Global Asbestos Audits’ Sydney team services commercial property owners, landlords, property managers, and developers throughout Greater Sydney and across New South Wales. Whether your premises are located in the CBD, the inner suburbs, Western Sydney, or regional NSW, our network of qualified consultants, inspectors, and assessors is ready to help you identify, manage, and document asbestos risk at your property.
About Global Asbestos Audits Sydney
Sydney is one of Australia’s most commercially active cities, and it is also home to a substantial volume of older commercial building stock, much of it constructed during the decades when asbestos was in widespread use. Global Asbestos Audits works with Sydney-based property owners and managers to assess, document, and manage asbestos risk in accordance with the legislative requirements that apply in New South Wales.
Initial enquiries are always welcome by phone or email. We are happy to discuss your situation and provide guidance before any site visit is required. Because every property is unique, however, our consultants typically conduct an on-site consultation to properly scope your premises, gain a thorough understanding of the building’s history, and tailor their recommendations accordingly.
Australia’s nationwide ban on the importation, manufacture, and use of asbestos was phased in from the 1980s and took full effect on 31 December 2003. Prior to that date, asbestos was used extensively across the construction industry in products including plasterboard, fibro cement sheeting, insulation, roofing materials, floor tiles, electrical boards, and fire-retardant linings. Given Sydney’s volume of commercial buildings constructed before 2003, asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) remain a significant legacy concern for a large proportion of the city’s existing building stock.
Our Sydney team regularly attends sites prior to demolition or major renovation to assess asbestos risk and confirm the presence or absence of ACMs. From there, we coordinate testing, remediation, and removal, and once ACMs have been cleared, we issue the necessary clearance certificates. Throughout the entire process, everything is thoroughly documented through our asbestos reports and asbestos registers in accordance with New South Wales legal requirements.
We are also seeing an increasing incidence of asbestos contamination arising from contaminated fill material and from imported products originating in countries where asbestos regulation is less stringent. Global Asbestos Audits can help you identify and quantify your exposure risk. With the health consequences of asbestos exposure now well understood, a ‘wait and see’ approach is no longer viable. Left unmanaged, asbestos risk can expose workers and tenants to serious health hazards while creating significant legal liability for property owners and landlords.
Services Provided Through Our Sydney Team
Global Asbestos Audits provides a comprehensive range of services to help commercial property owners, landlords, and property managers meet their legal obligations. Services available in Sydney and throughout NSW include:
- Division 5 asbestos audits (visual inspection)
- Division 6 asbestos audits (more intrusive inspection)
- Asbestos inspections and asbestos testing
- Asbestos reports
- Compilation of asbestos registers
- Asbestos management plans
- Asbestos air testing and clearance certificates
- Pre-demolition asbestos assessments and ACM identification
- Remediation and removal coordination
- Ongoing asbestos management
- Silica air testing, monitoring, and management
Our team draws on years of practical experience and a thorough understanding of the legal requirements in each Australian state and territory to provide recommendations on how best to manage any asbestos exposure identified at your property.
Legislative Considerations for Asbestos Management in New South Wales
Asbestos management in New South Wales is governed by a framework of state and federal legislation administered by several government agencies. The primary legislation affecting commercial property owners and landlords includes:
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW): the primary legislation governing asbestos management in NSW workplaces, including commercial premises. The WHS Regulation sets out specific duties for persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) with respect to the identification, management, and removal of asbestos.
- The How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 provides detailed practical guidance on identifying, recording, and managing asbestos to meet the required legal standard.
- The Demolition Work Code of Practice 2015 sets out requirements for managing asbestos during demolition and major renovation projects.
- Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) and the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014 regulate the transport and disposal of asbestos waste in New South Wales.
- The Contaminated Land Management Act 1997 (NSW) may apply where asbestos is present as a result of contaminated fill, imported materials, or environmental incidents on or near a property.
Key obligations for NSW commercial property owners and managers include:
- Maintaining an asbestos register for any workplace building: commercial buildings constructed before 1 January 1990 must have an asbestos register unless the absence of asbestos has been confirmed.
- Preparing and maintaining an asbestos management plan where asbestos or ACMs have been identified at a workplace.
- Notifying SafeWork NSW before certain asbestos removal or disturbance work takes place.
- Ensuring that licensed asbestos removalists carry out any removal work, and that clearance certificates are obtained upon completion.
Important: SafeWork NSW conducts regular compliance audits targeting businesses operating from buildings constructed before 1990. Non-compliance can result in improvement notices, prohibition notices, on-the-spot fines, and other enforcement action. Ensuring your asbestos register and management plan are current and accurate is not optional: it is a legal requirement.
What Is the First Step If You Suspect Your Property Contains Asbestos?
Stop! Don’t disturb it!
If you suspect asbestos-containing materials may be present at your property, the single most important thing you can do is leave those materials undisturbed. Drilling, cutting, sanding, or otherwise damaging ACMs can release asbestos fibres into the air, creating an immediate and serious health hazard for anyone in the vicinity.
Once you have made the area safe, give us a call or email us with a brief description of your situation, and we can work out the rest from there. Sending through some photos is also very helpful and allows us to provide a more accurate initial assessment before attending the site.
Phone: 1800 635 977
Email: [email protected]
We Have Locations, Consultants, Assessors, and Contractors Right Across Australia
While our national coordination is managed from Brisbane, Global Asbestos Audits operates throughout Australia. Our network of qualified consultants, inspectors, assessors, and contractors is active in capital cities including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as in older manufacturing precincts and regional areas right across the country.
No matter where your property is located, we can connect you with the right expertise. Our national reach means you receive consistent, high-quality service and advice aligned with the specific legislative requirements of your state or territory.Contact our Sydney Team today to discuss your requirements, and we will make sure the right people are on the case.