Hazardous office survey reports - asbestos
Asbestos survey reports and removal
Asbestos was reportedly used for the last time in the construction industry in Australia in approximately 1986, so don’t fool yourself that it’s a thing of the past. Asbestos can be found in many areas in office buildings including but not limited to:
• Switchboard backing
• Roof sheets, guttering and flashings (Super 6)
• Wall sheeting
• Sheeting in bathrooms
• Eaves
• Lagged onto ducts (usually mixed with cement)
• Fire stopping in cavity’s
• Electrical conduits
• Flat or corrugated sheeting (fibro cement or ‘AC’ sheeting)
• Water pipes
• Flue pipes
• Roof shingles
• Flexible building boards
• Plaster patching compounds
• Textured paint
• Vinyl floor tiles
• The backings of linoleum floor coverings
• Insulation on hot water pipes
• Insulation in old domestic heaters
• Insulation in stoves
• Ceiling insulation products
The old Super 6 roof system whilst it was very good in its day now poses a major hazard, they used to say "If it is in good condition then leave it alone”. However, the general consensus now is, that given the fact the last roof installed at least 20 years ago, it is reasonable to say that none of them could possibly be in good condition anymore. Given the mass of area a roof generally has, these roofs need to be stripped and re-sheeted without delay. Other areas may or may not be a health risk at this stage but they need to be managed.
Other forms of asbestos either need to be removed, encapsulated and sign posted, or just sign posted.
You may even have an obligation under OH&S to conduct a survey of your premises to identify where hazardous substances are found so that they can be identified and appropriately dealt with, this minimizes the risk of accidental exposure which could endanger the lives of any one in the area and leave you open to litigation under your OH&S duties. Apex Executive Interiors can easily arrange this for you.
The advice given above on this topic is in no way intended to be treated as a method of safely identifying, handling, encapsulating or removing any hazardous materials of any kind, every site must be specifically checked by properly qualified personnel to ensure correct procedures are followed. Furthermore Apex Executive Interiors have only identified three [3] potential hazards under the heading of ‘Hazardous Materials’.