Removing asbestos in workplaces - Compliance ... - WorkSafe Victoria

General requirements for all asbestos removal167. Dry decontamination can only be used where wet methods are not suitableor pose a risk because of other hazards such as electricity or slipping. Drydecontamination procedures include carefully rolling or folding up plasticsheeting and/or vacuuming the asbestos work area with a HEPA-fitted vacuumcleaner. Employees must be trained in an appropriate procedure to ensure dustis collected and disposed of.168. Vacuuming may be used in an area that is isolated and where employees arewearing appropriate PPE. Bigger pieces of debris need to be wetted, pickedup by hand and placed in waste containers (refer to page 29 for furtherinformation on the use and maintenance of HEPA-fitted vacuum cleaners).Decontaminating tools and equipment169. All tools and equipment used during the removal task must be decontaminatedusing either the wet or dry decontamination procedures before they areremoved from the asbestos removal area. Otherwise they need to be doublebagged for later use or disposed of as asbestos-contaminated waste. Themethod chosen will depend on its practicality, the level of contamination andthe presence of any electrical hazards.170. If tools and equipment cannot be decontaminated in the asbestos removalarea and are to be re-used at another asbestos removal area, they need to:• be tagged to indicate asbestos contamination• be double bagged in clearly labelled asbestos bags with an appropriatewarning statement before being removed from the asbestos removal area• remain sealed until they have been decontaminated or the commencementof the next asbestos removal/maintenance task (where the equipment canbe taken into the removal area and re-used under controlled conditions).171. PPE needs to be worn when opening the bag to clean or re-use theequipment or tools and decontamination can only be performedin a controlled environment (refer to page 29 for further informationon asbestos vacuum cleaners).172. In some circumstances it may be better to dispose of contaminated toolsand equipment depending on the level of contamination and the easeof replacement.Personal decontamination173. Employers have a legal duty to provide, so far as is reasonably practicable,adequate facilities for the welfare of employees at any workplace under themanagement and control of the employer. Such facilities may include personaldecontamination facilities. The provision of decontamination facilities isessential for asbestos removal work.174. Employers must provide appropriate personal decontamination facilities for theduration of the removal work. The type of decontamination required will dependon the type and condition of asbestos (ie friable or non-friable), the workmethod used and site conditions. Some asbestos removal work necessitatesthe use of decontamination units, which are discussed in detail on page 49.34 Compliance code / Removing asbestos in workplaces WorkSafe Victoria