A South Australian licensed asbestos removalist and demolition contractor has had his (Class B) asbestos removal license suspended immediately after a joint investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency and SafeWork SA.
From those investigations, it was found that the contractor had created a number of risks to the health and safety of people.
On one occasion, the contractor had failed to remove asbestos from a residential property in its entirety, while on another occasion, did not fully decontaminate an area that had asbestos present.
It was also found that the contractor failed to engage the services of an independent licensed asbestos assessor to complete a clearance inspection, required to verify the safety of an area before carrying out planned demolition work.
The failures to comply with section 19 of the Work Health and Safety Act meant that there was a risk to the health and safety of others.
Martyn Campbell, SafeWork SA Executive Director explained that despite the current global health crisis, SafeWork SA is continuing its operations and that included compliance and enforcement activity.
“During this unprecedented time in business, businesses may think they can avoid compliance, however, our attention continues on matters that pose a serious or imminent risk to health and safety”, said Mr Campbell.