Asbestos Clearance

Coffey Environments awarded Australia’s first accreditation for asbestos clearance inspections

Asbestos Clearance

Coffey International Limited subsidiary, Coffey Environments, has been awarded Australia’s first accreditation for asbestos and hazardous materials clearance inspections by the National Association of Testing Authorities (“NATA”).

Coffey Environments global leader David Browne said: “This accreditation endorses the technical level of our occupational health & safety specialists and cements Coffey Environments as a leading consultancy in Australia accredited by NATA in asbestos management.”

NATA chief executive officer Alan Patterson said: “NATA is committed to using accreditation as a way of promoting the health and safety and well being of our community. I congratulate Coffey Environments for leading the way with this achievement, which is a first in Australia.”

As part of the accreditation process, all internal procedures for asbestos clearance undertaken by Coffey Environments were submitted to NATA for peer review, explained Lee McAlister-Smiley, occupational health & safety group leader for Coffey Environments in Queensland.

“Overall, the accreditation process took about eight months. Once all our procedures were submitted to NATA, two independent assessors conducted the peer review and we were required to demonstrate our competency and amend some procedures.

“The accreditation was timely as we were able to change some of our procedures ahead of the implementation of recently announced legislation changes, ensuring we are well positioned to assist our clients.”

The introduction of the Fair Work Act in January and the move to national occupational health and safety laws are likely to impact the way in which Australian businesses manage asbestos and other hazardous materials.

Occupational Health & Safety is set to undergo major reform as the country moves towards one set of laws in this area, developed by Safe Work Australia. Each state and territory will be required to pass mirror laws by December 2011.

Asbestos-containing materials are not only found in commercial and industrial structures, but also in refineries, vessels and offshore facilities and contaminant materials in mineral ores. Under the new laws, a wide range of facilities may be newly identified as sites that require a plan to manage asbestos.

“An up-to-date asbestos register and an asbestos management plan provide businesses with information to operate their sites safely and to cost-effectively manage asbestos-containing material in the workplace.

“We have worked with a number of clients to incorporate asbestos and hazardous materials management plans into their businesses’ operational plans in a very cost-effective manner, helping them go beyond legal compliance and ensuring the health and safety of their staff,” said Lee.

Coffey Environments delivers environmental, social and safety performance professional services, including asbestos and hazardous materials technical solutions, across Australia, New Zealand and the USA for clients in the infrastructure, government, resources and property sectors.

The original topic : asbestos world