Asbestos Codes of Practice
Course Dates
Codes of Practice for asbestos
There are two Codes of Practice relating to asbestos:
- How-to-manage-and-control-asbestos-in-the-workplace-COP 2019
This Code of Practice on how to manage and control asbestos in the workplace is an approved code of practice under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act (the WHS
Act). This code is for use when you have a work place with asbestos containing material identified in the structures. - How-to-safely-remove-asbestos-COP 2022
This Code of Practice on how to safely remove asbestos is an approved code of practice under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act (the WHS Act). The code explains how to accredited persons/organisations can safely remove asbestos.
An approved code of practice provides practical guidance on how to achieve the standards of work health and safety required under the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety
Regulation (the WHS Regulation) and effective ways to identify and manage risks. A code of practice can assist anyone who has a duty of care in the circumstances described
in the code of practice. Following an approved code of practice will assist the duty holder to achieve compliance with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act and WHS Regulation,
in relation to the subject matter of the code of practice. Like regulations, codes of practice deal with particular issues and may not cover all relevant hazards or risks. The health and
safety duties require duty holders to consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and codes of practice exist.
Codes of practice are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation. Courts may regard a code of practice as evidence of what is known about a
hazard, risk, risk assessment or risk control and may rely on the code in determining what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances to which the code relates. For further
information see the Interpretive Guideline: The meaning of ‘reasonably practicable’.
Compliance with the WHS Act and WHS Regulation may be achieved by following another method, if it provides an equivalent or higher standard of work health and safety than
the code. An inspector may refer to an approved code of practice when issuing an improvement or prohibition notice.