SA contractor stripped of asbestos licence

A South Australian asbestos removalist has had their Class A licence suspended by SafeWork for failing to safely remove asbestos from a residential premise.

The contractor was accused of exposing people to friable asbestos, contrary to section 19 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA).

SafeWork SA Executive Director Martyn Campbell reminds SA businesses that a proactive compliance campaign on asbestos management is currently underway.

“This repeated disregard for following asbestos regulations by a licenced asbestos removalist clearly shows a serious lack of judgment and cannot go without consequences.”

“Asbestos licence holders must have a good understanding of the asbestos legislation and code of practices. An expectation exists amongst the community, including the business community, that the engagement of a licence holder will give them some certainty that compliance with the legislation is being met”.

“SafeWork SA’s role is to ensure that the community can be confident in South Australia’s asbestos licensing regime by taking action to cancel or suspend an asbestos removal licence where there is evidence a removalist has not demonstrated safe and competent asbestos removal practices”, said Mr Campbell.

Originally published on the SafeWork SA website.