ASBESTOS REMOVAL

Hire a Pro for Your Asbestos Removal and Testing Project

An asbestos-containing material or we can call it as an ACM, is not always harmful to our health. An undamaged ACM product has a small possibility to endanger our life and the environment unless it is disturbed. However, a friable product, which is very fragile and can be easily crushed just by the hand, possesses a huge danger since it may release fibres, which can accidentally enter the body through inhalation.

An asbestos remediation project is a time-consuming work, and it can cause health hazards if it is not conducted properly. Basic knowledge about the remediation process is important to prevent you from being exposed to ACMs, especially if you’re planning to perform a DIY work.

Asbestos Identification

The ACM can exist in many different forms and shapes. This dangerous material can be found in fencing, roofing, tiling, or wall sheeting products. There are about 3,000 identified products, which greatly add to the difficulty for an ordinary homeowner to identify it. This asbestos guide for homeowners has more details.

The good part is that the contamination mostly occurred in old properties built before 1989. So, if you are living or working in a house, commercial, or industrial premises that were constructed after this year, you may be less likely to have an asbestos issue.

For you who live in a building that is suspected of containing an ACM, you should raise your awareness to the hazard that may present in the area. Since this intoxicated material can degrade through time, you’ll have a higher chance of being affected by it without even without noticing it. That said, it is highly recommended that you seek professional help to do an inspection at your premises.

Various Asbestos Removal and Testing Services

There are different services that you can choose to deal with your ACM problem. You can choose a service that suits your exact need. You can consult this issue with an expert who has obtained a proper certification in this industry.

Briefly, these services are:

• Asbestos consultant: If you don’t know what to do when finding an ACM product on your property, you can consult your issue with a counsellor to get some advice and recommendation.
• Asbestos management plan (AMP): Living in a house, which is contaminated by this hazardous material, would require a good control plan to maintain a secure environment before the removal job is carried out. An AMP provides comprehensive information on the location and condition of the contaminated products in a building and safety procedures to interact with these dangerous products.
• Asbestos removal: If you are ready to get rid of the contaminated material out of your property, you will need this service to carry out the jobs securely.
• Asbestos testing: An assessor with a complete certification can help you to identify the ACMs residing in the structures. If he finds a suspected material that may be an ACM, he will conduct a sampling and testing protocol by collecting some samples and send them in locked bags to a National Association of Testing Authorities NATA approved lab for further analysis.
• Asbestos roof removal: An ACM roof is one of many contaminated products that possesses a high risk of weathering. Over time, the fibrous roof will release fibres into the air and contaminates the surrounding area. You are recommended to use this service to eliminate the contaminated roof before it’s too late.
• Asbestos air monitoring: When a property is contaminated by a fibrous material, fibres may be released into the air. This service is usually applied in a removal project to ensure that the air is safe to breathe.
• Asbestos soil remediation: An ACM can also affect the soil in a contaminated property. The contamination may happen because of a demolition of a fibre-contaminated building. The soil remediation service is meant to clean up all fibre dust and prevent them from going deeper into the soil and contaminate the groundwater.
• Asbestos emergency repair: Does a natural disaster damage your house? Or someone just crashed onto your super six fences? If the ACM in your premise has been disturbed by accident, you should hire a professional removal specialist who offers 24/7 services.
• Asbestos demolition: The service is mainly applied to demolish any building, with a contamination level that is beyond saving. Since the process involves a hazardous material, it requires the help of a contractor who has gone through a proper training to handle the harmful product safely.

You can determine which service is the most suitable solution for your current problem. However, some advice and recommendation from an expert will provide a better solution for your issue.

An Insight into Asbestos Removal and Testing Services

Asbestos is not something that can be handled by yourself. The work involving fibrous materials can be complex and demanding. It requires certain proficiency, specialised equipment and safety kits to ensure the quality of the work.

These are the important steps of an asbestos removal and testing project:

• Initial identification: The initial inspection is conducted to identify all fibrous materials in the location. An asbestos register is a good place to start since it contains the record of identified ACMs, which have been identified previously. If the homeowner doesn’t have such document, he may face a hefty fine. It’s due to the government regulations, which administer that all contaminated premise must own this document to ensure that everyone in the neighbourhood is alerted to the ACM potential danger.
• ACM removal: This phase is considered as the most important step of a remediation process. It includes the removal, transportation, and disposal of fibrous materials of the location. The difficulty of the work is determined by many factors such as the ACM size and its location within a structure.
• Clearance inspection: After all contaminants have been removed, the final inspection will be carried out to make sure that there isn’t any fragment, dust, or debris left.

Furthermore, a contractor must obtain a licence to prove their eligibility in this industry. A licensed removal expert must have at least one of these licenses:

A-Class License: A removalist who has an A-class permit is allowed to work and handle any ACM, both friable (fragile) and non-friable ones.

B-Class License: A B-class license holder can only work on non-friable (bonded) materials.

Tips: Before hiring a removalist, you should consider the price offered between these two license holders. The cost of hiring an A-class removalist is often higher than a B-class license holder. This is why if you have a small removal job that involves a non-friable product, you may want to consider hiring a B-class licensed removalist.

About eSkip Asbestos Removal

Finding a trusted asbestos removal, testing, roof removal and management services provider would be difficult since many contractors claim themselves as an expert. Don’t get involved with a dodgy contractor. They won’t hesitate to overcharge you; always check and re-check!

This is why eSkip Asbestos Removal exists. We are an endorsement company for great, trusted, and local fully licensed asbestos removalists across Australia. Our endorsed members have been selectively chosen; rest assured you will only get a reliable contractor at an affordable price.

Through a rigorous screening process, eSkip can connect you with contractors who are:

• Fully licensed asbestos removalist or a licensed assessor in their state
• Highly-experienced, skilled and have an excellent safety record
• Equipped with the appropriate equipment and vehicles
• Covered by public liability insurance

We encourage our approved contractors to deliver a high-quality service that is in accordance with the safe work protocols and current regulations.

How can you get our endorsed contractors to help you? We have designed an easy system, which allows you to communicate your needs directly with your chosen contractor in our list.

You just have to follow the simple steps below:

• Click "Get Free Quotes"
• Enter your name, postcode and contact details
• Sit back and get quotes from our pre-screened contractors
• Choose the best quote that suits your needs and your budget

On our site, you can also check contractor reviews and ratings. This allows you can to find out about what previous clients said about our endorsed removalists. This is our commitment to keep you protected from scams and poor quality contractors.

So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch and get connected with great, local contractors. Contact eSkip for all your asbestos removal needs today.

All About Asbestos

Asbestos is a mineral occurred naturally. It has been mined and also manufactured for use in various forms. The material has been largely used in the construction industry due to its durability, strength, and fire resistant properties.

The word asbestos itself comes from a Greek word “ἄσβεστος”. The meaning of the term is inextinguishable or unquenchable. It refers to the six groups of mineral, which is classified into two Serpentine and Amphibole.

The difference between Serpentine and Amphibole

So, what is the difference? The difference between those two is in appearance. The shape of serpentine is curly. The member that belongs to this type is only chrysotile. On the other hand, amphibole’s fibre looks more like a needle, straight and thin. Compared to Serpentine that only has one member, Amphibole has five members: crocidolite, amosite, actinolite, tremolite and anthophyllite.

Types of Asbestos: Friable and Non-Friable asbestos

Asbestos used in construction and buildings have two main types including friable or loosely bound asbestos and non-friable or tightly bound asbestos.

• Bonded Asbestos or Non-Friable. It is mostly found in houses. The material is very strong and solid. It is composed of a bonding substance like cement and up to 10-15% of asbestos of the total production. Also, it is commonly known as asbestos cement, Fibro or AC sheeting. The material does not have the tendency to be airborne unless it is disturbed. The most common examples of non-friable asbestos including:
  
  - Asbestos cement (AC) products
  - Vinyl floor tiles
  - AC sheet
  - Bitumen-based waterproofing
  
• Friable Asbestos. This type of asbestos is mostly found in industrial and commercial buildings for soundproofing, insulations and fireproofing. The term refers to the material that can be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to powder by the hand power when it is dry. Also, it can become airborne. The most common examples of this type including:
  
  - Pipe lagging
  - Boiler insulation
  - Fire retardant material on steel work
  - Sprayed insulation
  
  This material can also be identified in hot water systems, stoves, and linoleum and vinyl coverings. It contains 100% asbestos.
  

History of Asbestos in Australia

When did people start to use this material in Australia? Just before the late 1800s, the friable products were introduced and used to the industrial and commercial settings. Due to its remarkable quality for fireproofing, soundproofing, and insulation both commercial and industrial sector used this substance. Houses used this substance as well. It is used as building construction and applied to residential homes that were constructed before 1990.

Australia started to manufacture AC materials in about 1920s. Until the late 1980s, the material continued to be used as building material for construction industries. Australia established the banning of the import, use including the product of blue and brown asbestos in the mid-1980s. The full ban on produce, use, reuse, transport, storage or sale of all kinds of asbestos was implemented in December 2003.

The Effects of Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACMs)

Various deadly diseases are generated by ACMs. The diseases include lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. It will affect your health as you are exposed to its hazardous fibres. As soon as they are inhaled, the fibres will get into your respiratory system. The fibres are very solid, so they are difficult to leave the body once inhaled. Instead of leaving the body, they will reside in the respiratory system and cause extreme harmful disease. The exposure of airborne fibres will cause more effects to the smokers. They have a high chance of being infected with lung cancer when exposed.

Identification of ACMs at Home

ACMs can be identified in almost every part of the house. For houses built before 1990, you can locate them installed on your roof, living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, garage or a dog kennel.

There are 3000 products of asbestos based on the estimation. Among the products that are possible to be found in residential homes are:

• Roofing
• Eaves
• Fencing
• Wall cladding
• Thermal boards around fireplaces
• Flue or water pipes
• Carpet underlay
• Floor tiles and vinyl flooring backing
• Low-density asbestos fibreboard
• Decorative ceiling coatings, textured paints
• Insulation on hot-water pipes, stoves and domestic heater
• Filler and plaster sealant
• Some adhesive products

Asbestos Testing

Asbestos testing is the only possible way to identify the material in a building. It will identify the location as well as the type of ACM within a house.

The steps including collecting the samples and sending the samples to a laboratory accredited by NATA. The result of the testing will be reported in the asbestos register. Later, it will be very handy if you need to establish a management plan of asbestos, also known as the AMP.

Managing ACMs

For buildings identified with this material, the owner will be required to have an AMP. It will be very useful when controlling and managing fibrous materials. Houses built after December 2003, an AMP is not required.

The AMP must include the location, decision relating to the management of ACMs, mechanism in dealing with the material, update, review and the access for related people.

Perfect Timing for Asbestos Removal

When a building is confirmed having installed with any fibrous product, that is the right time to toss them out. It is a long-term solution for any ACM problem. The removal needs to be conducted by a qualified certificate-holder removalist. Before hiring any removalist, it is suggested to check whether the removalist holds an accredited licence A or B removalist who has attended many trainings.

How and Where to Dispose of ACMs

Any fibrous materials are required to be disposed of carefully because they pose a health risk. The materials need to be packed carefully, suggested double packed, sealed and then labelled as asbestos before transporting them to a legal landfill site.

There is a landfill for domestic and commercial. The domestic is for the ACM produced by a homeowner who performs DIY. Meanwhile, the commercial can only receipt ACMs from the commercial and industrial resource.