Asbestos Testing Laboratories in Tasmania, Australia

In Tasmania, workplace asbestos is regulated by WorkSafe Tasmania. A sample taken to find out whether a material contains asbestos may only be analysed by a NATA-accredited laboratory accredited for that test method, or by a laboratory approved or operated by the regulator.

Only a competent person should take the sample. It should be sealed in a container or a heavy-duty 200 µm polythene bag and labelled. Once the result comes back, the workplace's asbestos register must be updated.

The workplace exposure standard for asbestos is 0.1 fibres/mL of air, averaged over an eight-hour day, which is what air-monitoring results are compared against.

Asbestos has been banned across Australia since 31 December 2003, so buildings in Tasmania built or renovated before then may still contain it.

Check a laboratory's NATA accreditation covers the test you need, such as identification in bulk samples or fibre counting, and ask about turnaround times.