Friable and non-friable asbestos in plain words

General information, not safety or legal advice. Asbestos rules are set by each state and territory; the national agency keeps a list of the organisations in each one that deal with asbestos.

The two terms, side by side

Friable

Queensland’s Work Health and Safety Regulation defines friable asbestos as material containing asbestos that “is in a powder form or that can be crumbled, pulverised or reduced to a powder by hand pressure when dry”.

Queensland’s guide for renovators adds that friable materials “can contain up to 100 per cent asbestos”, with loose fibres. The national agency says they were mostly used for fireproofing and insulation, and are extremely hazardous because their fibres are easily released into the air.

Non-friable

The same regulation: “non-friable asbestos means material containing asbestos that is not friable asbestos, including material containing asbestos fibres reinforced with a bonding compound.”

SafeWork NSW says it is also known as bonded asbestos. Queensland’s guide says asbestos cement products are commonly called “fibro”, “asbestos cement” or “AC sheeting”, and typically contain 5 to 20 per cent asbestos. The national agency says non-friable materials are the most common type.

Where each turns up in a home

WorkSafe Victoria says most asbestos materials found in homes are non-friable, such as cement sheet, and that when these are in good condition and undisturbed they normally do not release fibres.

The friable entries are the ones to read slowly. Official sources name these:

Low density asbestos fibre board, which Queensland’s guide for renovators says looks similar to asbestos cement sheeting or plasterboard, and calls friable, to be removed only by a class A licensed removalist.
Some felt carpet underlay, which Queensland’s guidance says is considered friable.
The asbestos backing of some vinyl floor coverings, which WorkSafe Victoria gives as an example of friable material.
Loose-fill asbestos, which the NSW EPA describes as raw crushed asbestos put into the ceilings of some NSW homes as insulation during the 1960s and 1970s.

When non-friable becomes friable

The label can change with the material. The NSW EPA says non-friable asbestos can become friable if it is damaged or old. WorkSafe Victoria says non-friable materials can deteriorate and be reclassified as friable. Queensland’s guide is specific: “Where any bonded asbestos product has deteriorated to such a state that it can turn to dust with very light pressure, such as crushing with your hand, it should be treated as being friable.”

That is why the friability line and the condition line belong together. A non-friable entry described as weathered, cracked or crumbling is worth asking about.

Why the word decides who may remove it

Safe Work Australia sets out the national picture: a licence is needed to remove asbestos, though in some states or territories asbestos can be removed without one in certain situations. Licences differ between states and territories, and the state’s work health and safety regulator has the detail.

State sources put it this way:

New South Wales: SafeWork NSW says a friable asbestos removal licence is needed to remove any amount of friable asbestos, and a non-friable asbestos removal licence when a job’s bonded material covers more than 10 square metres. It also recommends a licensed professional to remove any amount of non-friable asbestos.
Queensland: the state’s guidance says friable asbestos must be removed by an A class licensed removalist.
Victoria: WorkSafe Victoria says that in most cases removal must be done by a licensed removalist, with unlicensed removal of limited amounts of non-friable asbestos allowed only in certain circumstances.
Western Australia: the national agency notes that Class A is called “unrestricted” there, and Class B “restricted”.

Before anyone works on it

The national agency says it is “not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself”, and in some places the law goes further: in the Australian Capital Territory any removal needs a licensed removalist, unless it is part of minor routine maintenance or other minor work, and disturbing loose-fill insulation does not count as such work, and in Queensland a home owner must be trained before taking out more than 10 square metres of non-friable material. The agency adds that a professional is the easier and safer way to have it done. It explains that non-friable asbestos can turn dangerous if it is disturbed, damaged or deteriorating, and it cites the World Health Organization’s position that no safe level of exposure to asbestos is known.

For asbestos in the home, the agency lists things you must never do when working with or removing asbestos materials: cut, drill, grind or sand them with power tools such as angle grinders, circular saws or electric sanders; clean them with high-pressure water or compressed air; dry-sweep the dust with a broom; or use a household vacuum cleaner on it, even one with a HEPA filter. It also warns never to use high-pressure water or any abrasive process, such as scrubbing, sanding or grinding, to clean an asbestos-cement roof or any other asbestos material. Queensland’s guidance for home renovators adds: do not “saw, sand, scrape or drill holes in asbestos materials”.

The same list says asbestos waste never goes in a household rubbish bin. Where it may go is set by each state and territory. In New South Wales, the NSW EPA says only to a landfill licensed to accept it. In Queensland, the state’s asbestos site says to a landfill that can lawfully take asbestos waste, usually one run by the local council. In Victoria, EPA Victoria says to a landfill authorised to receive it. For other states and territories, the national agency keeps a list of the organisations in each one that deal with asbestos.

If your report lists friable material, the national model WHS Regulations allow only a removalist with a Class A licence to remove it, and a Class B removalist non-friable asbestos only; your state’s regulator has the local licence rules.