National Asbestos Awareness Week

Commencing on Monday November 22 is National Asbestos Awareness Week 2021, making now a more important time than ever to consider the risks when completing do-it-yourself (DIY)work on your property and seek professionals.

This year’s National Asbestos Awareness Week campaign asks Australians to Think Twice About Asbestos. The campaign challenges complacency by reminding home renovators and tradespeople that the danger of asbestos is far from over.

Asbestos is still present in millions of homes, as well as public and commercial buildings across Australia, and is the number one occupational cause of cancer worldwide.

In homes built or renovated before 1990, asbestos can still be found in many places. It was only in December 2003 that asbestos was banned in Australia. Before that, Australia was one of the highest users of asbestos and it was in more than 3000 products.

During COVID-19 we have seen a burst of home improvement activity happening across the state as people spend extra time in their houses during the pandemic or take the opportunity to invest in their own homes.

There is a significant health threat if fibres are released, become airborne and are then inhaled. Breathing these fibres can cause a range of life-threatening diseases, including asbestosis and terminal cancer mesothelioma.

Reflections, a not-for-profit organisation, was founded in 2015 to reduce the impact of asbestos, support people affected by asbestos disease and raise awareness for those at risk.

Master Builders (MBA) Western Australia supports the work Reflections is doing to reduce the impact of asbestos on the community. Every year in Australia, there are an estimated 4000 deaths from past asbestos exposure.

“We are now experiencing a third wave of sufferers, including home renovators and the next generation of tradies,” Reflections Co-Founder and Director Jo Morris said.

“DIY-ers or tradies doing jobs around the house should be aware of asbestos, to help them make educated decisions when on a property that may contain asbestos.

“There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure.”

Currently, asbestos assessors and licensed removalists are continuing to work. Hiring a professional to manage the work safely protects not just one household but all the neighbours from exposure.

Reflections also have an educational resource for use in training and/or site inductions.

More information is available at www.reflections.org.au and www.asbestossafety.gov.au.

If you, or someone you know, is affected by an asbestos-related disease, Reflections support network is run by people with first-hand experience. Contact 1800 031 731 if you would like to know more.

MBA WA offers online asbestos awareness training and courses for the Restricted Asbestos Removal Licence. If you are interested in more information on MBA WA’s asbestos training courses, contact 9476 9800 or go to www.mbawa.com and click on ‘training’.

To become a Master Builders member and get across all the latest developments in the building industry go to www.mbawa.com and click on ‘membership’.

Q&A with MBA Housing and Construction Director Jason Robertson

The Question

My neighbour has just finished building a tennis court in their backyard, which is great, but now I have what I think are massive floodlights that are a bit of a nuisance at times. Is there anything I can do?

The Answer

As a rule, tennis courts and any associated lighting will require council approval if it is in a residential setting.

In most cases, the council will have a ‘local law’ for fencing and lighting, particularly floodlights.

The local law will set out the requirements for approval and what is considered acceptable.

For example, the fencing itself around the tennis court will be specified to have a maximum height and be of certain types of building materials like chain mesh and more. Equally, there would be strict criteria in respect of the type, dimensions and placement of any lighting for the court.

This is to safeguard health and amenity of not only the owners but, importantly, adjoining property owners too.

In some cases, it may require approval of other government departments, not just that of the council.

Each scenario is different – in many circumstances, however, adjoining property owners may well be notified. If this hasn’t occurred, perhaps as a suggestion discuss it with your neighbour in the first instance.

CONTACT Master Builders WA, 9476 9800, www.mbawa.com