Asbestos in electrical cupboards and meter boards

Where you'll see it

• The external meter box on the front or side of the house
• The board the meter and fuses are mounted on, often dark brown or black
• Lining inside an electrical cupboard in a hallway or laundry
• Older commercial switchrooms in Bendigo's CBD and industrial areas

Why it's easy to disturb

Electrical boards get worked on more than most building materials. Every upgrade to safety switches, solar or a new circuit can mean drilling or cutting into the board. That's how dust is released, often by tradespeople who didn't expect asbestos.

What to do

1. Assume older boards may contain asbestos if the home was built or renovated before 1990.
2. Tell your electrician before any switchboard, solar or meter work, so they can plan for it.
3. Have the board sampled, by someone trained to do it safely with the power isolated, if the result affects the job.
4. Replace it under controls. Whole-board replacement keeps disturbance low, and the old board is wrapped and disposed of at a licensed facility.

Electrical work itself must be done by a licensed electrician. Where asbestos removal goes beyond the unlicensed limits, a WorkSafe Victoria licensed asbestos removalist is engaged alongside them.

Don't

• Drill, cut or sand the board to fit new equipment.
• Break it up to get it out.
• Put it in a kerbside bin or skip.

How it's tested

Boards are only sampled with the power isolated and an electrician involved, using a small core taken from the back or an edge away from live parts. Often the cheaper and safer option is to assume the board contains asbestos and plan a whole-board replacement.

Meter boards and electrical cupboards: common questions