Frequently asked questions

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fibre that was widely used in Australian building materials from the 1940s to the early 2000s. Its fibres are microscopic and become dangerous when airborne. Inhaling asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, with symptoms that may not appear for 20 to 50 years after exposure. No safe level of exposure has been established.

The import, manufacture and use of asbestos was banned nationally on 31 December 2003. Any building constructed or renovated before this date may contain asbestos-containing materials.

You cannot identify asbestos by looking at it. Many asbestos-containing products look identical to non-asbestos equivalents. If your home was built or renovated before 2004, asbestos may be present in wall linings, ceilings, eaves, wet areas, roofing, vinyl floor tiles, electrical backing boards and other materials. Laboratory analysis through licensed testing is the only way to confirm.

Bonded (non-friable) asbestos has its fibres firmly bound into a solid matrix, such as cement sheeting. Friable asbestos can be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry, and presents a much higher exposure risk. The classification determines the removal licence class, the controls, the clearance requirements and the cost. Bonded material that deteriorates badly enough can be reclassified as friable.

Asbestos in good condition that is not disturbed presents a low risk. It becomes a concern when it is damaged, deteriorating, or when renovation, demolition or maintenance will disturb it. Material in stable condition can often be managed in place under an asbestos register and management plan with periodic condition reviews.

The WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) requires a person with management or control of a workplace to identify whether asbestos is present. If a material cannot be identified with certainty, it must be assumed to contain asbestos or sampled and tested. For demolition, a refurbishment and demolition survey is required before works begin. Residential premises are not generally subject to the workplace asbestos-register provisions, though contractors carrying out the work still have duties to identify and manage asbestos their work may disturb. See our asbestos testing guide for the full picture.

Home testing kits exist, but a licensed assessor provides a documented result suitable for project planning, contractor engagement, compliance records and regulatory review. Self-collected samples may not be representative, may miss concealed materials and carry a risk of fibre exposure if collected incorrectly.

The on-site inspection typically takes one to three hours for a standard residential property. Laboratory results are usually returned within 48 hours. Express turnaround, typically 24 hours or same-day, is available at additional cost.

It means the assessor identified a material that is visually identical to a tested sample and applied the laboratory result to it on a representative basis. It has not been individually tested. If certainty is required for a specific section of material, that section should be sampled directly. The testing guide explains representative sampling and its limitations in detail.

A non-destructive survey inspects accessible materials without significant damage to the building and is used for occupied buildings, management planning and due diligence. A destructive survey opens wall cavities, lifts floor coverings and accesses concealed areas, and is used before renovation or demolition when the building is vacant. A destructive survey identifies materials hidden behind later renovations that a non-destructive survey cannot reach.

You may remove up to 10 square metres of bonded asbestos without a licence, but the work must comply with the How to Safely Remove Asbestos Code of Practice 2021 (Qld), including wetting the material, hand tools only, double-wrapped waste and disposal at a licensed facility. Any quantity of friable asbestos requires a Class A licensed removalist. Full detail in our removal guide.

A straightforward bonded removal on a residential property may take a day. Larger bonded jobs typically take two to five days. Friable removal takes longer because of the enclosure setup, smoke testing, decontamination and clearance process, ranging from several days to several weeks depending on scope.

For bonded removal, it depends on whether the work area can be effectively isolated from occupied parts of the house. For friable removal, the work area and surroundings are typically vacated. The removalist will advise based on the specific site and scope.

If bonded material breaks down to the point it can be crumbled by hand, it is reclassified as friable. Work stops, the area is reassessed and Class A controls must be implemented before removal resumes. This is why bonded removal uses wet methods and hand tools to keep the material intact.

No. Asbestos waste is classified as regulated waste under the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019 (Qld) and must be disposed of at a facility licensed to accept it. Placing asbestos in general waste, kerbside collection or unauthorised tips is an offence.

A nominated supervisor is the person named on a Class A removal licence who holds certification in both removing friable asbestos and supervising asbestos removal, with at least three years of relevant industry experience following completion of those qualifications. They must be physically present at the removal area whenever Class A work is being carried out.

The full package: Asbestos Removal Control Plan, Safe Work Method Statement, notification confirmation, clearance certificate, air monitoring results where applicable, waste tracking certificates and disposal dockets. Retain these for the life of the property. The removal guide describes each document.

A written certificate issued after a clearance inspection, stating that no visible asbestos residue was found in or around the removal area and, where air monitoring was conducted, that airborne fibres were below 0.01 fibres per millilitre. Under section 474 of the WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld), it must be issued before the area is reoccupied. Our clearance guide covers the full process.

For friable (Class A) removal, a licensed asbestos assessor who is independent of the removalist and of any business involved in the removal. For bonded (Class B) removal, an independent competent person holding the qualifications set out in the WHS Regulation. A licensed asbestos assessor can issue clearance for both classes.

No. The person carrying out the clearance must be independent of the removalist and of any business involved in the removal whose work is being cleared, so the person verifying the work has no commercial interest in passing it.

It is the clearance indicator: the maximum airborne fibre concentration permitted for an area to pass clearance air monitoring. It is one tenth of the workplace exposure standard of 0.1 fibres/mL. Samples are collected using the membrane filter method and counted under phase contrast microscopy at a NATA-accredited laboratory.

No. The removal area must not be reoccupied by anyone, including follow-on trades, until the certificate has been issued. Project programmes should allow for the clearance process when scheduling trades after removal.

Most commonly through past demolition where materials were buried on site, imported fill of unverified origin, fire and storm damage spreading fragments, illegal dumping, and in some parts of Queensland, naturally occurring asbestos in the geology. Contamination is often invisible on the surface. Our soil guide covers assessment and remediation in detail.

Stop work immediately, restrict access and do not disturb the material further. A licensed asbestos assessor or environmental consultant attends the site, assesses the find and provides a documented response. Work cannot resume in the affected area until the material has been assessed and controls are in place.

Yes, provided the contamination is properly assessed and either remediated or managed under an approved strategy. Development approvals typically require a site investigation report and, where remediation is carried out, a validation report confirming the site meets the ASC NEPM criteria for the intended use.

It depends on the circumstances. Sites where contamination has been identified may be listed on the Environmental Management Register (EMR). Sites posing a risk of serious environmental harm may be listed on the Contaminated Land Register (CLR). Both are publicly searchable and routinely checked during property transactions and development applications.

As a general guide, bonded asbestos removal in Queensland typically ranges from $50 to $250 per square metre depending on the type, quantity, accessibility, location and condition of the material. Friable removal is significantly more expensive because of the enclosure, negative pressure, decontamination, mandatory air monitoring and independent clearance. Every project is quoted on its specific site conditions. See the cost guide for the full breakdown.

Because not all quotes include the same scope. One quote may include waste disposal, clearance certification and full documentation while another excludes these as extras. Always compare like for like and confirm what is included before accepting. A low headline price that excludes waste, clearance or documentation is not a comparable quote.

Yes. Even a small removal carries fixed costs for mobilisation, PPE, waste transport, disposal and documentation. This is why very small quantities have a higher per-square-metre rate than larger projects.

Yes. We deliver the full sequence: testing and assessment, removal, air monitoring and clearance and regulated waste disposal as one coordinated scope. Where Queensland legislation requires independent verification — including Class A air monitoring and clearance — it is undertaken by an independent licensed asbestos assessor who is not involved in the removal business for that project.

Yes. As licensed asbestos assessors and Environmental Authority holders, we provide independent air monitoring, clearance certification and regulated waste coordination for projects removed by other licensed contractors.

We service Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Ipswich, Townsville, the Whitsundays and Mt Isa, and travel for project work statewide across Queensland.

Ask us for the licence numbers and verify them through the WorkSafe Queensland licence search. Our licences and Environmental Authority are also listed on our contact page. We encourage clients to verify credentials before engaging any asbestos contractor.