WorkSafe WA puts arranging the asbestos clean-up after a storm or fire on the homeowner, though after a large bushfire state recovery arrangements may take some or all of it over. WorkSafe says that once fire, storm or another natural disaster damages asbestos on a property, the homeowner must arrange the competent people and removalists. Before that, emergency services and the local government may already have stepped in, and HealthyWA says to go in only when emergency services say it is all right.
General informationGeneral information, not safety advice about any property. In an emergency, emergency services’ instructions come first. After a house fire, HealthyWA says the local government environmental health officer should be told, and can help with what needs to be done. HealthyWA’s Fire damaged asbestos page and WorkSafe’s asbestos safety after an emergency or disaster page carry the full official steps; this page does not replace them.
Asbestos safety
The national Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency says it is “not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself”, and in Western Australia the law sets a limit: WorkSafe WA says a homeowner may take out up to 10 square metres of non-friable material from their own home, and must follow strict safety steps in doing it. The national agency adds that a professional makes the job easier, safer and often cheaper. Its rule for the waste: it goes only to a landfill site licensed to take it, and a household rubbish bin can bring a fine.
No safe level of exposure to asbestos exists, WorkSafe WA says. It reserves friable asbestos in any amount, and non-friable asbestos over 10 m², for a licensed asbestos removalist only, and tells homeowners in WA that the waste has to be handled safely, moved properly and delivered to a licensed asbestos disposal facility.
WA’s health advice and the national agency warn against some methods. HealthyWA says high-pressure water and air cannot be used on asbestos products. The national agency warns against cleaning an asbestos cement roof, or any asbestos material, with high-pressure water or anything abrasive, scrubbing and sanding included. For its own state’s homeowners, Queensland’s government asbestos site lists “Saw, sand, scrape or drill holes in asbestos materials” among things not to do.
The order WA’s agencies describe
Emergency services and the council first
After a fire, emergency crews and council environmental health officers may act straight away to stop asbestos contamination being disturbed, and those controls stay in place, and are monitored, until removal is finished. They may barricade affected areas, surrounding properties, paths and roads among them.
Staying out
HealthyWA says to go into a property only when emergency services say it is all right, and that children should not go into a property with fire-damaged asbestos. At first, access is for emergency services and the professionals assessing and cleaning up, who must follow strict safety precautions.
The houses around it
Anyone affected by smoke from a fire is advised to close all external doors and windows and stay inside.
Finding out what is there
Where asbestos is suspected, WorkSafe’s advice is to contact a competent person or a licensed asbestos assessor before any clean-up begins.
The clean-up
For smaller property fires, HealthyWA says the owner is responsible for arranging the assessment and clean-up, and can hire a licensed asbestos removalist to remove and dispose of the asbestos and decontaminate the property. Its advice to a property owner is to contact the insurance company as soon as possible to arrange removal and clean-up. Which licences and what clearance it describes for an owner without insurance is set out on its page.
Clearance before going back
WorkSafe says emergency removal work still needs a clearance before people can go back into the area.
What fire does to asbestos cement
In a fire, HealthyWA says, the heat often shatters asbestos cement sheets, scattering flakes, fragments and clumps through the rest of the debris. Once burnt, asbestos products give off airborne fibres more readily. WorkSafe puts the greatest risk in the clean-up, when fire has left asbestos cracked or shattered through the debris and ash. The damaged material will most often be asbestos cement sheeting, from fences, walls, roofs and eaves.
After a large bushfire that costs communities heavily, HealthyWA says the Western Australian Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements may take over part or all of the removal and clean-up, working with the emergency agencies and the local government environmental health officer.
Wind, storms and floods
WorkSafe says storms, floods and strong winds can damage homes and other buildings with asbestos in them, and that material that is eroded, broken or friable can release fibres that are a serious health risk. HealthyWA adds that heavily damaged asbestos, whether by fire, strong winds or accident, is more likely to shed fibres and contaminate its surroundings, and that the Department recommends removing any damaged, derelict or unused structure that contains asbestos.
WorkSafe lists key safety measures to follow alongside the instructions of emergency services and clean-up crews.
- stay off the property until the authorities confirm it is safe
- keep children and animals off the site
- wear a P2 mask and protective clothing, such as sturdy boots and gloves, even when it is unclear whether asbestos is there
- do not spread ash or move debris by sweeping or vacuuming, especially where asbestos was part of the home or other structures
- do not bury building rubble, which may hold asbestos
- have a licensed asbestos assessor inspect the site and contain any debris until the assessment is complete, and once asbestos is confirmed, bring in a licensed removalist for a safe clean-up
- dampen ash and debris lightly with water to keep dust down, and never use high-pressure sprays.
That is WorkSafe’s whole list, in its order.
The removalist’s notice in an emergency
The usual 5 days’ notice to WorkSafe before licensed removal work, set out in who may remove asbestos from a WA home, bends in an emergency. WorkSafe defines an emergency as a structure or plant that is structurally unsound, or whose collapse is imminent, and a licensed removalist then notifies WorkSafe immediately. WorkSafe also says licensed work made necessary by flooding or severe weather needs no notice before it starts.
WorkSafe adds that removal can cost significantly more once fire, a cyclone or strong wind has damaged the material. The roof guide, asbestos cement roofs and eaves, sets out why HealthyWA recommends taking an asbestos roof off before that happens.