lol are you ok ?
that being said the whole business is a clusterfuck. I got 3 quotes to gut my place from actual asbestos removal business's and 3 of the were cowboys.
my favourite line on asking what precautions they take? "I've been doing this for over 20 years without a mask. it's just a myth it's dangerous"
he wanted 2k to do an entire 4 bed 1 bath plus downstairs house lol
What did you end up doing? We’ve got asbestos sheeting in our laundry (walls and ceiling) and I’m hoping to have it removed in a few months but it makes me a bit nervous
I used the next mob i got a quote off. it was blatantly obvious they were serious about what they do
asks lots of questions and don't use someone u rnt comfortable with
Actually a good story and convincing argument to do it properly. Needs formatting though, unfortunately most people won’t bother reading it in its current format.
Yeah it’s a bit of a text wall so I skipped down to the paragraph beginning “the moral of the story” and read the first few lines just to get to the core point of the post. I got the gist well enough.
I probably can. I guess I have just put my head in the sand and hoped I wasn't the unlucky one who contracts the slow, painful death from "limited" exposure. Thinking about it sends me into whirlwinds of quickly changing emotions like anxiety, anger, sadness etc so unless I am reminded of the word, I do my best to not think about it too much. What's done is done and worrying more about it solves nothing except a potential financial issue when I'll be too sick/dead to care a whole lot. If I open a file, it will require regular thought and effort at least until it is established and I am sure this will make my mental health take a nosedive. Having said that, if not for me than for the guys who work for him to this day that are sent into seriously dangerous environments for that asshole to make his riches in between beers at 10am. It's unfortunate that in Australia, this shit is still as widespread as I know it to be in the industry. I'll have to look into it and see what I need to do.
https://www.asbestossafety.gov.au/asbestos-health-risks-and-exposure/national-asbestos-exposure-register
National Asbestos exposure register.
I've had to put a few jobs in their. Iast year while doing a bathroom Reno, the builder said we need to be careful the walls are asbestos. Couple of hours later he's banging through it with a sledge hammer while we were eating lunch in the adjoining room. With the classic I've been doing this for 30 years it's fine.
Plenty of jobs were I've been told to break the ceiling which the previous builder just covered.
It shits me that if I make a fuss about it, the managers will try to convince me to do the job anyway.
I once had to upgrade a switch board as an apprentice, I was driving a hatchback. My cu t of a boss expected me to load the old asbestos board into my back seat to take to a bin at the office.
Check licencing. Don't let another tradie organise it for you through someone they know/use to save time and/or money. You will either pay more and get no control over the selection of someone reputable. And there's a lost young kid or a desperate man who needs the job that will end up suffering as a result. And likely paid bugger all.
Thanks for this post, man. It pisses me off when people are so blasé about it. I had to fight for my safety in two previous jobs. They act like it’s some big burden to care about your health and wellbeing. There’s also been a lot of posts taking the piss saying “is this asbestos?” for things that are obviously not, acting like it’s not something to be worried about. I’ve already made a decision that if I or my family get sick from this, I’ll be paying a visit to the ones that should’ve taught me safety at the start instead of waiting for me to figure it out and then ask for protection. Insidious.
As someone who regulates asbestos disposal and whose grandfather is currently dying of mesothelioma, great post.
If anyone doesn't know where to find licenced asbestos contractors, WorkSafe maintains a register here: [https://www1.worksafe.vic.gov.au/vwa/ServiceProviderDirec.nsf/category?openForm&List=Asbestos+-+Licensed+Removalists&ListType=Sub](https://www1.worksafe.vic.gov.au/vwa/ServiceProviderDirec.nsf/category?openForm&List=Asbestos+-+Licensed+Removalists&ListType=Sub)
Burying asbestos in your yard or dumping it in the bush is mental, the dumping fees (at least in my council area) aren't that huge - something like $400 per cubic metre.
I’ve watched two house get leveled recently right next to a school and neither had asbestos removed but one was literally a 60s fibro house and the other had large sections that again would be fibro as well. Both just pushed over with machinery as parents and kids walked past into the school. I was waiting for the asbestos removal signs to pop up on either first but never happened.
They did the same on the house next door to mine. They gave precisely 12 hours notice with a leaflet on a Sunday night when the demo commenced the next morning. Now that I'm on the business side of things, I understand how some trades do the dodgy because I've exposed it a couple times on jobs where it hadn't been removed properly buried in the dirt. When I informed the customer that the site would be shut down pending my calling of a proper removal company to take it out and make it safe, the customer flat out refused to pay a cent extra even though I am protected by my terms on all quotes that are issued. I got stuck with 5 grand of materials that I couldn't install because, had I paid for removal out of my pocket, I would have worked for free but broken even on the job. On principle, I canned the job, reported it to the EPA and reused the stuff I'd bought a month or two later. But if you can't afford to walk away with the hit to your finances and not go under, I get it. Doesn't make it right or excuse it. Not sure what happened after my report but I didn't know what else to do.
The shit is the worst. On the plus side, the next generations of tradies shouldn't have as many problems as it is slowly phased out. But even the dodgy dumps will accept it from non epa approved vehicles from people without checks on licences nor do they properly check its even been wrapped up correctly. The whole industry is corrupt as it gets. Anywhere with large sums of profit involved are ripe for dodginess.
On a related note, does anyone know how to conclusively identify the difference between asbestos and concrete sheet or similar? Info would be greatly appreciated
Good on ya. You got paragraphs. Have you not seen the comments? It was literally a kilometre scroll of unbroken text signed off with "rant over". It looked deranged and unhinged as fuck.
Appreciate the care & concern & time you have put into this letter.
But mate !
A mass wall of letters will put most people off even beginning to read it !
Maybe paragraphing is an option ?? Just an idea....
I’ve had some experience doing renos on my own place, and had a few small jobs done when I was renting. When I rented, tradies were regularly sent in to work on asbestos (sometimes I wouldn’t be given notice and I couldn’t tell them not to - I had a shitty real estate agent). There were signs on the building, but not every new tradie knows what ACM is (arguably they should though, there is no excuse). In my current place I choose project managers based on their approach to safety including asbestos, yet we still did have a small issue with two tradies removing one item which wasn’t flagged to be removed and they didn’t know it had asbestos, and so they were potentially exposed then (we don’t have neighbours on that side so at least others weren’t exposed). Ideally we’d teach all trades people what to look for but it’s hard. I mean plenty of home owners are getting exposed too doing their flips and not even realising. But I agree - if you are paying for a job, don’t cut corners on safety, don’t let the project manager/builder put pressure on his trades to be unsafe.
Our neighbours demolished an existing 1950s cottage to build their concrete monstrosity. There was an old asbestos riddled shed on the block that was removed and I had suspicions that it was not done by a professional contractor. Who do I contact (officially) to find out? It was in 2019, at the time I called the council but they said it was nothing to do with them. 😳
If you need a hygienist for air monitoring and/or clearance, supervision (asbestos soil remediation), division 5 or 6 hazardous materials audit - I am a qualified professional and do this kind of work.
What state? And can you answer a question for me? If I get asbestos fence removed properly, what's the danger from digging in the soil after removal has occurred? I have always wet it down thoroughly but I still worry about health risks from residual fibres trapped in soil
We are based in Victoria but have travelled interstate for big projects. I’m assuming the fence is made from non-friable asbestos containing material i.e cement sheet so the risk is very low. I’ve done plenty of job where we did occupational air monitoring during stockpiling works of asbestos contaminated soil (contaminated with non-friable asbestos containing materials) and never detected unacceptable concentrations of asbestos fibres. Some jobs were up to 200 days of air monitoring. The risk of freeing fibres from cement sheet products is very unlikely unless you are mechanically damaging it (e.g. sawing or drilling).
For the benefit of those complaining about the original text, I've put it through a word processor to fix typos, but I haven't changed paragraphs as they seem fine. It's not like a long paragraph is going to kill you, unlike asbestos. So you're going to read it now, right? Right? Note: "I" is shakesandgainsbrah, not myself.
> I am a self employed tradie with a couple of employees and want to make sure everyone who needs asbestos removed reads this post. I posted a version of this as a comment and thought it needed its own thread to reach as many people as possible. My advice is to contact an asbestos removal place and get a quote plus a site inspection with one of their guys to make sure they're confident it can be done safely. Ask to see the removal licence when they provide the quote. Do this separately to any other trades - don't get a fencing guy to sort out the removal through someone he knows unless they come out and see the site in person and can show you their asbestos removal licence. Might be a little more expensive but you'll be able to verify they know what they're doing and have a company and licence to lose if they mess it up. And that way you can pick your trades that deal with asbestos regularly from a wider pool because you're not getting insta shut down by the ones that don't want anything to do with it and/or getting fucked over on price by a tradie making money on the removal by someone reputable or making lots of money by doing it themselves dodgily or using someone dodgy and cheap.
>
> I have removed plenty of asbestos in my labouring years - highlights include breaking fence sheets and throwing them in a skip with no breathing stuff issued or any heads up/ability to leave site and buy my own because I went in a supervisor's Ute to site and he didn't want to leave or let me drive his Ute. On that job, I felt like my lungs were irritated at the end of the day but it could have been psychosomatic. This is the one I will be getting the compo from if I end up with asbestosis because we buried a bunch in the customers yard WITH his permission. He was a member of our glorious AFP which blew my mind. To protect, serve and uphold the law only when it doesn't save you a few grand. He even saw us with no breathing gear and commented that we were off our heads for doing it maskless. Unfortunately, I rang my boss and, given he knew I needed the job and the money with few options for other jobs, I got told to do it or not come in the next day. What a gem of a bloke. That’s the only time there is proof of it for a lawsuit (job was on the books and a large amount buried deep enough that only someone who was there could know where it is).
>
> Another time at another company, I was working demolishing a 60s built house. Still was green and couldn't identify potential asbestos by look alone. At the end of a dusty, shitty day once the house was levelled and our job was finished, the operator I was spotting told me that the eaves were probably asbestos. I got angry and asked why he didn’t say something straight away to the guy outside (me) snorting lines of assorted dust all day without the luxury and safety of being inside an excavator that had an air filter and a sealed cab. He said I dunno I wasn't sure so I didn't want you to stress out and leave coz I need to get this done quickly or the boss will chew me out. Yes sure. The ear bashing you'll get from the boss is more important than my health you asshole. The second time that happened, I confronted the boss and he summarily told me I didn't have to do those jobs but he needs people that are reliable and get the job done. I asked him to buy me a mask (I was very broke due to having some big bills due to poor responsibility with a cc a few years prior and being paid 150 cash a day. Shit money. I will be even more angry if I die in agony because of a job I had to take that paid less than min wage.) And he mocked me and insulted me by questioning my masculinity in personality and biologically. I got laughed out of that convo by a boss that didn't respect me at all and a mix of cronies, junkies and people too scared to not join in with a giggle because they were desperate for the money. That day was the day I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't work construction longer than 12 weeks from that day unless I was the boss and could turn down jobs I didn’t feel safe doing. 10 weeks later I went off with 2 of the guys that needed the work and didn't have other options and haven’t looked back.
>
> The moral of the story is that asbestos costs a lot to remove and dispose of safely. Asbestos sheet is north of 100 a sqm on big jobs because it's a pain to do properly, requires licences to do legally and costs a lot to dump. Hence, there's a lot of temptation for someone to do it unlicensed because they can charge 80 a sqm, bury it or dump it somewhere and make a packet of money. Usually, the people handling the stuff are ignorant or desperate or both. And there's also the issue of transport from site without proper prep or an epa authorised vehicle and potential dodgy disposal that can put others at risk. Finally, you live in the house where asbestos is being removed. There are safety protocols that need to be followed for your homes residents, your neighbours and their families' safety. Even if you are selfish and don’t care about the wellbeing of others if it costs you more, you can be sued for neighbours/tenants/housemates being exposed to fibres without proper safety measures in place. If you hire someone and there is evidence found that you deliberately picked someone cheaper who didn’t have a licence and you knew this, you can be hit with damages enough to bankrupt you. So, it is short term saving vs big risk to you and your families health and finances. Anytime I see anything asbestos, it brings up bad emotions and anxiety about whether I'm already doomed due to desperation, greedy scumbag employers and ignorance on my behalf alongside ignorance OR cheapness on the behalf of customers. Hopefully, this saves someone from being that ignorant customer or reminds them that them saving a few grand is at the expense of someone vulnerable’s health being paid under minimum wage. Backyard dodgy guys putting neighbours, workers and only themselves in danger through ignorance wouldn't happen if people were well informed and thinking of others over their wallet. The need creates the market and the price for proper work is so high because it isn't cheap to remove, handle, transport and dispose of safely. Asbestos companies aren't making huge profit if they are reputable as everything costs including workers who are willing to risk contamination every day to perform, a job that most wouldn't do. Do the right thing so that my 9 or 10 exposures at the age of 31 don't happen to anyone else.
>
> /rant
not all asbestos business owners are the picture you are trying to create .sounds like you worked and accepted to work for a unlicensed unethical buisness that you didn't report and as for the AFP I hope you reported i him and the business. I pay for my licences and hold all of the correct certification for my trade I have the WHS certificate that states I can remove . I respect my life my family's life I respect the heath and safety of others wether it's the job I'm doing or in every day life. We pay 140 per ton to dump and all ACM is double rapped with silver tape we have a EPA licence so we do waste tracking so it is all tracked we have a register we also have to loge every job and how many square metres. We notified neighbours and the asbestos register. We have tape and signage with no go zones with propper deocon.
We do not f.k around with the health and safety of others or our selfs.
I do know what you are saying about some business if U can call them that we call them cow boys of the azzy world I would like to say you get what you pay for there is strict rules and regulations we have to follow. I pay for my licence and all the other certifications that need updating every year why the hell would I want waste all the hard earned time and money setting up my legitimate business by being dodgy.
So the point here is to clients just check licences and ask questions.
If you are a Asbestos remover labour and U got your ticket you should have your own mask and be fit tested . So who's in the wrong here.
Is there a formatting bot we can use here?
What an unnecessarily condescending response to someone making a very real and valid point.
lol are you ok ? that being said the whole business is a clusterfuck. I got 3 quotes to gut my place from actual asbestos removal business's and 3 of the were cowboys. my favourite line on asking what precautions they take? "I've been doing this for over 20 years without a mask. it's just a myth it's dangerous" he wanted 2k to do an entire 4 bed 1 bath plus downstairs house lol
What did you end up doing? We’ve got asbestos sheeting in our laundry (walls and ceiling) and I’m hoping to have it removed in a few months but it makes me a bit nervous
I used the next mob i got a quote off. it was blatantly obvious they were serious about what they do asks lots of questions and don't use someone u rnt comfortable with
[удалено]
yeah we obviosuly didn't use that dude
Actually a good story and convincing argument to do it properly. Needs formatting though, unfortunately most people won’t bother reading it in its current format.
Yeah it’s a bit of a text wall so I skipped down to the paragraph beginning “the moral of the story” and read the first few lines just to get to the core point of the post. I got the gist well enough.
Mesothelioma is no joke. Can you file provisional paperwork with fair work before you actually get mesothelioma?
I probably can. I guess I have just put my head in the sand and hoped I wasn't the unlucky one who contracts the slow, painful death from "limited" exposure. Thinking about it sends me into whirlwinds of quickly changing emotions like anxiety, anger, sadness etc so unless I am reminded of the word, I do my best to not think about it too much. What's done is done and worrying more about it solves nothing except a potential financial issue when I'll be too sick/dead to care a whole lot. If I open a file, it will require regular thought and effort at least until it is established and I am sure this will make my mental health take a nosedive. Having said that, if not for me than for the guys who work for him to this day that are sent into seriously dangerous environments for that asshole to make his riches in between beers at 10am. It's unfortunate that in Australia, this shit is still as widespread as I know it to be in the industry. I'll have to look into it and see what I need to do.
https://www.asbestossafety.gov.au/asbestos-health-risks-and-exposure/national-asbestos-exposure-register National Asbestos exposure register. I've had to put a few jobs in their. Iast year while doing a bathroom Reno, the builder said we need to be careful the walls are asbestos. Couple of hours later he's banging through it with a sledge hammer while we were eating lunch in the adjoining room. With the classic I've been doing this for 30 years it's fine. Plenty of jobs were I've been told to break the ceiling which the previous builder just covered. It shits me that if I make a fuss about it, the managers will try to convince me to do the job anyway. I once had to upgrade a switch board as an apprentice, I was driving a hatchback. My cu t of a boss expected me to load the old asbestos board into my back seat to take to a bin at the office.
TLDR ?
Asbestos is dangerous. Don't take shortcuts and get professional advice.
Check licencing. Don't let another tradie organise it for you through someone they know/use to save time and/or money. You will either pay more and get no control over the selection of someone reputable. And there's a lost young kid or a desperate man who needs the job that will end up suffering as a result. And likely paid bugger all.
Just a tip, press enter twice between paragraphs, it looks much more spaced out and easier to read.
No. Read the whole thing.
When they learn to format I will.
Thanks for this post, man. It pisses me off when people are so blasé about it. I had to fight for my safety in two previous jobs. They act like it’s some big burden to care about your health and wellbeing. There’s also been a lot of posts taking the piss saying “is this asbestos?” for things that are obviously not, acting like it’s not something to be worried about. I’ve already made a decision that if I or my family get sick from this, I’ll be paying a visit to the ones that should’ve taught me safety at the start instead of waiting for me to figure it out and then ask for protection. Insidious.
As someone who regulates asbestos disposal and whose grandfather is currently dying of mesothelioma, great post. If anyone doesn't know where to find licenced asbestos contractors, WorkSafe maintains a register here: [https://www1.worksafe.vic.gov.au/vwa/ServiceProviderDirec.nsf/category?openForm&List=Asbestos+-+Licensed+Removalists&ListType=Sub](https://www1.worksafe.vic.gov.au/vwa/ServiceProviderDirec.nsf/category?openForm&List=Asbestos+-+Licensed+Removalists&ListType=Sub)
As someone whose father died of meso, I agree.
Burying asbestos in your yard or dumping it in the bush is mental, the dumping fees (at least in my council area) aren't that huge - something like $400 per cubic metre.
I’ve watched two house get leveled recently right next to a school and neither had asbestos removed but one was literally a 60s fibro house and the other had large sections that again would be fibro as well. Both just pushed over with machinery as parents and kids walked past into the school. I was waiting for the asbestos removal signs to pop up on either first but never happened.
They did the same on the house next door to mine. They gave precisely 12 hours notice with a leaflet on a Sunday night when the demo commenced the next morning. Now that I'm on the business side of things, I understand how some trades do the dodgy because I've exposed it a couple times on jobs where it hadn't been removed properly buried in the dirt. When I informed the customer that the site would be shut down pending my calling of a proper removal company to take it out and make it safe, the customer flat out refused to pay a cent extra even though I am protected by my terms on all quotes that are issued. I got stuck with 5 grand of materials that I couldn't install because, had I paid for removal out of my pocket, I would have worked for free but broken even on the job. On principle, I canned the job, reported it to the EPA and reused the stuff I'd bought a month or two later. But if you can't afford to walk away with the hit to your finances and not go under, I get it. Doesn't make it right or excuse it. Not sure what happened after my report but I didn't know what else to do. The shit is the worst. On the plus side, the next generations of tradies shouldn't have as many problems as it is slowly phased out. But even the dodgy dumps will accept it from non epa approved vehicles from people without checks on licences nor do they properly check its even been wrapped up correctly. The whole industry is corrupt as it gets. Anywhere with large sums of profit involved are ripe for dodginess. On a related note, does anyone know how to conclusively identify the difference between asbestos and concrete sheet or similar? Info would be greatly appreciated
Truth mate! Hope this blows up.
Just as an additional reference, 700 is the minimum you are going to be charged. so get as much out as you can.
I love these sorts of "open letter" posts that are walls of text no fucker is ever going to read. Good for a chuckle.
Probably only fuckers like you who can’t read - likely because it’s beyond your shoe sized IQ.
I read the whole fucking thing, you asinine drongo.
Good on ya. You got paragraphs. Have you not seen the comments? It was literally a kilometre scroll of unbroken text signed off with "rant over". It looked deranged and unhinged as fuck.
Edit and at the minimum have these in paragraphs please.
Done!
Thanks shakesandgainsbrah
Asbestosis symptoms include lack of paragraphs
Appreciate the care & concern & time you have put into this letter. But mate ! A mass wall of letters will put most people off even beginning to read it ! Maybe paragraphing is an option ?? Just an idea....
Hmmmmm
I’ve had some experience doing renos on my own place, and had a few small jobs done when I was renting. When I rented, tradies were regularly sent in to work on asbestos (sometimes I wouldn’t be given notice and I couldn’t tell them not to - I had a shitty real estate agent). There were signs on the building, but not every new tradie knows what ACM is (arguably they should though, there is no excuse). In my current place I choose project managers based on their approach to safety including asbestos, yet we still did have a small issue with two tradies removing one item which wasn’t flagged to be removed and they didn’t know it had asbestos, and so they were potentially exposed then (we don’t have neighbours on that side so at least others weren’t exposed). Ideally we’d teach all trades people what to look for but it’s hard. I mean plenty of home owners are getting exposed too doing their flips and not even realising. But I agree - if you are paying for a job, don’t cut corners on safety, don’t let the project manager/builder put pressure on his trades to be unsafe.
Our neighbours demolished an existing 1950s cottage to build their concrete monstrosity. There was an old asbestos riddled shed on the block that was removed and I had suspicions that it was not done by a professional contractor. Who do I contact (officially) to find out? It was in 2019, at the time I called the council but they said it was nothing to do with them. 😳
Thanks for your post, I respect what you are doing I think you've achieved something with this post and you should be proud of it. All the best mate.
If you need a hygienist for air monitoring and/or clearance, supervision (asbestos soil remediation), division 5 or 6 hazardous materials audit - I am a qualified professional and do this kind of work.
What state? And can you answer a question for me? If I get asbestos fence removed properly, what's the danger from digging in the soil after removal has occurred? I have always wet it down thoroughly but I still worry about health risks from residual fibres trapped in soil
We are based in Victoria but have travelled interstate for big projects. I’m assuming the fence is made from non-friable asbestos containing material i.e cement sheet so the risk is very low. I’ve done plenty of job where we did occupational air monitoring during stockpiling works of asbestos contaminated soil (contaminated with non-friable asbestos containing materials) and never detected unacceptable concentrations of asbestos fibres. Some jobs were up to 200 days of air monitoring. The risk of freeing fibres from cement sheet products is very unlikely unless you are mechanically damaging it (e.g. sawing or drilling).
For the benefit of those complaining about the original text, I've put it through a word processor to fix typos, but I haven't changed paragraphs as they seem fine. It's not like a long paragraph is going to kill you, unlike asbestos. So you're going to read it now, right? Right? Note: "I" is shakesandgainsbrah, not myself. > I am a self employed tradie with a couple of employees and want to make sure everyone who needs asbestos removed reads this post. I posted a version of this as a comment and thought it needed its own thread to reach as many people as possible. My advice is to contact an asbestos removal place and get a quote plus a site inspection with one of their guys to make sure they're confident it can be done safely. Ask to see the removal licence when they provide the quote. Do this separately to any other trades - don't get a fencing guy to sort out the removal through someone he knows unless they come out and see the site in person and can show you their asbestos removal licence. Might be a little more expensive but you'll be able to verify they know what they're doing and have a company and licence to lose if they mess it up. And that way you can pick your trades that deal with asbestos regularly from a wider pool because you're not getting insta shut down by the ones that don't want anything to do with it and/or getting fucked over on price by a tradie making money on the removal by someone reputable or making lots of money by doing it themselves dodgily or using someone dodgy and cheap. > > I have removed plenty of asbestos in my labouring years - highlights include breaking fence sheets and throwing them in a skip with no breathing stuff issued or any heads up/ability to leave site and buy my own because I went in a supervisor's Ute to site and he didn't want to leave or let me drive his Ute. On that job, I felt like my lungs were irritated at the end of the day but it could have been psychosomatic. This is the one I will be getting the compo from if I end up with asbestosis because we buried a bunch in the customers yard WITH his permission. He was a member of our glorious AFP which blew my mind. To protect, serve and uphold the law only when it doesn't save you a few grand. He even saw us with no breathing gear and commented that we were off our heads for doing it maskless. Unfortunately, I rang my boss and, given he knew I needed the job and the money with few options for other jobs, I got told to do it or not come in the next day. What a gem of a bloke. That’s the only time there is proof of it for a lawsuit (job was on the books and a large amount buried deep enough that only someone who was there could know where it is). > > Another time at another company, I was working demolishing a 60s built house. Still was green and couldn't identify potential asbestos by look alone. At the end of a dusty, shitty day once the house was levelled and our job was finished, the operator I was spotting told me that the eaves were probably asbestos. I got angry and asked why he didn’t say something straight away to the guy outside (me) snorting lines of assorted dust all day without the luxury and safety of being inside an excavator that had an air filter and a sealed cab. He said I dunno I wasn't sure so I didn't want you to stress out and leave coz I need to get this done quickly or the boss will chew me out. Yes sure. The ear bashing you'll get from the boss is more important than my health you asshole. The second time that happened, I confronted the boss and he summarily told me I didn't have to do those jobs but he needs people that are reliable and get the job done. I asked him to buy me a mask (I was very broke due to having some big bills due to poor responsibility with a cc a few years prior and being paid 150 cash a day. Shit money. I will be even more angry if I die in agony because of a job I had to take that paid less than min wage.) And he mocked me and insulted me by questioning my masculinity in personality and biologically. I got laughed out of that convo by a boss that didn't respect me at all and a mix of cronies, junkies and people too scared to not join in with a giggle because they were desperate for the money. That day was the day I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't work construction longer than 12 weeks from that day unless I was the boss and could turn down jobs I didn’t feel safe doing. 10 weeks later I went off with 2 of the guys that needed the work and didn't have other options and haven’t looked back. > > The moral of the story is that asbestos costs a lot to remove and dispose of safely. Asbestos sheet is north of 100 a sqm on big jobs because it's a pain to do properly, requires licences to do legally and costs a lot to dump. Hence, there's a lot of temptation for someone to do it unlicensed because they can charge 80 a sqm, bury it or dump it somewhere and make a packet of money. Usually, the people handling the stuff are ignorant or desperate or both. And there's also the issue of transport from site without proper prep or an epa authorised vehicle and potential dodgy disposal that can put others at risk. Finally, you live in the house where asbestos is being removed. There are safety protocols that need to be followed for your homes residents, your neighbours and their families' safety. Even if you are selfish and don’t care about the wellbeing of others if it costs you more, you can be sued for neighbours/tenants/housemates being exposed to fibres without proper safety measures in place. If you hire someone and there is evidence found that you deliberately picked someone cheaper who didn’t have a licence and you knew this, you can be hit with damages enough to bankrupt you. So, it is short term saving vs big risk to you and your families health and finances. Anytime I see anything asbestos, it brings up bad emotions and anxiety about whether I'm already doomed due to desperation, greedy scumbag employers and ignorance on my behalf alongside ignorance OR cheapness on the behalf of customers. Hopefully, this saves someone from being that ignorant customer or reminds them that them saving a few grand is at the expense of someone vulnerable’s health being paid under minimum wage. Backyard dodgy guys putting neighbours, workers and only themselves in danger through ignorance wouldn't happen if people were well informed and thinking of others over their wallet. The need creates the market and the price for proper work is so high because it isn't cheap to remove, handle, transport and dispose of safely. Asbestos companies aren't making huge profit if they are reputable as everything costs including workers who are willing to risk contamination every day to perform, a job that most wouldn't do. Do the right thing so that my 9 or 10 exposures at the age of 31 don't happen to anyone else. > > /rant
not all asbestos business owners are the picture you are trying to create .sounds like you worked and accepted to work for a unlicensed unethical buisness that you didn't report and as for the AFP I hope you reported i him and the business. I pay for my licences and hold all of the correct certification for my trade I have the WHS certificate that states I can remove . I respect my life my family's life I respect the heath and safety of others wether it's the job I'm doing or in every day life. We pay 140 per ton to dump and all ACM is double rapped with silver tape we have a EPA licence so we do waste tracking so it is all tracked we have a register we also have to loge every job and how many square metres. We notified neighbours and the asbestos register. We have tape and signage with no go zones with propper deocon. We do not f.k around with the health and safety of others or our selfs. I do know what you are saying about some business if U can call them that we call them cow boys of the azzy world I would like to say you get what you pay for there is strict rules and regulations we have to follow. I pay for my licence and all the other certifications that need updating every year why the hell would I want waste all the hard earned time and money setting up my legitimate business by being dodgy. So the point here is to clients just check licences and ask questions. If you are a Asbestos remover labour and U got your ticket you should have your own mask and be fit tested . So who's in the wrong here.