SA contractor loses asbestos licence after breaching safety regulations

SA Contractor Loses Asbestos Licence After Breaching Safety Regulations

A South Australian demolition contractor who recently removed asbestos from a home without installing air monitors has lost their asbestos removal licence. SafeWork SA confirmed this licensed asbestos removal company failed to meet required health and safety obligations during hazardous material removal work.

What Went Wrong

SafeWork SA says the company did not hire a certified asbestos assessor to install air monitors, and failed to notify the safety regulator before starting demolition work. This failure exposed workers and nearby residents to hazardous asbestos fibres without proper monitoring in place.

Air monitoring exists specifically to protect health outcomes during asbestos removal, since airborne fibres pose serious risks when disturbed during demolition activities. Without certified assessors overseeing the process, there's no reliable way to confirm the site remained safe throughout the job.

Regulator Response

SafeWork SA Executive Director Glenn Farrell said anyone engaging in unsafe work practices will lose their licence. His statement reinforces the regulator's commitment to enforcing safety standards across the demolition and asbestos removal sector.

"This contractor's failure as a licensed asbestos removalist required such a sanction and should be seen as a warning to any other business who fall short of ensuring the health and safety of their workers and members of the public," he said.

Why This Matters for Safety Professionals

This case highlights several critical compliance points for contractors handling hazardous materials:

• Air monitors must be installed by certified assessors before removal work begins
• Regulators must be notified ahead of any licensed asbestos removal project
• Proper asbestos waste handling and disposal remains non-negotiable under safety law
• Licence suspension is a real consequence for contractors who cut corners on safety

For businesses managing asbestos safety documents and compliance obligations, this incident serves as a clear reminder that shortcuts on monitoring and notification requirements carry serious licensing consequences. Companies operating in this space should also review their broader principal contractor safety obligations to ensure full regulatory alignment.

This isn't an isolated incident either — SafeWork SA has previously suspended an asbestos removal licence over safety breaches, signalling ongoing regulatory scrutiny of the demolition industry. Contractors working in roof spaces or other asbestos-affected areas should also reference guidance such as the Asbestos Safety – Working in Roofs Safe Work Method Statement to keep documentation current.

Similar enforcement trends are emerging elsewhere too, with Victorian companies facing charges for breaching workplace safety regulations, reinforcing that regulators nationwide are tightening oversight of hazardous work practices.

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