Building owners and strata managers are legally required to identify all Asbestos Containing Materials within their buildings and include it on an onsite register. All buildings built prior to 1st January 2004 must comply.
The purpose of Asbestos Register and Management Plan is to provide a visual (noninvasive) asbestos inspection and asbestos register and management plan which identifies the assumed presence and location of asbestos or Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) within the common property of a strata building and recommend the appropriate control measures.
The answer is YES. In NSW and ACT, the legislation is; an Asbestos Register is compulsory for all commercial, retail, industrial and mixed-use residential properties that contain a common property workplace built before 1 January 2004.
While the regulation has an exemption for some residential buildings; It is limited and is not applicable if any owners or tenants, engage in any work from home, direct any employee or contractor on the common property, or operate any commercial activity. The exmption is not applicable if your building has a manager, even if they are contractors that are off-site. A duty of care must be exercised under common law to ensure all workers and visitors are not exposed to airborne asbestos fibers.
Some examples of what asbestos was commonly used in:
Cement sheeting (fibro)
Drainage and flue pipes
Roofing, guttering and flexible building boards (e.g. Villaboard, Hardiflex, etc.). Etc... etc..
Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. The risk of contracting these diseases increases with the number of fibres inhaled and the risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibres is also greater if you smoke. People who get health problems from inhaling asbestos have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.