Asbestos is the common name for several naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals. Asbestos fibres are very heat resistant and strong and were used for many years in thermal insulating materials such as laggings and coatings, floor tiles, roofing, asbestos cement products, electrical insulating materials as well as vehicle clutch and brake linings. Since asbestos is a very friable material, microscopic fibres can release into the air in smaller or larger quantities. Inhalation of asbestos fibres can have serious health effects, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

In Australia, a nationwide ban on importing and using all forms asbestos took effect on 31 December 2003. Reflecting the ban, the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) revised asbestos-related material to promote a consistent approach to controlling exposure to workplace asbestos and to introduce best-practice health and safety measures for asbestos management, control and removal. The ban did not cover asbestos materials or products already in use at the time the ban was implemented. Although Australia has only a third of the UK’s population, its asbestos disease fatalities approximate Britain’s of more than 3,000 people per year.