FAQ's

FAQS

Do you have Questions?

Asbes Away
What does the law require of asbestos clients?

ASBESTOS ABATEMENT REGULATIONS, 2020
Department of Employment and Labour, Occupational Health and Safety Act 1993 (Act no 85 of 1993)


WE CAN ASSIST YOU WITH THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT REGULATIONS THAT MUST BE IMPLEMENTED:

  • Identification of asbestos in place.
    An employer or self-employed person must, as far as is reasonably practicable-. Ensure that all asbestos containing materials at the workplace are identified by a competent person.
  • Inventory of asbestos in place.
    An employer or self-employed person must obtain the services of a competent person to ensure that all materials identified as, or assumed to be, asbestos-containing material, as contemplated in regulation 3, are entered into an inventory of asbestos in place, which is kept at the workplace or premisses.
  • Asbestos risk assessment.
    If asbestos is identified in terms of regulation 3, then the employer or self-employed person must ensure that an asbestos risk assessment is carried out, as far as is reasonably practicable, immediately by a competent person and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 24 months.
  • Asbestos management plan.
    If asbestos-containing materials are identified, as required in regulation 3, the employer or self-employed person must ensure that a written asbestos management plan for the workplace is prepared by a competent person.

Not sure if it is Asbestos?

The largest South African manufacturer of Asbestos containing material (ACMs) such as roof sheets and roof related products, stopped using Asbestos in the manufacturing of their products during December 2002. This however did not stop the importation of asbestos containing products from across our borders, and for a while these products were sold cheaply in many hardware stores, resulting in it to be popular building materials in comparison with SA manufactured fibre cement products. It was only after the promulgation of the Regulations for the Prohibition of the Use, Manufacturing, Import and Export of Asbestos and Asbestos Containing the Materials during 2008, which prohibited the import and sale of Asbestos or Asbestos containing material, that these materials were stopped being used in construction.


After the promulgation of the Regulations for the Prohibition of the Use, Manufacturing, Import and Export of Asbestos and Asbestos Containing Materials on the 28th March 2008, manufacturers and merchants had 120 days period of grace to clear their shelves of Asbestos or Asbestos containing materials (ACMs). If your house or building date from before this time, chances are good that building materials on your building, which look like an ACM, are indeed an ACM e.g. roof sheets, gutters, roof tiles, etc.


If you want to have any material tested, you can contact us to collect a sample for testing. Testing starts at R650.00 excl. VAT per sample plus travelling per km. If you request a quote for Asbestos work, visual identification by one of our representatives will be free of charge. If there is doubt about the nature of the materials, the representative will advise you to have lab testing done.

Which products may contain Asbestos?

  • Roof sheets
  • Roof tiles
  • Gutters and down pipes
  • Facias
  • Barge boards
  • Eaves / soffits
  • Ceilings
  • Lagging
  • Window sills
  • Floor tiles
  • Counter tops
  • Toilet seats and cisterns
  • Isolation materials used for internal wall plastering and ceiling screeting

Can anybody work with Asbestos containing materials?

The Asbestos Abatement Regulations, 2020, differentiates between 3 types of asbestos work, and according indicates who are allowed to do it.


  • "Type 1 asbestos work" mean
    (a) painting of asbestos cement products in a manner that does not require surface preparation and does not cause the release of asbestos fibres; or
    (b) the removal of less than 10 square metres of asbestos cement products or equivalent gutters and piping or asbestos insulating board, where removal work may not be repeated on the same site within a period of six months; and, does not require registration as a registered asbestos contractor with the chief inspector.
  • “Type 2 asbestos work" means
    (a) the repair or-encapsulation of asbestos cement products in a manner that does not require surface preparation; or
    (b) the removal of asbestos cement products or asbestos insulating board; and, requires registration as a type 2 registered asbestos contractor with the chief inspector;
  • "Type 3 asbestos work" means
    (a) the removal, repair or encapsulation of any asbestos and asbestos-containing material; and, requires registration as a type 3 registered asbestos contractor with the chief inspector.
What to do not to have trouble with the “neighbours”?

  • Call us for a free quotation or guidance if you are not sure.
  • We will facilitate all the necessary paper work as well as AIA assistance to ensure a compliant process as well as your peace of mind.
  • After completion of the work, we will ensure that you are in possession of safe disposal documentation (if applicable) as well as the AIA monitoring and assessment report.

What will it cost?

  • Contact us for a free no-obligation quote. If you give us the address and a brief description of the work, we will be able to give you a close indication of costs without visiting the premises. If you are interested to proceed, we will visit the site for a formalised quote, which will also be free of charge.
  • We will also assist with quotes for your reroofing and new gutters and will deliver it as a one-stop seamless service.

Still not sure?

Contact Dominique at our office 021 945 2423