The Asbestos Awareness Campaign was launched in NSW in 2011. Working closely with stakeholders including local and state governments, not-for-profits, research organisations and businesses; in 2013 the campaign was rolled out Australia-wide as the National Asbestos Awareness Month Campaign.
With the serious health risks associated with exposure to asbestos fibres being of national concern and with 1 in every 3 Australian homes containing asbestos, the principle focus of the national campaign was to alert home renovators and tradespersons about the dangers of asbestos; provide information to assist in identifying asbestos-containing materials in and around homes built or renovated prior to 1990; and, provide information and resources on how to manage and dispose of asbestos safely.
In 2017, asbestosawareness.com.au increased its extensive suite of resources to include Asbestos Management Plan guides to assist in the safe management of asbestos-containing materials in commercial and non-residential properties and to assist rural workers in safely managing naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) in accordance with regulations.
Until 2017, the world-leading and internationally award winning Asbestos Awareness Campaign and many of the world-first resources featured on the asbestosawareness.com.au website were funded by the James Hardie Education Fund administered by the Government run Asbestos Education Committee chaired by SafeWork NSW with various NSW and Federal Government agencies contributing additional funding.
In April 2018, the Government managed Asbestos Education Committee was disbanded and funding of the Asbestos Awareness Campaign and the asbestosawareness.com.au website ceased.
In 2021 Asbestos Awareness partnered with a new independent Asbestos Education Committee comprised of experts across health, government, industry and victims of asbestos-related diseases and are seeking ongoing funding.
The Asbestos Awareness Campaign and the majority of the content featured on the asbestosawareness.com.au website was researched, developed and managed by Insight Communications in consultation with stakeholders, health, work and safety representatives, and relevant authority from State and Federal governments.
The Asbestos Awareness Campaign has focused on home renovators and tradesman by:
- Alerting those people to the dangers of asbestos;
- Alerting those people as to what products may contain asbestos and where those products may be found in existing households or other environments; and
- Advising those people as to the steps that ought to be taken by people planning home renovations or who otherwise identify asbestos products in their home or other.
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