Class A and Class B asbestos licences explained
Two letters decide who may legally do the work. Knowing which one your job needs is how you tell a real quote from a cheap one.
Asbestos removal in Australia is licensed work, and the licensing sits in two classes. The distinction follows the bonded/friable split exactly, which is why that distinction is worth getting right before you ring anybody.
The two classes
- Class A covers friable asbestos (in any quantity) and also covers everything a Class B licence covers. Friable work additionally requires air monitoring by a licensed asbestos assessor, and a clearance before the area is reoccupied.
- Class B covers bonded (non-friable) asbestos above the small-quantity threshold. It does not cover friable material at all.
There is a third player people often miss: the licensed asbestos assessor. That is not a removalist. It is the person who does air monitoring and issues clearance certificates on Class A jobs. And the law requires them to be independent of the removalist: the party doing the checking cannot be the party being checked.
Why friable has no small-amount allowance
The homeowner exception that exists for a small area of bonded sheeting has no equivalent for friable material, at any size. The reasoning is physical: friable material is already in the state that bonded material only reaches when somebody attacks it. There is no quantity of it small enough to be safely handled without containment, negative pressure, proper respiratory protection and monitoring.
If anyone offers to deal with loose-fill insulation, pipe lagging or fire-damaged material without a Class A licence, that is the end of the conversation.
Checking a licence
The WHS regulator in each state and territory issues and records licences, and you can check them. Asking to see one is routine, and a competent contractor will not be offended.
Three questions cover most of it: which class of licence do you hold, is this job going to be notified to the regulator. And who is doing the air monitoring and clearance. On a Class A job, the third question should produce the name of somebody who does not work for the removalist.
Notification
Licensed removal generally must be notified to the regulator before work starts, with a lead time. As a homeowner this is useful to you mainly as a signal: a licensed job that can begin tomorrow is a job worth asking more questions about.
Interstate
Australia's WHS framework is a model law implemented separately by each state and territory. So the structure is broadly consistent while the detail (thresholds, notification periods, forms, and how licences are recognised across borders) is not identical. Confirm with the regulator in your own state or territory rather than relying on a figure from another one. Most of the confused advice in circulation comes from someone quoting a rule that is true somewhere else.
The two licence classes at a glance
| Class A | Class B | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers friable | Yes, any quantity | No, never |
| Covers bonded | Yes | Yes, above the small-quantity threshold |
| Air monitoring | Mandatory, by an independent licensed assessor | Not always required |
| Clearance certificate | Required before reoccupation | Not always required, but worth having |
| Who issues the licence | The WHS regulator of each state and territory: and it can be checked | |
Class A licensed asbestos removal: the enclosure and the NPU
On a friable job, a Class A licensed removalist works inside a sealed enclosure kept under negative pressure by one or more negative pressure exhaust units, often called NPUs or negative units. Air is pulled into the enclosure rather than escaping through gaps, so fibres stay inside.
The national code of practice How to Safely Remove Asbestos sets out how this works:
- The enclosure is built of heavy-duty plastic sheeting that encloses the walls, windows and doors, with airlocks at the change area, and it stays airtight for the whole job.
- Before work starts, an independent licensed asbestos assessor inspects and smoke-tests it. Leaks are sealed and it is retested until it passes.
- The NPU draws air in through the decontamination unit and passes it through a HEPA filter before discharging it away from other work areas.
- The units should run continuously until removal, decontamination, clearance and dismantling are finished. If they stop, removal stops.
- The same independent assessor does the air monitoring and issues the clearance certificate, and must not be involved in the removal on that job.
Each state and territory adopts its own version of the code, so check the one your WHS regulator publishes. None of this is homeowner work. Your part is asking who builds and tests the enclosure, and who the independent assessor is.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Class A and Class B?
Class A covers friable asbestos in any quantity, and also everything Class B covers. Class B covers bonded asbestos above the small-quantity threshold and does not cover friable material at all.
What is a licensed asbestos assessor?
Not a removalist. The assessor does air monitoring and issues clearance certificates on Class A jobs, and must be independent of the removalist doing the work.
Is there a small-amount exception for friable asbestos?
No. The homeowner exception applies only to bonded material. Friable asbestos is Class A licensed work at any quantity, because it is already in the state bonded material only reaches when it is disturbed.
How do I check a removalist's licence?
Licences are issued and recorded by the WHS regulator in your state or territory and can be checked. Ask which class they hold, whether the job will be notified, and who is doing the air monitoring and clearance.
Sources
What this page explains is based on these official sources. If you check one and it does not match what you read here, send it to us and the article gets corrected.
- SafeWork NSW. Asbestos. Hazards A, Z
- WorkSafe Victoria. Asbestos. Duties, licensing and safe removal
- NSW Government. Asbestos in NSW. The NSW Government asbestos portal