11084NAT Course in asbestos awareness
Learn to identify potential asbestos contamination with this half-day asbestos awareness course.
Asbestos is one of the most insidious and dangerous substances you can come across. When the loose fibres are inhaled or swallowed, it can lead to mesothelioma, a deadly and incurable cancer.
Unfortunately, asbestos was widely used in commercial and residential construction prior to the 1980’s. Whenever a building with asbestos containing materials (ACMs) is renovated or demolished, it poses significant health risks to workers. Over the years, large amounts of asbestos have even been found buried underground after old structures have been carelessly demolished.
Knowing how to identify areas where asbestos contamination is likely is a skill every tradesperson should have from the start of their career.
11084NAT Course in asbestos awareness is a nationally accredited course. It is aimed at workers who may be potentially exposed to asbestos or ACMs. This includes electricians, builders, handymen, air conditioner installers, cleaners, engineers, landscapers, and demolition crews.
The course is designed to give you the knowledge to identify and properly report asbestos containing materials and can be completed in four hours.
Completing the 11084NAT Course in Asbestos Awareness is mandatory in the ACT for all workers who are reasonably likely to work with asbestos or ACMs. Although other jurisdictions do not require this training, HSE recommends avoiding non-accredited asbestos awareness training as certificates from these courses may not be recognised by some employers, PCBUs or job sites.
Please note completion of the 11084NAT Course in Asbestos Awareness does not permit you to physically handle asbestos in any way or to work in an area where there is exposed asbestos. HSE recommends training in working with asbestos containing materials as well as removal of non-friable asbestos for those required to work in areas of potential asbestos contamination
About this course
This course is aimed at workers who in their fields of work may be potentially exposed to asbestos or asbestos containing material. The course is designed to give participants the knowledge to identify and report asbestos containing materials.
Duration: 1/2 day (4 hours)
Student/trainer ratio: 20:1
Course objectives and content
- Knowledge and skills to identify when and where asbestos and asbestos containing materials (ACM) may be present.
- Knowledge of the hazards and risks associated with asbestos exposure and inhalation.
- Precautions that need to be taken if asbestos is present.
- Reporting procedures
- An understanding of everyone’s general duty of care.
Qualification for successful participants
Statement of attainment in:
11084NAT Course in asbestos awareness
Combine training courses for comprehensive asbestos safety skills
Height Safety Engineers also suggests completing 10852NAT Course in working safely with asbestos containing materials, as a follow-up to the asbestos awareness training course. This course gives participants the skills and knowledge needed to safely cut into, drill into or undertake other minor works on asbestos sheeting and other asbestos containing materials.
Like the asbestos awareness course, the working safely with asbestos containing materials training is a requirement to be undertaken by those working in a range of different occupations, before they are allowed to undertake work in the Australian Capital Territory.
For comprehensive asbestos safety training, HSE strongly recommends students undertaking 11084NAT Course in asbestos awareness also complete 10852NAT Course in working safely with asbestos containing materials.
The dangers of asbestos
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that resists exposure to fire, sound, water, and chemicals. It is composed of millions of fibres. Fibres that become airborne pose serious health risks to anyone who breathes them in.
Asbestos never deteriorates, which is why it was originally used for construction purposes. Asbestos sheeting could be very strong yet lightweight material, making it easy to handle and install.
There are two types of asbestos – friable (bonded) and non-friable (non-bonded).
Friable asbestos is a material containing asbestos that when dry, is in powder form or may be crushed or pulverised into powder form using your hand. This material poses a higher risk of exposing people to airborne asbestos fibres.
Non-friable asbestos products are solid, and you can’t crumble them in your hand. The asbestos has been mixed with a bonding compound such as cement. The fibres of non-friable asbestos can still be dangerous. When cracked, damaged, or drilled through the fibres can become airborne, making them very easy to inhale.
11084NAT Course in asbestos awareness FAQs
At HSE, we recommend that every tradesperson undertake asbestos awareness training. Although it has not been used in new construction for nearly 40 years, it is still widely found in buildings across Australia.
Most states and territories have workplace safety laws that require tradespeople, and others likely to be working in places that may have asbestos contamination, to undertake some sort of training in asbestos awareness. This is so they can identify where contamination is likely to exist and then implement procedures to mitigate the risk of exposure or inhalation of fibres.
11084NAT Course in asbestos awareness is a nationally recognised training course. This means that no matter where you are in Australia, the statement of attainment achieved from successful completion of this training course will be recognised.
While there are other asbestos awareness training courses available from other training providers, they may not be nationally recognised. For participants, this can cause issues as many employers, PCBUs, contractors or job sites require completion of a nationally recognised unit of competency to satisfy their own rules and procedures for meeting asbestos awareness workplace safety obligations.
For those looking to undertake work in the ACT, completion of 11084NAT Course in asbestos awareness is mandated by law.
No. This course does not allow you to handle, work on or remove asbestos or asbestos containing materials.
10852NAT Course in working safely with asbestos containing materials gives participants skills in completing minor works in areas of asbestos contamination.
CPCCDE3014 Remove non-friable asbestos is a two-day course that teaches participants how to safely undertake the removal of non-friable asbestos.
