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  •  > Asbestos
  •  > Asbestos in the workplace

Asbestos - useful websites and documents

There are many other sources of information on asbestos - in Australia and Internationally

Australia
  • From WorkSafe Victoria:
    • The Asbestos Topic information page
    • Two new Compliance Codes:Managing asbestos in workplaces and Removing asbestos in workplaces
    •   Asbestos - A Handbook for workplaces
    • Recycling Construction and Demolition Material - jointly developed with and endorsed by the EPA and Sustainability Victoria, describes an auditable procedure to verify that asbestos-containing material has been removed from construction and demolition materials prior to recycling 
    • Removing asbestos before demolition or refurbishement   - provides advice about identifying and removing fixed or installed asbestos before demolition or refurbishment work is carried out in a workplace, or on plant or machinery. 
    • Asbestos-contaminated soil   - provides advice for any person (including employers, removalists and commercial contractors) inspecting, removing, transporting or disposing of asbestos-contaminated soil.

  • The Code of Practice for the Safe Removal of Asbestos 2nd Edition [NOHSC:2002(2005)]; The Code of Practice for the Management and Control of Asbestos in the Workplace [NOHSC:2018(2005)] and Guidance Note on the Membrane Filter Method for Estimating Airborne Asbestos Fibres 2nd Edition [NOHSC:3003(2005)] (National Occupational Health and Safety Commission, 1988.) These documents can be accessed from this page of the SafeWork Australia website

  • A new publication from enHealth: Management of Asbestos in the Non-Occupational Environment [pdf]
  • Asbestos, lead and other chemicals - a webpage on the Victorian Government's Environmental Health website. A copy of a booklet on Asbestos in the Home can be downloaded here, as well as more information

  • From NSW Workcover a new Guide: Working with Asbestos

  • Asbestos Kills [pdf] - a publication from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)

  • Australian Asbestos Network a collaboration between medical and public health researchers along with journalists and historians, the Network has a website  which aims to be a one-stop-shop for information about asbestos. The Network says the site is unique for its stories of real people telling about asbestos and for relating the history of asbestos mining and manufacturing in Australia.  In addition it contains medical information about asbestos-related diseases and public health information on how to minimize exposure through safe handling. 

International
  • International Ban Asbestos Secretariat - Provides international news and updates on asbestos, information on asbestos related disease and links to other asbestos sites. It also has a number of publications, such as the November 2008 India's Asbestos Time Bomb [pdf]

United Kingdom
  • From the UK's HSE, a range of resources on their Asbestos site including:

    • A Short Guide to Managing Asbestos in Premises [ pdf] -  good information on where asbestos might be found, photographs and general advice. Note however: this guide is consistent with UK regulations, not Victorian ones.

    • Asbestos the hidden killer, a web video, featuring a carpenter diagnosed with the terminal lung cancer.

    • Asbestos kills: A quick guide to protecting yourself - [PDF 250KB] Pocket card for workers in trades, having contact with asbestos.  

    • Asbestos kills: Protect yourself! [PDF 265KB] - Your future health is still at serious risk, guidance for those who work with asbestos.  

  • New asbestos resources produced by the UK-based Forum of Asbestos Victim Support Groups. The podcast – an online, downloadable audio report - is narrated by Tony Robinson, a very popular TV and radio presenter in the UK, and a prominent trade unionist in his own right. The resources were put together as part of activities for the UK ActionMesothelioma Day, 27 February. This is a day of action to highlight the need for more research and prevention efforts on the asbestos cancer mesothelioma, which is now killing record numbers in the UK – the annual toll in now 2,000 deaths and is rising. While the figures may be different for Australia, the same messages and the same warnings apply. 
    • Action Mesothelioma website
    • Action Mesothelioma podcast
    • Action Mesothelioma short film
  • The Asbestos page on the Trade Union Congress OHS Website
United States
There are many sites in the US which provide advice (and services) to sufferers of asbestos related diseases. Here are a number of these - note however, that they recommend doctors in the US and other services, as well as information and advice. By including these links, the OHS Reps @ Work is not endorsing any of the content.

  • The Asbestos Diseases Awareness Organisation (ADAO) - this independent US organisation funded through voluntary contributions and staffed by volunteers was founded by asbestos victims and their families. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to help ensure their rights are fairly represented and protected, while raising public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and often deadly asbestos related diseases. 
  • Mesothelioma Support Center -  The centre "strives to provide a complete resource on all aspects of malignant mesothelioma - a cancer uniquely linked to just a brief exposure to asbestos." The website has been created by a dedicated team of researchers in the fields of law, medicine, history, journalism, industrial science and safety, chemistry and geology.
  • Mesothelioma Web: a well-established and comprehensive sites on mesothelioma, providing facts about care, nutrition, and chemotherapy, as well as information on clinical trials. Mesothelioma Web is constantly adding new information and articles, including international news. Visitors can also sign up to receive a free information packet on asbestos exposure. 
  • The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center: accredited by the Health On The Net Foundation and approved by DisabilityInfo.gov as a reliable source of information about asbestos exposure and the related health issues, including the development of asbestos-caused diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Through public outreach efforts and the distribution of informational materials, the Center aims to increase awareness of the dangers of asbestos exposure. It provides information about asbestos exposure, mesothelioma treatment, and financial assistance for those suffering from an asbestos disease. 
  • The Asbestos Epidemic in America: this website provides the most thorough review to date of the size and scope of the public health tragedy caused by asbestos in the United States. It provides the public with new, localized information on asbestos-related diseases, deaths, and contamination sources. Original research is combined with a detailed list of products that expose the public to asbestos, a review of the failed 1989 attempt by EPA to ban asbestos, and an analysis of businesses with the most deaths from the asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. It also includes a discussion of asbestos diseases and how even short-term exposures can produce tragic outcomes.
  • Mesothelioma Cancer - resources on mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. 
  • PleuralMesothelioma.com - the website of the US Pleural Mesothelioma Center

Important Asbestos in the workplace Information

  • FAQs

    • Asbestos removalists - how can I find a suitable one?
  • Items

    • Asbestos - what is it?
    • Asbestos Action Plan for Reps
    • Checklist for your employer's duty to manage asbestos
    • National Asbestos Summit: June 2010
    • When you can't breathe
    • Asbestos Disease Support Groups
  • Regulations

    • Legal Standards for Asbestos