Asbestos Awareness

To work on any construction site in the ACT you must have an Asbestos Awareness Certificate. There are a number of RTO’s in Canberra authorised to provide Asbestos Awareness Training.

It can cost up to $500.00 and a maximum of 4 hours of training to get your Certificate in Asbestos Awareness. Check with your RTO for any subsidies from the ACT Training Fund Authority you might be eligible to receive.

All workers who could be exposed to asbestos must undertake a mandatory course in asbestos awareness. The new regulation requires employers and principal contractors to ensure their workers undertake training, which includes a specific session on loose-fill asbestos insulation, by 30 September 2014.

Asbestos is widespread in the ACT built environment.  It is safe to assume that homes and buildings constructed before 1990 contain asbestos materials especially in the eaves, internal and external wall cladding and ceilings (particularly in wet areas such as bathrooms and laundries).

The Asbestos Awareness course instructs workers so they are confident in identifying asbestos and asbestos products, and so they can understand and follow the correct safety guidelines for reporting and communicating the existence of asbestos.

Visit the WorkSafe ACT website for the full statement.