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

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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
General requirements for all asbestos removal175. WorkSafe’s Workplace amenities and work environment compliance code statesthat employees who undertake work which requires strenuous effort, involvespossible exposure to infectious agents or other contaminants or leaves themdirty or smelly, need to have access to showers before leaving work. This meansthat even though the asbestos removal aspect of the work may not requirepersonal decontamination to include decontamination units (as detailed onpage 49), access to showers before leaving work may still be required. Personalwashing and hygiene are essential (particular attention needs to be paid to thehands, fingernails, face and head).176. Personal decontamination must be undertaken each time employees leave theasbestos work area. Personal decontamination needs to be performed withinthe asbestos work area where re-contamination cannot occur.177. Asbestos-contaminated personal protective clothing should not be transportedoutside the asbestos removal area except for disposal or laundering purposes.178. Before personal protective clothing and footwear worn during asbestos removalwork are removed, they need to be decontaminated to the point where thegeneration of airborne dust from the subsequent handling of the clothing andfootwear is minimised. This preferably needs to be done by vacuuming with aHEPA-fitted vacuum cleaner to remove any asbestos fibres (refer to page 29).Footwear also needs to be wet-wiped.179. Respiratory protective equipment can only be removed after:• decontaminating personal protective clothing and footwear(as described above)• bagging personal protective clothing for disposal (or laundering)• completing personal washing.180. Any contaminated PPE used while carrying out asbestos removal workmust not be taken home.181. If friable ACM is being removed, the decontamination procedures describedon page 49 must be followed. Exceptions to this generally include ‘glove bag’,‘wrap and cut’ (described on page 64) and friable gasket removal jobs, wherethe decontamination process outlined in paragraphs 186 to 193 is likely tobe satisfactory.182. ‘Mini enclosure’ removals may require a combination of the personaldecontamination procedure outlined in paragraphs 184 to 190 and page 60.Removal of small quantities of non-friable ACM183. For the purpose of this section, a small quantity of non-friable ACM is:• any quantity permitted to be removed by an unlicensed person• ACM cladding on an average size house.184. Where small quantities of non-friable ACM are being removed, a competentperson may decide that the personal decontamination procedure (outlined inparagraphs 186 to 191) can safely be used instead of a full decontamination unit.This decision is made based on a risk assessment that takes into account the:• condition of the ACM• difficulty in performing the removal• level of airborne dust likely to be generated• available cleaning/washing facilities at the site• duration of the task.WorkSafe Victoria Compliance code / Removing asbestos in workplaces 35
Page 3 and 4: Appendix A - The compliance framewo
Page 6 and 7: IntroductionConsultation7. By law,
Page 8 and 9: General requirements of the Occupat
Page 11 and 12: Regulatory prohibitionsUse of compr
Page 13 and 14: Legislation that applies to asbesto
Page 24 and 25: General requirements for all asbest
Page 46 and 47: Additional requirements for license
Page 58 and 59: Specific requirements for removalof
Page 68 and 69: Paraoccupational air monitoring and
Page 74 and 75: AppendicesAppendix A - The complian
Page 76 and 77: AppendicesAsbestos removal workThe
Page 78 and 79: AppendicesAppendix C - Examples of
Page 80 and 81: AppendicesPPacking materials for ga
Page 82 and 83: AppendicesAppendix E - Guide to the
Page 84 and 85: AppendicesSelection of appropriate
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AppendicesAppendix F - Pro forma co
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Appendices6. Decontamination proced
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AppendicesCONTROL PLAN FOR ASBESTOS
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Appendices5. Decontamination proced
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Appendix G - Example of an asbestos
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AppendicesAppendix G - Example of a
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AppendicesThe following are example
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AppendicesAppendix I - Removal of a
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AppendicesAppendix J - Removal of n
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Appendices22. Once all removed asbe
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Appendices15. Place used rags into
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Appendices13. Place the waste into
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Appendices13. Ensure waste bags are
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Appendices16. Perform a visual clea
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Appendices14. Place the waste into
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AppendicesAppendix Q - Information
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AppendicesAppendix S - Documents as
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Removing asbestos in workplaces - Compliance ... - WorkSafe Victoria

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