Information for householders and renovators
Materials containing asbestos were used in many homes built prior to 1990.
Asbestos was typically used in fibro roofs, walls and soffits. In many houses fibro was also used internally for wet areas such as kitchens, bathrooms and laundries. Asbestos cement can also be found in flat sheets, profiled sheets, corrugated sheets, shingles, compressed sheets, rigid board insulation and building products such as pipes and guttering.
Second hand materials or products containing asbestos may also have been installed or used after asbestos products were phased out and may be found in newer homes.
An extensive list of examples of asbestos-containing materials is available in Appendix A of the asbestos management code (non-Queensland Government link).
It is often very difficult to identify the presence of asbestos by sight. The only way to be certain is to have a sample of the material analysed by a laboratory.
Sampling of anything you suspect may contain asbestos is itself hazardous and must only be done by a competent person, and analysed only in accredited laboratories.
More information on identifying asbestos and where this can be done is available from the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) (non-Queensland Government link).
Householders and renovators can manage the risks of asbestos by:
- being aware of what asbestos is and where it can be found
- having suspect materials tested (by a competent person) or by treating suspect materials as if they contain asbestos
- being aware of the responsibilities of clients (which can include householders and renovators) and the responsibilities of asbestos removalists under the asbestos removal code
- ensuring that work removing any amount of friable asbestos is done by the holder of a certificate to remove friable ACM (also known as an 'A' class certificate)
- ensuring removal of 10m2 or more of bonded ACM is done by either an A class or 'B' class certificate holder
- ensuring that removal of less than 10m2 of bonded asbestos is done as described in the asbestos removal code
- ensuring that any work done with bonded asbestos is done as described in the asbestos management code.
Information on the asbestos laws for homeowners, renovators and owner builders carrying out asbestos related activities; such as breaking, cleaning, cutting, maintaining, removing, repairing, storing, using or separating associated asbestos waste from other waste can be found at Queensland Health
More on removing asbestos
More on working safely with asbestos
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