Since regulations have tightened around asbestos, a lot of companies are cashing in by offering asbestos inspection services.
One of these companies is a well-known “jack of all trades” franchising operation which started out as a lawnmowing business. We won’t mention them by name, but if you do a Google search for “asbestos inspection Sydney”, you’ll probably see their AdWords ad come up.
Now, we’re sure these guys do a great job mowing your lawn, but are they qualified to inspect your house for asbestos?
We have our doubts. Here are a few facts:
- The company is not NATA accredited.
- They don’t have professional indemnity insurance covering asbestos.
- Any asbestos samples they collect need to go to a third-party NATA accredited asbestos testing laboratory like Airsafe’s.
- To try to save on lab costs and consultant salaries so they can make a profit on their fixed-price inspections, they have to use inexperienced judgment about what does and doesn’t contain asbestos.
The upshot of all this is that you’re throwing money down the drain using an inexperienced asbestos inspection company — whether it’s our lawnmowing friends or one of the other operations that have suddenly popped up to take advantage of the rise in asbestos awareness.
A significant amount of Airsafe’s time at the moment is spent repairing reports from companies like these. Councils, WorkCover and the EPA take one look and say “not good enough”. And if somehow work is allowed to go ahead, and builders or bystanders are exposed to asbestos because of a substandard report, you as the building owner will be liable for legal costs.
So don’t waste your time and money, and don’t put your family and neighbours at risk. Get an experienced, NATA accredited company like Airsafe to do your asbestos inspection, and get it right the first time.
