Is an asbestos register legally required in Australia?

WHS Regulation 425 requires the person with management or control of a workplace to ensure an asbestos register is prepared if asbestos has been identified or is likely to be present with explicit application to any workplace built before 31 December 2003. The register must be maintained reviewed at least every five years and accessible to workers and contractors. WHS Regulation 429 requires an asbestos management plan for any workplace where asbestos has been identified. UK Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Regulation 4 imposes the equivalent duty in non-domestic premises. Failing to hold or maintain an asbestos register is an enforceable breach with substantial penalty units under each state WHS Act.

What is the difference between an asbestos register and an asbestos management plan?

The asbestos register is the inventory document. It lists every identified or presumed ACM the location the product type the asbestos type the condition the risk rating and the management priority. The asbestos management plan is the strategy and control document. It says how the ACM listed on the register will be managed over time including the labelling and signage regime the contractor permit-to-work process the inspection cadence the encapsulation and removal programme the responsibilities of the building owner and occupier the training and induction protocol and the emergency response procedure. WHS Reg 425 deals with the register and Reg 429 deals with the management plan as discrete documents and the audit expectation is both must be maintained together.

Who can prepare an asbestos register?

Only a competent person can prepare an asbestos register. In Australia competence is demonstrated through formal training and qualification as an asbestos assessor or a licensed asbestos assessor under WHS Reg 425 with NATA-accredited laboratory analysis of any samples. In the UK a competent surveyor under HSG264 (typically BOHS P402-qualified) with UKAS-accredited laboratory analysis is required. The building owner or PCBU cannot prepare the register from a self-inspection without competent assessor support except where the register is recording confirmed non-asbestos materials with documented evidence. Class A licence is required for friable asbestos work and class B for non-friable with unlicensed work permitted only on quantities under ten square metres in some jurisdictions.

What ACM should be on the register?

Every identified or presumed asbestos-containing material in the workplace buildings and structures should appear on the register. Common ACM in Australian buildings built before 2003 includes fibre cement sheet (eaves soffits internal lining roof) vinyl floor tiles and tile mastic sprayed coatings on steel beams lagging on pipes and boilers asbestos cement pipes gaskets and ropes in plant rooms electrical switchboard backing boards and millboard. Materials presumed to contain asbestos pending sampling are also recorded and managed as if they contain asbestos. Materials confirmed by accredited laboratory analysis as non-asbestos can be omitted but the sample reference and laboratory result are retained as evidence. Soil and bonded ACM in the ground are recorded where present.

How does the asbestos register link to refurbishment and demolition?

The management survey behind the asbestos register is a non-intrusive document and is not a substitute for a refurbishment or demolition survey under HSG264 or the WHS Code of Practice on Demolition Work. Before any refurbishment alteration or demolition that could disturb the building fabric a refurbishment or demolition survey must be commissioned by a competent assessor. The survey is intrusive (it inspects voids opens up linings examines fabric the management survey could not access) and may identify ACM not present on the management register. The new survey is reconciled with the existing register a new version is issued and the management plan is updated before any disturbance work begins.

Is this asbestos register template free?

Yes. Download and use this asbestos register template at no cost. Open the file in your browser and use Print then Save as PDF. No MapTrack account is required. The template is a structural skeleton for a register that must be populated by a competent asbestos assessor not a substitute for the survey itself. If you want a digital asbestos register that attaches the register and management plan to every building and floor record surfaces five-year review reminders against each ACM row logs every contractor view at induction and triggers a refurbishment survey workflow before any intrusive work MapTrack can do that. Book a demo to see how the register runs against your buildings.

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Free asbestos register template (PDF-ready). Locate, identify and risk-rate ACM in workplace buildings. AU WHS Reg 425 and UK CAR 2012 aligned. Download.

Jarrod Milford

Commercial Director

Updated 18 May 2026

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Updated 18 May 2026

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What is a asbestos register template?

An asbestos register is a controlled document held at the workplace that lists every identified or presumed asbestos-containing material (ACM) in the workplace buildings and structures recording the precise location type of asbestos (chrysotile amosite crocidolite or mixed) product type (vinyl floor tile sprayed coating gasket lagging fibre cement sheet etc.) condition rating accessibility the date the material was identified or sampled the sample reference and laboratory used and the risk rating that drives the management plan. The register is a discrete document under Australian WHS Regulation 425 and UK Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Regulation 4 separate from the broader hazard register the risk register and the chemical register because the regulator is specifically interested in asbestos location and condition information being available to anyone (worker contractor electrician plumber) before they touch the fabric of the building.\n\nAustralian WHS Regulation 425 requires the person with management or control of a workplace to ensure an asbestos register is prepared for any workplace built before 31 December 2003 (or where asbestos has been identified or is likely to be present) and that the register is reviewed at least every five years when ACM is removed when new ACM is identified or when the management plan is reviewed. UK CAR 2012 Regulation 4 imposes the equivalent duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises and the HSE Approved Code of Practice L143 (Managing and working with asbestos) is the operational reference. In the US EPA AHERA (40 CFR Part 763) covers schools OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1001 and 1926.1101 cover general industry and construction exposure and many states require local building registers. The Code of Practice on How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace (Safe Work Australia 2020) is the operational document for the Australian register. The register sits alongside the asbestos management plan (the strategy document) and is referenced before any building electrical plumbing or refurbishment work is allowed to start with the register and plan made readily accessible to workers and contractors at induction.

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Benefits of using this asbestos register template

WHS Regulation 425 evidence: a maintained asbestos register and management plan together are the documented evidence the regulator and SafeWork inspectors require during a routine workplace visit asbestos incident response or building refurbishment notification.
Pre-work hazard control: every electrician plumber builder or refurbishment contractor consults the register before drilling cutting or fixing into the building fabric which is the practical mechanism that prevents inadvertent disturbance and contractor exposure incidents.
Refurbishment and demolition trigger: the register is the source document for the asbestos refurbishment or demolition survey under HSG264 or the WHS Code of Practice on Demolition Work and prevents non-licensed work proceeding without a refurbishment-level intrusive survey.
Health monitoring evidence: a documented record of ACM location condition and any disturbance event is the evidence used in retrospective health monitoring claims under WHS Reg 435 and in dust diseases compensation claims years or decades after exposure.
Insurance and conveyancing readiness: commercial property insurers due diligence buyers and tenants routinely request the register and management plan as part of property transactions and policy renewals particularly for any building built before 2003.
Continuous improvement loop: a register reviewed annually with a competent asbestos assessor turns a static document into a live control with re-inspection of each ACM row driving condition trending prioritised encapsulation and removal planning.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your registers from paper to MapTrack, you get:

Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
Ability to share forms digitally.
Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
Electronic signatures.
Edit forms later without reprinting.
Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
Set recurring audit schedules with automatic reminders and escalation.
Produce regulator-ready PDF compliance packs in one click.
Track corrective actions from finding to close-out with full audit trail.

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What to include in a asbestos register template

This asbestos register template covers 10 key areas:

Workplace identification: workplace name address building age year built date the register was first prepared register custodian (typically the WHS coordinator or facilities manager) and the competent assessor who prepared the register.
ACM inventory: every identified or presumed ACM listed as a discrete row with a unique ACM ID building level or floor room or location specific position (ceiling wall plant room riser soffit) and quantity (square metres or linear metres).
Material and asbestos identification: product type (sprayed coating lagging board tile gasket fibre cement sheet mastic paper) asbestos type confirmed by sample (chrysotile amosite crocidolite mixed) or presumed pending sample sample reference sampling date and accredited laboratory name.
Condition and accessibility: condition rating (good fair poor) per HSG264 or WHS Code of Practice criteria accessibility rating (high medium low) reflecting whether occupants or contractors can touch or disturb the material and surface treatment status (sealed painted encapsulated bare).
Risk rating and priority: material assessment score combining product type asbestos type extent of damage and surface treatment plus a priority assessment score based on usage and disturbance potential producing an overall management priority (immediate short term monitor).
Management action: control action determined for the row (label and monitor encapsulate repair remove) licensed contractor required (class A class B or unlicensed depending on friability and quantity) and the date the action is due.
Disturbance and incident history: log of any incident or unplanned disturbance of the ACM row the action taken (clean-up air monitoring health monitoring referral) the date and the incident reference.
Photographs and drawings: photographs of each ACM row building floor plans with ACM rows marked and the location of any warning labels attached or referenced from the register.
Review and version control: date of last register review the competent assessor who completed the review next scheduled review date (at least every five years sooner on disturbance or material change) and version number with change history.
Communication and access: confirmation that the register has been communicated to workers and contractors at induction that copies are accessible at reception and on the digital management system and that the register has been provided to contractors before each access.

How to use this asbestos register template

Engage a competent asbestos assessor and complete the management survey: the register cannot be prepared by an untrained person. Engage a competent assessor with the relevant qualification (NATA-accredited assessor in Australia under WHS Reg 425 BOHS P402 or equivalent in the UK under HSG264) to walk every accessible area of the workplace identify and sample materials that may contain asbestos and confirm the inventory. Sample analysis must be performed by a NATA-accredited (Australia) or UKAS-accredited (UK) laboratory.
Capture the ACM inventory and identification metadata for every row: for each identified or presumed ACM record the building floor room specific location product type asbestos type confirmed by sample sample reference and laboratory sampling date quantity (square metres or linear metres) and surface treatment status. Mark every row on a floor plan and attach a photograph. Materials presumed to contain asbestos pending sampling are recorded as presumed and managed as if they contain asbestos until sampling confirms otherwise.
Rate condition accessibility and risk to drive the management priority: for each ACM row apply the material assessment criteria (product type condition surface treatment asbestos type) and the priority assessment criteria (occupant exposure potential maintenance and contractor disturbance potential building use). Combine the scores to produce an overall management priority (immediate action short term ongoing monitoring) and the management action (label and monitor encapsulate repair remove).
Communicate the register label the ACM in-place and brief workers and contractors: the register is only effective when the workers and contractors who could disturb the ACM have read it. Install warning labels at each ACM location as required by WHS Reg 425 or HSG264. Brief every worker and contractor at induction with the location of the register the procedure for accessing it before any work the disturbance reporting protocol and the prohibition on unlicensed work on friable asbestos.
Review the register at least every five years and on every trigger event: WHS Reg 425 requires a review at least every five years and whenever ACM is removed additional ACM is identified the workplace is altered or refurbished or an unplanned disturbance occurs. The competent assessor returns for the review walks each ACM row reassesses condition and accessibility updates the management priority and signs the register. The version number increments and the change history is added. The current register is re-issued to workers and contractors.

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How often should you complete this register?

Australian WHS Regulation 425 requires the asbestos register to be reviewed at least every five years and additionally when the asbestos management plan is reviewed when ACM is removed from the workplace when new ACM is identified when the workplace is altered or refurbished in a way that affects accessibility or when there is reasonable cause to believe the register is no longer accurate. UK Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Regulation 4 and HSE Approved Code of Practice L143 impose equivalent triggers although UK practice typically supports annual condition re-inspection of every accessible ACM row in addition to the five-year management survey refresh. In US schools under EPA AHERA the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act requires a three-year re-inspection. In practice prudent facilities teams run an internal annual condition check of every ACM row with the formal competent-assessor review at five-year intervals and a refurbishment or demolition survey under HSG264 commissioned before any intrusive work begins. MapTrack can attach the asbestos register to every building asset and trigger the five-year and annual review reminders against each ACM row so the document does not silently expire.

Frequently asked questions

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

WHS Reg 425 (Asbestos register)
WHS Reg 429 (Asbestos management plan)
WHS Reg 435 (Health monitoring)
Safe Work Australia Code of Practice How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace 2020
UK Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (Regulation 4 Duty to manage)
HSE Approved Code of Practice L143 2013 (Managing and working with asbestos)
HSE HSG264 2012 (Asbestos surveying guidance)
EPA AHERA 40 CFR Part 763 (US schools)
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1001 and 1926.1101

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