Asbestos Air Monitoring in Bendigo
Air monitoring measures whether asbestos fibres are escaping into the air during and after removal. On every friable job in Victoria it is mandatory, and it is carried out independently of the removal crew.
When it is required
Air monitoring must be in place for the whole of any Class A (friable) asbestos removal job. It is required again at completion: before a clearance certificate can be issued, results must show airborne fibres below 0.01 fibres per millilitre in the areas sampled.
It is also commonly used where the law does not require it:
- Large bonded jobs near occupied areas, such as a school roof during term or a shop that stays open
- After an accidental disturbance, such as a tradesperson cutting into fibro unknowingly
- When an owner or tenant wants assurance before reoccupying a space
Why independence matters
The person monitoring the air cannot be the removalist doing the job. Monitoring is a check on the work, not a self-assessment. On a typical Bendigo job, the licensed removalist engages an independent occupational hygienist or asbestos assessor, who places the pumps, collects the filters and reports the results.
The Bendigo Asbestos Removal process for air monitoring
Background sampling
Air is sampled before work starts to set a baseline.
Pump placement
Air pumps with filter cassettes go outside the enclosure, at entry points and near occupied areas.
Sampling during removal
Air is drawn through the filters over set periods while work is under way.
Laboratory counting
Filters are analysed and fibres counted, with results reported to the removalist and to you.
Response to high readings
Work stops while the cause is found and fixed: a torn enclosure, a failed extraction unit or an unsealed vent.
Clearance monitoring
After the final clean and visual inspection, the work area is sampled once more. That result goes on the clearance certificate.
What to expect from air monitoring
- Monitoring as its own line in your friable removal quote, charged for each day of the job.
- Results reported to you as well as the removalist.
- A final clearance result recorded on the certificate before anyone reoccupies the area.
- Travel charges possible for Castlemaine and Heathcote jobs.
Friable job coming up? Line up the monitoring early.
Monitoring in Bendigo
Most monitoring around Bendigo accompanies ceiling removals in 1950s–80s homes, pipe-lagging removal in older schools and halls, and staged commercial jobs where parts of a building stay in use. Jobs near neighbouring homes on tight inner-Bendigo blocks often add perimeter sampling points.
Monitoring across Bendigo and district
Independent monitoring for friable removal is available in Bendigo, Kangaroo Flat, Strathfieldsaye, Eaglehawk, Golden Square, Castlemaine and Heathcote.
Air monitoring: common questions
Is air monitoring needed for a bonded fibro job?
It isn't required for bonded (non-friable) removal in Victoria, but it is sometimes used on large jobs near people.
Who arranges and pays for it?
On a home job, the licensed removalist normally engages the independent monitor and includes the cost in your quote.
What does 0.01 fibres/mL mean?
It is the level the air in the work area must be below, at the end of a friable job, before a clearance certificate can be issued.
Can monitoring be done after an accident?
Yes. If material has already been disturbed, monitoring and an inspection show whether fibres have spread and what clean-up is needed.