WorkSafe: National Asbestos Awareness Week

25 November – 1 December 2024

Asbestos can be found in over 3,000 building materials and in 1 in 3 homes today.

This year is the 21st year since the prohibition on asbestos. The asbestos ban came into force at the end of 2003. The ban ended the import, manufacture, supply, sale, use or reuse asbestos or products that contain asbestos.

Asbestos is a health risk when fibres are in the air and are breathed into the lungs. Breathing in asbestos fibres can result in a range of diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Australia has one of the highest incident rates of mesothelioma in the world. In 2022, 174 Victorians were diagnosed with mesothelioma and there is no cure for this cancer. It is evident there is more work that needs to be done.

November is National Asbestos Awareness Month, and with this month every year, we are reminded of the impacts exposure to asbestos can have. If your job contains a risk of you being exposed to asbestos, you need to be aware of the steps you need to take to continue to protect yourself and your employees. This 30 second quiz can help you identify where there may be danger at work or home.

Identifying asbestos is the first and the most important step, because if you do not know it is there, you will not be able to ensure your safety or that of your workers. Once asbestos has been identified, you can then work out what your next step will be, in-line with OHS legislation.

Asbestos lurks in more places than you might think. It can be found in many different areas in the workplace. The Victorian government has created an interactive tool that shows you where asbestos can be lurking. The tool provides practical guidance on how to manage or remove asbestos. The interactive tool allows you to choose locations of either a home or a workplace. You can click on the room or area you are working in and identify the types of asbestos containing products that could be present.