Equipment hire and solutions provider, Coates, along with Local Government NSW, has claimed the Industry Collaboration Award at the NSW Department of Education’s annual 2023 Training Awards.
Recently held at Sydney Town Hall, the awards acknowledge achievements that highlight the state’s vocational learners, trainers, employers, and training providers. Coates and Local Government NSW received the award after partnering to provide asbestos identification and response training to many local government employees across the state.
Coates Training is a registered training organisation (RTO) and developed the one-day course in collaboration with Local Government NSW to train local government officers who, during the course of their work, may come into contact with asbestos-related products.
The course, restricted to local government officers, helps council workers across New South Wales properly differentiate the kinds of asbestos and how to safely approach and manage that asbestos.
Paul McDonough, RTO Manager, Coates, said the award is a testament to everyone who worked hard to get the training course off the ground.
“Identification of asbestos-containing waste had become a skill of acute necessity, particularly last year, and to have this vital work recognised by the New South Wales Department of Education is a tremendous honour and achievement,” McDonough said.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fibre that was heavily used in Australian houses for insulation and fire-retardation until the mid-1980s. In 2003, asbestos-use was banned in Australia but it’s estimated around one-third of homes in Australia still contain asbestos products.
“NSW has suffered immensely through recent catastrophic fire and flood events, which inevitably led to a lot of roadside refuse, some containing asbestos. It was also washing up on the banks of flooded waterways and dumped in bush and park land,” said McDonough.
“The one-day course better equips local government officers across the state with the basics so that they can quickly determine the safest course of action when they’re called out to an inspection or identify asbestos in waste materials and landfill.”
The Coates team clocked up more than 12,000 kilometres during the roll-out of the course. Training was facilitated in locations including Albury, Warrumbungle, Gilgandra, Armidale, Lismore, and the Hunter Region.
“Many thanks to Coates for the extensive training of our workers in the associated hazards and safe handling techniques for asbestos-related work,” said Roland Mann, WHS Specialist, Campbelltown City Council.
“We found the trainers to be thoroughly experienced and knowledgeable and would recommend this training for any organisation that may come across asbestos in their work.”