Today, we’re going to talk about something that gets me fired up. And I was on-site with a representative from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, just yesterday on a site where somebody had decided that they were going to remove 10 square meters of asbestos because they didn’t need a ticket. Now in most states and territories in Australia, there is a 10 square meter rule. I’m just going to address the elephant in the room. I’m pretty sure in the ACT it doesn’t exist. Thank God. The people in Canberra want to look after themselves, and all the other states just think it’s okay to be reckless and let people risk themselves.
So, the legislation states you can remove 10 square meters of asbestos without a license. But it’s an inconvenient truth, as Al Gore highlighted to us, there is another part of that sentence. And that sentence, the complete sentence says, you can remove 10 square meters or less of asbestos without a license, but you must do it under controlled conditions. So, when your plumber, when your electrician, when your handyman comes around and he goes, “Oh, that’s all right. I can just take that off.” Now, there’s a red flag right there, because if you watch our video about insurance, go and watch it. They’re not insured for it. So, if something goes wrong, it’s all on you, and we’ve seen that happen. We had a job where there was a hundred-thousand-dollar loss because a handyman ripped up a floor. We’ve had another job where someone was getting some insurance work done and they did a make safe and screwed through some asbestos sheet and contaminated a whole house. That was about another hundred and something thousand dollars.
Now these individuals that were responsible for those mistakes just disappeared into the wind, okay? So this 10 square meter thing, as far as I’m concerned, should be banned. And if you work for Workplace Health and Safety and you have ever met me, that will be in the first two or three sentences that we talk about. So get it in your head, asbestos removal is only for trained, equipped, licensed and insured professionals. Letting any other person try and remove some asbestos, drill a hole on asbestos, just take a sheet off of asbestos, it’s just not on. If they think that they can do it safely, they are putting you in danger and your family in danger, because I can guarantee you, they can’t. I can guarantee you. They won’t have a HEPA vac. They have to have a HEPA vacuum cleaner. They have to have a properly face-fitted asbestos approved mask.
If they’ve got facial hair, that mask isn’t going to work, okay? So, when your tradesman comes in with his beard, and he’s just going to slap on a cheap paper mask, that’s not going to protect him from anything. That’s more fashion than anything. They’re probably good for COVID, but they are nowhere near good for asbestos. And unless they have an asbestos-related H class vacuum cleaner, it’ll have a badge this big with a big H and lines through it. So, there’s no hiding it. And nobody would peel the H class sticker off their vacuum cleaner. And it’s all about price. And it’s all about service. So, H class vacuum cleaners need to be returned to a reputable service person for DOP testing. In short, they check the filter to make sure it’s going to be done. That’s got to be done every 12 months.
These vacuum cleaners cost $2,000. Now I’m hoping you’re getting a picture in your head that your local tradesman isn’t going to have a $2,000 vacuum cleaner that he has to spend four or 500 bucks every year getting tested. He isn’t going to make sure that he’s got his face fit mask on him, that he has to have the face fit checked every 12 months if he gets a facial scar or he puts on or loses 20 kilos of weight. He probably doesn’t even know that. He probably doesn’t even know what grade filter has to go in the mask. So please, I implore you, do not let anybody ever remove, drill, nail, or break a piece of asbestos in your home or workplace that is not an asbestos removal professional. We’re everywhere. Get on the internet. We’re easy to find. A lot of us are passionate about what we do.
A lot of us are in this industry to keep people safe. And there’s nothing we hate more than some cowboy trying to save himself some money because he knows he can’t do it, but he’s going to do it anyway, and he’ll probably try and charge a bit and say, “Oh, I can make a little bit of money out of this.” It’s not legal. It’s not morally correct, and it’s downright reckless. That’s it.
So that’s it from me, Jason, from Coastal Asbestos. Sorry if I got a bit emotional there, but it just does my head in. Electricians are the only ones allowed to touch electricity. Gas guys are only allowed to touch gas and asbestos guys should be the only ones to touch asbestos. It’s just that simple. So, if you like this video, there’s plenty more over at our YouTube channel, Coastal Asbestos Removal. And that’s it from me today, Jason from Coastal Asbestos. I’ll see you later guys.