Health monitoring

A person conducting a business or undertaking must provide health monitoring to workers who perform certain types of work in accordance with Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011.

This information is to assist employers and workers understand their health monitoring obligations, as well as what should be considered before starting health monitoring. Additional information on asbestos- related health monitoring can be found in:

Asbestos in the environment

Low levels of asbestos fibres are present in the environment, for example from the weathering of asbestos-cement sheets in roofing and wall cladding and naturally occurring mineral fibres. Ambient or background air typically contains 0.0005 fibre/ml outdoors and 0.0002 fibres/ml indoors.

Despite this, the general population does not contract asbestos-related disease in significant numbers. The background rate of mesothelioma is less than one case per million people per year.

What is health monitoring?

Health monitoring is used to identify changes in a person's health because of exposure to certain substances. Health monitoring can involve:

  • consideration of the worker's demographic, medical and occupational history
  • consideration of records of the worker's personal exposure
  • a physical examination of the worker with emphasis on the respiratory system.

When is health monitoring required?

A person conducting a business or undertaking must provide and pay for health monitoring for workers who are at risk of exposure to asbestos when carrying out licensed asbestos removal work, or asbestos-related work.

Licensed asbestos removal work

If a worker is carrying out licensed asbestos removal work, health monitoring must be conducted prior to the worker commencing the work and thereafter at regular intervals not exceeding once every two years.

Asbestos-related work

Health monitoring may also be required for various types of work other than licensed asbestos removal where there is a risk of asbestos exposure. These include regular minor or routine maintenance work and minor work on asbestos containing material which may be undertaken by electricians or building maintenance staff in older buildings.

The question of whether or not health monitoring is required for these workers depends on whether there is an assessed risk of exposure to asbestos when carrying out asbestos-related work. This should be determined on the basis of:

  • the potential for exposure
  • the frequency of potential exposure
  • the duration of the work being undertaken.

Person conducting a business or undertaking must periodically review their business activities to determine whether regular asbestos-related work is being undertaken by its workers and determine whether it should be providing health monitoring.

If a worker is concerned that their employer has incorrectly determined that health monitoring is not required, they may contact Access Canberra to seek clarification or advice.

Medical management and incidental exposure

There is no legal requirement for a person conducting a business or undertaking to provide health monitoring for workers in instances of 'incidental exposure'.

People who may have been exposed to asbestos are naturally concerned about the possible health effects. There is at present no post-exposure prevention for the effects of inhaled asbestos fibres. There are also no generally available techniques for determining individual lung burdens of asbestos fibres.

Asbestos-related damage to the lungs generally takes years to develop and become visible on chest X-rays. Further, X-ray examinations cannot indicate whether or not asbestos fibres have been inhaled. Given this, health monitoring would not ordinarily include a chest X-ray unless clinically indicated or under recommendation by a registered medical practitioner.

Workers or individuals who are concerned that they may have suffered from incidental exposure to asbestos, may choose to seek advice from their general practitioner (at their own cost). Workers and concerned individuals can also register their suspected exposure through the National Asbestos Exposure Register.

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