10 November 2023

South Australian tradespeople and home renovators are being asked to Think Twice About Asbestos this month.

National Asbestos Awareness Week 2023 marks 20 years since asbestos was completely banned in Australia and will be held from 20-26 November.

The theme of this year's campaign is “Think Twice About Asbestos”.

Public events include an interactive forum presented by SafeWork SA on the management of asbestos. The one-hour forum will be held on Monday 20 November at 1pm. Register here.

Key focus areas of the forum will be:

  • 2023 asbestos management campaign results
  • Who has management or control of the workplace
  • Asbestos registers
  • Asbestos management plans
  • Managing Demolition and Refurbishment work
  • SafeWork SA's asbestos licence holder sanctions
  • Asbestos management enforcement in 2024
  • A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Two memorial services will be held in Adelaide during the week. The Asbestos Disease Society of SA will host a Memorial Day event at Jack Watkins Reserve, Kilburn on Thursday 23 November at 1pm. The Asbestos Victims Association (SA) Inc will hold a service at Pitman Park, Salisbury, on Friday 24 November at 10.30am.

National Asbestos Awareness Week is organised by the Australian Government’s Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency, in partnership with state and territory government agencies and non-government organisations.

The campaign pack provides a range of materials for organisations and individuals to use. Design files are also available for you to insert your own logo.

An estimated 4,000 Australians die annually from asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos has been completely banned in Australia since December 2003.

While two decades have passed since the ban, a significant amount of ageing asbestos-containing material remains in our built environment, which means there is an ongoing need for vigilance to prevent exposure to asbestos fibres and a need to focus on safe, proactive removal.

Further links:

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