You think you've found — or disturbed — asbestos. What now?
Two situations send people looking for answers fast: spotting material you think might be asbestos, and realising you've just cut, drilled or broken something that could be. Here's what to do in each — and, just as importantly, what not to do.
First: don’t panic, don’t disturb
Two principles cover almost every situation:
- Intact asbestos that’s left alone is low-risk. The danger is fibres in the air, which come from disturbing the material.
- You can’t confirm asbestos by eye — so treat anything suspect in an older building as if it contains asbestos until it’s tested.
So the universal first move is the same: stop, keep people and pets away from the area, and don’t do anything that could release fibres.
If you’ve found suspect material
You’ve noticed old sheeting, fencing, eaves, vinyl, pipe lagging or roofing you’re unsure about. While it’s intact and undisturbed, you have time to do this properly:
- Leave it alone. No poking, scraping, drilling or pressure-washing.
- Get it identified. Either send a safely collected sample for testing, or — if you’re not confident sampling safely — book an inspection and we’ll sample it for you. On-site screening gives a fast indication.
- Then choose. If it’s confirmed and sound, the options are leave-and-monitor, encapsulate/enclose (seal it so fibres can’t escape), or remove under licence. We’ll tell you honestly which your situation calls for.
If you’ve disturbed it
You’ve cut, drilled, sanded, broken or smashed something that might contain asbestos. Treat it as urgent but manageable:
- Stop work immediately and get everyone out of the area.
- Don’t sweep or vacuum the dust or debris — that just spreads fibres. Don’t keep working “to finish the bit you started”.
- Limit the spread. Close the area off; don’t track dust through the rest of the property.
- Decontaminate yourself. Shower, and wash the clothes you were wearing separately.
- Call us. Our emergency make-safe team can attend to isolate, stabilise and contain the material — a permanent repair where possible, a temporary make-safe where not — then handle full removal or remediation, and document it for an insurance claim.
A word on exposure worry
No amount of asbestos exposure is officially “safe”, but a single short, one-off exposure rarely causes disease — the serious risk is from repeated or heavy exposure. So a one-time accident during DIY is a reason to act sensibly, not to panic. Make the area safe, get the material tested, and deal with it properly from there.
If asbestos has been damaged by a storm, fire, flood or impact, that’s an emergency — call 1300 019 657 for a rapid make-safe response.
Still not sure? Just ask.
Call 1300 019 657, 7 days a week, or book an inspection and we'll give you a clear answer.