Glossary



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Glossary of Terms

Accessible	in a physical location where building occupants or users might readily access material without use of assistance eg asbestos based material used as wall cladding on or outside of equipment in a laboratory etc.
ACM	Asbestos Containing Material
Act / Regulations	the OHS&W Act as defined by statute law in each state. (See below for the Act & Regulations in force in your state).
Air Monitoring	a scientific process to assess if an area is safe to occupy by utilising air sampling equipment and laboratory analysis.
Asbestos Abatement (Making Safe)	procedures to control fibre release from asbestos-containing materials in a building or to remove it entirely. These may involve removal, encapsulation, repair, enclosure, encasement, and operations and maintenance programs.
Asbestos	the fibrous form of mineral silicates that belong to the serpentine or amphibole groups of rock forming minerals, including actinolite, amosite (brown asbestos), anthophyllite, crocidolite (blue asbestos), chrysotile (white asbestos) and tremolite, or any combination of two or more of these. Asbestos is defined in the OHS&W regulations as any material containing more than one percent asbestos.
Asbestos Removal Work	work involving the removal of a) insulation material that consists of or contains asbestos, or other friable asbestos-containing material; or b) an asbestos cement (fibro) product, or other non friable asbestos containing material.
Asbestos Work	any work where, in the course of that work, exposure to asbestos (or any material that consists of or contains asbestos) may occur.
Avoid physical and mechanical damage	as for as practicable, limit activities (cutting, drilling, grinding, sanding, breaking, etc) on or adjacent to material such that sufficient damage to release respirable fibres is avoided.
On-Going Management Plan	the necessary steps for on-going monitoring and maintenance of asbestos containing products in a safe condition.
Inaccessible	requiring dismantling, demolition or similar to allow access eg material inside cavity walling, under floorboards, inside air conditioning ducting or plant etc.
Friable Asbestos	any asbestos materials that can be crumbled, pulverised, or reduced to powder by hand pressure. This may also include previously non friable material which becomes broken or damaged by mechanical force. *(Non bonded asbestos fabric).
Limited Access	requiring some assistance or equipment to allow access eg requiring a ladder or lifting of ceiling tiles or keys to normally locked cupboard, room etc.
Monitor Condition	carry out regular general observation of condition of material to note any changes.
NATA Laboratory	"National Association Testing Authority" (Aust) approved laboratory, used for sample analysis.
Non-friable asbestos	material that contains asbestos fibres which are bonded by cement, vinyl, resin or other similar material and cannot be crumbled, pulverised, or reduced to powder by hand pressure.
N.O.H.S.C.	the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Government Advisory Body).
O.H.S. & W.	Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare
Register	(Asbestos) Register - the document containing the results/recommendations following a building audit for asbestos materials, commenting on their location, condition and establishment of safe working policies.
Register Controller	a building owner or designated representative who is responsible for the Asbestos Register and implementation of a Hazard Management Plan
Stable	Condition good, posing minimum risk to health.
Unstable	Condition poor, posing significant risk to health.
Visible	The register is designed for visual inspection only to identify asbestos containing products of significant risk to householders. It does not identify products in inaccessible areas

The Act / Legislation

The OHS&W Act and Regulations vary slightly from state to state. Each Act has been established by statute law in each state independently. Much of this information has been shared between states. In general, all regulations refer to the uniform National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) "Codes of Practice". This register complies with the following acts and regulations and addresses responsibilities under "Duty of Care".

State / Territory	Act	Regulation
NSW	Occupational Health & Safety Act 2000	Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2001
VIC	Occupational Health & Safety Act 1985	Occupational Health & Safety (Asbestos) Regulations 2003
QLD	Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995	Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1997
SA	Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Act 1986	Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Consolidated Regulation 1995
ACT	Occupational Health and Safety Act 1989	Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 1991
TAS	Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995	Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998
WA	Occupational Health and Safety Act 1984	Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996
NT	Northern Territory of Australia Work Health Act	Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996