Hi Vanessa,
Re your posting of 8 April 2018:
> ... assist a local museum which has recently had a fire , and resulting
> asbestos contamination of their collection. Fortunately, only one room
> was badly burnt, and none of the collection is wet. However, our regulations
> in Australia require asbestos decontamination to be carried out by licenced
> practitioners only, so no conservators or museum staff will be permitted to
> be present ...
Artlab has been involved in asbestos decontamination previously.
In South Australia a business undertaking asbestos removal must be licensed,
and nominate approved supervisors who meet the requirements of the legislation,
but each worker does not have to be licensed. (However, the supervisor/s of a
licensed asbestos removalist may have their own requirements and may not be
willing to take responsibility for workers other than their own employees.)
In 2012 we worked in collaboration with a major national asbestos removal
company to decontaminate some large paintings, frames and textiles using a mix
of dry and wet methods (brush vacuuming with HEPA filter vacuums, and aqueous
cleaning on surfaces that could cope with that).
The asbestos removal company was responsible for:
- safety induction/training (SWMS were developed collaboratively)
- provision of all PPE and equipment such as HEPA vacuum cleaners
- establishing and maintaining sealed work spaces (negatively pressurised where
required) with appropriate entry transition spaces to separate contaminated and
clean areas
- procedures and any materials required for decontamination of staff moving
from contaminated to clean areas
- decontamination of work spaces afterwards
- monitoring and clearance testing by a licensed accredited assessor
- disposal of all waste
- decontaminating all surfaces that were not artworks.
They also decontaminated heritage decorative surfaces (ornate ceilings etc) as
well as areas such as roof spaces and services (air con ducting), and we were
able to provide advice on minimising damage to significant surfaces.
There was full consultation with the South Australian asbestos authorities.
I'd recommend careful selection by the museum of the asbestos removal
contractor, to make sure that they have sufficient experience and resources to
handle a complex decontamination of this type.
The contractor may then be willing to allow you to participate in that process.
It is also important to undertake sufficient asbestos testing to understand the
extent of contamination of collection items, as well as what type of asbestos
you are dealing with, so that risks can be properly considered by all involved.
Keep in mind too that the fire may have resulted in other contaminants which
also need to be considered in risk assessments.
Cheers,
Helen
Helen Weidenhofer
Assistant Director
Artlab Australia
Arts South Australia
Department of the Premier and Cabinet
T: +61 8 8207 7520
F: +61 8 8207 7529
E: helen.weidenho...@sa.gov.au
W: www.artlabaustralia.com.au
70 Kintore Avenue, ADELAIDE SA 5000, AUSTRALIA
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