We’ve all heard plenty of chat about asbestos and its impact – but what can our sparkies do? Sean Carroll writes about related risks in the electrical industry.

We’d all be lying if we said we didn’t hit a wall on Friday afternoons. Especially on a sunny day after a long week, sometimes the hours need to hurry up after 3pm.

We know why there are rules and regulations in place, but people still skip steps for whatever the reasoning may be. As I’m writing this piece, we’re coming to the end of November which, incidentally, is also Asbestos Awareness Month.

Asbestos, once thought of as the miracle insulation product, is a naturally occurring material that is made up of flexible fibres that are resistant to heat, electricity and corrosion. Unfortunately, while it works wonders for insulation, it has fatal consequences for humans when inhaled or ingested.

Each year, 4,000 Australians die from asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma and lung cancer. That number is nearly four-times that of the annual road toll each of the past two years.

On 31 December 2003, asbestos was officially banned in Australia, and made illegal to use in households. While the ban was effective and the building and construction industry immediately halted all use (if they hadn’t already beforehand), there still exists tonnes of asbestos products in buildings across the globe.

Any home built or renovated before 1990 will likely have asbestos, meaning any person working on it should follow the appropriate codes of best practice.

SHAPE Australia is a construction company that has recently launched the SHAPE Minimum Standards app, software that gives all tradespeople a free resource for safety tips across the entire industry.

The company has been working on additional resources on the topic of asbestos following the national awareness campaign:

“This year’s theme for National Asbestos Awareness Week (22-28 November 2021) was ‘Think Twice About Asbestos’ and challenges complacency by reminding home renovators and tradespeople that the danger of asbestos is far from over,” SHAPE Australia group executive of environment, health, safety and quality Phillip Smith says.

He explains that the campaign is about a bit like the classic Aussie meat pie, comparing its fillings to buildings and the risk of hidden asbestos.

“With a meat pie, you know what you’re getting on the outside, delicious buttery pastry, but you can never be too sure what’s inside until you bite into it. Same goes for asbestos – that plasterboard you’re cutting into may look safe from the outside, but if you don’t apply caution, you may be cutting through a layer of asbestos cement directly behind it,” he explains.

Non-friable asbestos containing materials (ACM) were commonly used as an electrical insulator on meter boards and panels in general, and as bases to the busbars, spark arresters and flash guards. Timber meter boxes installed prior to 1990 can also be lined with asbestos-cement sheeting (fibro). Asbestos dust and debris may then be present within the cabinets.

Older electrical switchboard panels and meter panels were manufactured from asbestos/resin or asbestos coal tar pitch composite. These asbestos products had brand names such as Zelemite, Lebah, Ausbestos and Miscolite. These usually have a smooth finish on the surfaces which are dark brown to black in colour and also have a strong tar or bituminous smell to them.

Unsealed holes on these materials can reveal the presence of whitish asbestos fibres protruding from the material. Sometimes the brand names were stamped onto the rear of the boards and panels. The absence of such labels does not mean asbestos is not present.

It’s not possible to tell if something has asbestos in the matrix just by looking at it outside of the labels or the brand names. It’s best to get materials tested or assume that asbestos is present and take suitable precautions and follow safe work procedures.

“It’s really just about awareness and having electricians know that asbestos is out there and reiterating that they need to follow safe work practises to minimise their exposure risk,” NECA WA HSEQ Manager Sue Gismondi says.

Sue updates the NECA WA Technical Knowledge Base (TKB) and HSEQ Management Systems with new asbestos safety information where possible and ran some awareness events during Asbestos Awareness Month.

“We know that if you’re exposed to even a limited number of fibres and they get into your lungs, it can be fatal. There’s no room to be complacent about the practice of safety procedures around asbestos,” she says.

“There are always going to be older homes, in my lifetime, there’s probably never going to be a point where all homes are asbestos-free.

“The best thing to do is follow the national codes of practice and don’t deviate. The resources are out there to find out what to do, they just need to be followed.”

Switchboard panels and meter boards may contain asbestos. If they were constructed or imported before 1 January 2004, they may contain asbestos-containing materials (ACM).

“My advice to any trades and particularly electricians working in older buildings constructed prior to 2004 is to be aware that even a layer of dust on top of a switchboard could contain asbestos and you need to take appropriate precautions,” Phillip adds.

These panels and boards can be worked on, but electrical professionals need to: be aware of the risks, have completed a risk assessment of your work, have implemented a risk management strategy and follow all asbestos work and removal safe work procedures.

Outside of switchboards, asbestos may be disturbed by an electrician drilling holes in the way to pull cable.

As written by the WA WorkSafe website on the topic: “In general, the use of water or gels (such as shaving cream) can help to reduce dust (note that wet methods cannot be used if there is an electrical hazard).

“Non-powered tools should be used as they make larger (less hazardous) dust particles than power tools. High speed abrasive power or pneumatic tools must not be used. Personal protective equipment and clean-up equipment is required.”

Sue mentioned that not too long ago a group of electricians were exposed to asbestos when “they were helping demolish a property that didn’t have an asbestos register in place so were unaware of the risk.

“You can imagine the stress that that puts on not just them, but their families.”

Phillip says that while there’s definitely a greater level of awareness these days, especially with the increasing presence of asbestos-related charities, organisations and online resources that are easily accessible to the public, there’s a long way to go.

“The biggest risk is in the material that you can’t see with a naked eye – it’s dust in ceilings, debris behind walls, and lagging in service risers,” he says.

“I think it’s the responsibility of businesses and companies to help raise awareness on the issue to support the industry and its people.”