Lee Gonzalez
Picture this! You organise a backyard weekend kids birthday party, or invite friends for a bbq etc … and the neighbour has not bothered to inform you that he/she is demolishing (with sledgehammers) an asbestos shed in their back yard. The neighbour has no legal or moral obligations to do so.
CURRENTLY in Tassie there is no state government or local council policy regulation to protect homeowners from neighbouring residents reckless asbestos removal.
Picture this! You organise a backyard weekend kids birthday party, or invite friends for a bbq etc … and the neighbour has not bothered to inform you that he/she is demolishing (with sledgehammers) an asbestos shed in their back yard. The neighbour has no legal or moral obligations to do so.
This all comes about because the neighbor (DIY) is not officially in a workplace environment. You can try as much as you want to inform Workplace & Safety Tassie; while your concerns may be heard by them, they will dismiss what you say.
The, if you are lucky, you get hold of your local council environmental office after hours on a weekend, and they will say the same … “It”s not a workplace … and there is no legal or moral
obligation policy in place… and forget about the Duty Of Care … it doesn’t exist …
To be fair, some council in Tassie are approachable in issues such as this; (Huon Valley Council is one that comes to mind) … but, many councils do not want to know, and at the end of the day … all Tassie councils have nil policy whereby they do not have to be legally or morally accountable for reckless asbestos removal in residential/rural areas throughout Tassie.
Most mainland councils have a safe removal of asbestos policy in place … Ashfield Council and Holroyd Council are just two councils who have implemented such a policy. I urge you to google them, and also do your own reasearch on the impact of reckless asbestos removal in the Owner Builder/DIY; you will be surprised, many people think they are covered under the Tasmanian Workplace & Safety Act and also the Tasmanian Building Act 2000 … but you are not … and if you still find yourself scratching your head in bewilderment, check out your home insurance policy regarding asbestos removal (fine print). Insurance companies do not invite/cover such a reckless activity, yet council and state goverment — including Tasmanian Workplace & Safety, put their heads in the sand. Very much a contradiction!
Asbestos in Tassie can be removed for a minimal amount, that not only protects neighboring residents, but the Owner Builder, their families /DIYetc., for around $250 (see Ashfield Council) through having a Council policy in place.
It not only raises council revenue, but creates a safe environment for all.
Win, win …
