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Why do I need training?

In simple terms, owners/employers/managers or their delegates must ensure their workers are deemed competent to manage asbestos and prevent (or significantly minimise) the potential for asbestos exposure. Under general Work Health and Safety provisions, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure:

“…that information, training and instruction provided to a worker is suitable and adequate.”

More specifically:

“A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure that workers engaged by the person, whom the person reasonably believes may be involved in asbestos removal work or in the carrying out of asbestos-related work, are trained in the identification and safe handling of, and suitable control measures for, asbestos and ACM (asbestos containing material).”

This training requirement deals directly with the removalists, maintenance workers, trades people, labourers, builders, and demolition workers who physically may do work on or near the asbestos containing material.

In addition, those who have responsibility to engage, contract, instruct, facilitate, sub-contract, employ or oversee the work must have a reasonable understanding themselves. That is, they require basic asbestos awareness training (at a minimum) to be able to administer possible asbestos related activities including managing the people directly involved. This is consistent with the aforementioned general training requirements and other asbestos management provisions prescribed in workplace health and safety regulation.

Further workplace regulation details the specific Australian Vocational Education Training (VET) competency standards required for asbestos removal, and licensing – that Asbestos & You courses comply with.

Quoted text derived from harmonised WHS regulation – wording may vary slightly in some jurisdictions, however the context and interpretation of legislation is consistent across Australia.