Asbestos Awareness Month

Following the recent calls for a total asbestos eradication plan for Australia, a new report has revealed that asbestos-related diseases are estimated to be costing the country more than $500 million a year in direct health costs and lost productivity.

The results found that of the estimated $321 million cost to productivity and the economy through workforce impact that 85 per cent of cases were caused by occupational exposure to asbestos. In most cases, these costs arose due to premature death of a person…

Australia has one of the highest rates of Asbestos related diseases in the world. If you are an employer you have a responsibility to protect your employees.

As an Employer you are required to:

• Identify asbestos and asbestos containing material at the workplace and recording this in an asbestos register;
• Assess the risk of exposure to airborne asbestos;
• Eliminate or minimise the risks associated with asbestos by implementing control measures;
• Review control measures to make sure they are effective.

Employers can be fined upwards of $50,000.00 for risky Asbestos handling practices.

By reducing exposure we can reduce the risk of developing Asbestos diseases.

Don’t leave it too late…