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  1. Home
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  3. Films
  4. Cleaning asbestos roofs
In this section

In this section

  • Asbestos safety session 2021
  • Asbestos safety session 2020
  • Cleaning Asbestos Roofs
  • Shadow vacuuming with a H-Class vacuum cleaner
  • Use and maintenance of a H-Class vacuum cleaner
  • Identifying low density asbestos fibre board hazards and risks
  • Working safely with asbestos for the home renovator
  • How to properly wear personal protective equipment for airborne contaminants
  • Personal protective equipment
  • Dear Dad - An asbestos awareness film
  • Clear and present danger: Asbestos exposed
  • Uses and applications of asbestos - an extract from a film by Parsons Brinckerhoff
  • Asbestos health issues - an extract from a film by Parsons Brinckerhoff
  • Safe work procedure - storm and wind damage cleanup
  • Drilling into asbestos walls and ceilings
  • Asbestos - Removing switchboard panels
  • Decontamination procedure, personal decontamination and cleanup procedures
  • Asbestos awareness

Cleaning asbestos roofs

Industry: All industries Construction
Runtime: 2:11

Cleaning an asbestos roof can be dangerous if not done properly. This short film will show you how to avoid damaging or disturbing asbestos on your roof to keep you and your neighbourhood safe from deadly asbestos fibres.

Download a copy of this film (ZIP/MP4, 71MB)
Transcript

Title: Cleaning asbestos roofs

A clean roof can make your house look fantastic but if you’ve got an asbestos roof there’s a few things you’ll need to consider to keep you and your neighbourhood safe from deadly asbestos fibres.

If your house was built before the 1990’s, there’s a good chance it contains asbestos.

Often hiding in plain sight, asbestos fibres and dust can cause cancer.

Look at this roof here – it is corrugated but not made of metal and installed before 1990 – all indicators that this is an asbestos roof, commonly known as Super Six asbestos cement roofing.

Well maintained asbestos isn’t going to hurt you. However, damaging or disturbing the asbestos can release dangerous fibres into the air.

Using high-pressure water such as a water blaster or hose on asbestos is particularly harmful – and illegal. Water blasting asbestos can spread fibres across a very large area. These fibres stick to everything - walls, plants, garden soil and lawns and will be there for years if not decades. Not only on your property but neighbouring properties as well.

Unless you remove them, the asbestos fibres can become airborne every time you disturb the area, for example when you mow the lawn. Worse still you can walk the asbestos fibres into your home on your shoes.

The only way to remove the fibres is to dig up the lawn and the garden and chop down plants. Basically your gardens and lawn need to completely removed, like at these homes.

As well as the cost of decontaminating your home and your neighbour’s home, there are heavy fines for water blasting asbestos. So, be aware of dodgy operators offering to clean asbestos roofs. You may still be held responsible even if you didn’t perform the water blasting yourself.

Never use high pressure water to clean your asbestos roof.

There are lots of safe alternatives on the market that have been specifically designed for Super Six roofs, including surface primers, fungicides and paints. Better still, why don’t you consider having the roof replaced using modern materials, if possible.

Remember – never use high pressure water on asbestos roofs. It’s not worth the risk to the health of you, your family and neighbours.

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© The State of Queensland 2018-2023
Queensland Government

  • Home
  • General information
    • What is asbestos?
    • How was asbestos used?
    • Are there health effects?
    • The risks of exposure
    • Health monitoring
    • Legislation and codes of practice
    • Low density asbestos fibre board
      • Low density board photo gallery
    • Asbestos contaminated dust or debris
    • Fires
    • Cleaning up after floods and storms
    • Importation prohibited
    • Government and agency roles
    • Asbestos in government assets
  • Know where asbestos is
    • Common locations of asbestos in domestic and commercial buildings
    • Naturally occurring asbestos
    • Asbestos products gallery
    • Vehicles and plant
    • Electrical switchboards and meters
    • Marblesheen pool coatings containing asbestos
    • Testing for asbestos
    • Asbestos registers for workplaces
    • Asbestos management plans
  • Removing or disturbing asbestos
    • Prohibited activities
    • Wearing protective equipment
    • Safe work procedures
    • Asbestos removal work
    • Asbestos-related work
      • Induction and safety training for unlicensed work
    • Homeowner's certificate to remove asbestos
    • Air monitoring
    • Clearance inspections
    • Transport and disposal of asbestos waste
      • Important disposal information and illegal dumping
      • Requirements for transporting asbestos
      • Asbestos disposal information
  • Practical guidance
    • Asbestos workers and removalists
    • Trades and contractors
    • Homeowners and home renovators
      • Tips when home renovating
        • Homeowners: Look, check and prepare
      • Tips when hiring a contractor
    • Commercial building owners (of workplaces)
    • Body corporate and apartment owner occupiers
      • Is my body corporate a PCBU
      • Asbestos in body corporate common areas
    • Residential tenants, lessors and landlords
      • Add a warning sticker to your home
    • Volunteers
      • Is my volunteer association a PCBU?
      • Businesses and volunteers
    • Local government environmental health officers
      • Frequently asked questions from local government authorised persons
  • Resources
    • Asbestos alerts
    • Asbestos news
    • Codes of practice
    • Guidance
    • Films
      • Asbestos safety session 2021
      • Asbestos safety session 2020
      • Cleaning Asbestos Roofs
      • Shadow vacuuming with a H-Class vacuum cleaner
      • Use and maintenance of a H-Class vacuum cleaner
      • Identifying low density asbestos fibre board hazards and risks
      • Working safely with asbestos for the home renovator
      • How to properly wear personal protective equipment for airborne contaminants
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Dear Dad - An asbestos awareness film
      • Clear and present danger: Asbestos exposed
      • Uses and applications of asbestos - an extract from a film by Parsons Brinckerhoff
      • Asbestos health issues - an extract from a film by Parsons Brinckerhoff
      • Safe work procedure - storm and wind damage cleanup
      • Drilling into asbestos walls and ceilings
      • Asbestos - Removing switchboard panels
      • Decontamination procedure, personal decontamination and cleanup procedures
      • Asbestos awareness
    • Safe work procedures
      • Preparation before commencing the task
      • Preparing and painting corrugated asbestos cement roof and fences
      • Drilling into non-friable asbestos using a thickened substance to control airborne fibres and dust
      • Drilling into non-friable ACM using an H rated industrial HEPA filter vacuum to control airborne fibres and dust
      • Removing a small package electrical switchboard
      • Cleanup and disposal
      • Safe cleanup of storm damaged materials that may contain asbestos
    • Frequently asked questions for homeowners and the general public
    • Podcasts
    • Strategies
    • Working Safely with Asbestos Guide
    • Asbestos Awareness Week 2022
    • Induction and safety training for unlicensed work
  • Sanctions
    • Asbestos on-the-spot fines
    • Sanctions against asbestos licence holders
    • Prosecutions