Asbestos campaign monitors compliance
The Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) Asbestos Compliance Unit (ACU), with the support of WHSQ inspectors, conducted audits across Queensland workplaces to monitor asbestos compliance.
Inspectors throughout the state conducted 182 compliance reviews between 1 August – 31 October 2024, focusing on commercial businesses requirement to have an asbestos register and management plan if their workplace was built prior to 1990. It also considered whether there was asbestos containing material (ACM) present at the workplace, and whether asbestos was present in plant (before 1 January 2004). There were 23 non-compliance issues identified by inspectors at workplaces, and each was rectified while the inspector was on site.
There were 151 improvement notices issued, and six infringement notices. The most common areas of non-compliance included:
- failure to have an asbestos register prepared
- failure to indicate the presence/identification and location of asbestos
- failure to have an asbestos management plan prepared
- a lack of review processes for asbestos registers
- a lack of information, training, and instruction provided to workers
- limited access to the asbestos register.
The campaign supports the Queensland Asbestos Strategic Plan , with the purpose to prevent or minimise the risk of exposure to airborne asbestos fibres.
A final report on the asbestos management campaign will be released and made available in 2025.