If your business removes friable asbestos, you need a Class A asbestos removal licence (Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 485). To get one, you need more than qualified supervisors and the right gear. The regulator has to see a certified safety management system before it will grant the licence. If that certification lapses, the licence is exposed.
That requirement catches a lot of Class B removalists trying to step up. They run good crews and know the removal work well. What they don’t have is a management system that an independent auditor will certify.
What the Regulation says
Four provisions do the work:
- Section 493(1)(e) — a Class A application must include “evidence that the applicant has a certified safety management system in place”. The same section requires the names of competent supervisors, their supervision VET certification and evidence of at least three years’ relevant industry experience.
- Section 498(b) — the regulator must be satisfied that the applicant has a certified safety management system in place before granting the licence.
- Section 520(1)(e) — the regulator may suspend or cancel a Class A licence if the holder “has failed to have a certified safety management system in place”.
- Schedule 19 — defines a certified safety management system as one that complies with AS 4801:2001, or an equivalent system determined by the regulator (s 6).
AS 4801 has been superseded by AS/NZS ISO 45001:2018. WorkSafe Queensland’s application form (Form 80) accepts either standard, “or equivalent”. It also says who can certify the system: a JAS-ANZ accredited conformity assessment body, an Exemplar Global certified auditor, or another person the regulator considers suitably qualified. A new system should be built to ISO 45001.
The form gives no grace period. The system has to be certified when you apply. Certification needs the system to be running and producing records an auditor can sample, so the work has to start well before the licence application.
Class B licences don’t carry this requirement. Section 494 sets out the Class B application content, and a certified system isn’t part of it.
What the system has to cover
ISO 45001 is written for any industry. For a Class A removalist, the auditor will expect to see the asbestos-specific duties running through it, and will sample job records to check.
| Regulation duty | Section | ISO 45001 clause | What the auditor samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asbestos removal control plan for each job, kept and available | ss 464–465 | 8.1 Operational planning and control | Control plans for completed jobs |
| Notify the regulator at least 5 days before licensed removal work | s 466 | 6.1.3 Legal requirements; 9.1.2 Evaluation of compliance | Notification records against job start dates |
| Nominated supervisor present whenever Class A work is carried out | ss 459, 529 | 7.2 Competence; 8.1 | Supervisor allocations and site records |
| Removal workers trained, and training records kept | ss 460–461 | 7.2 Competence; 7.5 Documented information | Training register and certificates |
| Signage, barricades, access control, decontamination, waste disposal | ss 469–472 | 8.1; 8.2 Emergency preparedness | Job set-up records, waste dockets |
| Air monitoring and clearance by an independent licensed asbestos assessor | ss 473–475 | 9.1 Monitoring and measurement | Air monitoring results and clearance certificates |
| Health monitoring for workers at risk of exposure | s 435 | 9.1; 7.5 | Health monitoring schedule and reports held |
The rest of the standard applies as it would to any business: hazard identification (6.1.2), worker consultation and participation (5.4), internal audit (9.2), management review (9.3), and incident and corrective action (10.2). Note that the air monitoring duty in s 475 sits with the person who commissions the work, or with the removalist at domestic premises. Your system needs to show how you confirm it has been done either way.
Where applications go wrong
A generic template. An off-the-shelf ISO 45001 manual that never mentions asbestos won’t survive a Stage 2 audit. The auditor will pick a completed job and ask to see the control plan, the notification, the clearance certificate and the supervisor’s tickets. If the system doesn’t connect to those records, it fails.
A system built for the certificate. Certification runs on a three-year cycle with annual surveillance audits. A system that was assembled for the initial audit and then shelved will lapse, and s 520(1)(e) puts the licence at risk when it does.
Oversizing. A removal business with a small crew doesn’t need the system a tier 1 builder runs. The bigger the system, the more of it goes unused, and unused procedures are where auditors find nonconformities.
How Safeguard helps
I build the ISO 45001 system around the asbestos work you actually do. Control plan templates, the notification process, air monitoring and clearance tracking, and the training and health monitoring registers are part of the system from the start, not added later.
Before certification I run the internal audit and management review the standard requires. A consultant can’t certify the system they built, so certification is done by an independent body. I can put you in touch with a certification auditor local to you. Having spent five years as the General Manager of a certification body, I know what they look for and where systems fall over.
Everything is delivered in Word and Excel. You own it and can keep it current. See our management systems services or talk to us about your Class A application.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a certified system for a Class B licence?
No. The certified safety management system requirement applies to Class A licences only (ss 493, 498).
We already hold a Class A licence. Does this still apply?
Yes. Under s 520(1)(e) the regulator can suspend or cancel a Class A licence if the holder no longer has a certified system in place. Keep your surveillance audits current.
Is it the same in other states?
Queensland’s Regulation follows the model WHS Regulations, and the other harmonised jurisdictions have equivalent requirements. Application forms and accepted certifiers differ, so check with your state’s regulator.
