructions needs to be performed to
assist in determining that the respirator fits the individual. Respirators should never
be worn over the fitted hood of coveralls because the airtight seal on the face may
be affected by the awkward position of the respirator straps.
Respirators must be worn until all contaminated clothing has been vacuum cleaned
and/or wet-wiped, removed and bagged for disposal, and personal decontamination
has been completed. Non-disposable respirators need to be cleaned and disinfected
according to the manufacturer’s instructions and stored in a clean, airtight container
and out of sunlight when not in use.
Don’t forget the use of PPE, including respirators, needs to be a last resort
after higher order control measures have been implemented so far as is
reasonably practicable.
Use and maintenance of respirators
A simple fit check (different to a fit test) in accordance with AS/NZS 1715:
1994 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective devices and the
manufacturer’s instructions needs to be performed immediately prior to
commencing work with the respirator each time it is to be used. This will
determine whether the respirator can provide an effective seal and protection
should there be airborne asbestos fibres in the asbestos-related activity area.
The respirator must be worn in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
and the coverall hood must go over the respirator straps. At the end of a shift or
at a break, as part of the decontamination process, ensure that the respirator is
taken off last. Disposable respirators must be disposed of as asbestos waste after
a single use. Non-disposable respirators must be cleaned and stored in a safe place
away from contamination.
The respirator should never be left lying around where it can collect dust and should
never be dangled around a person’s neck.
66 Compliance code / Managing asbestos in workplaces WorkSafe Victoria