News - Jun 4, 2025 Regional Asbestos Training

Training on awareness, identification and management of asbestos containing materials (ACM) was recently delivered in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. It will be rolled out later this month to Kiribati, PNG, Samoa, and Tuvalu.

The effort is one of several training and workshop opportunities being provided under the European Union funded PacWastePlus program.

The training included three separate training courses. The first on Asbestos Awareness which provides the knowledge and skills for individuals to be able to identify a range of ACMs. The second training is the Asbestos Removal Course-Class B License, Non-Friable – (Remove non-friable asbestos). In this course, participants will be able to demonstrate the end-to-end process involved in the removal of Class B asbestos (a type of asbestos sealed into products common in the construction industry).

The third training is the Identification and Awareness of Asbestos Containing Materials session which provides the knowledge and skills to identify existing and new asbestos containing products.

The Deputy Director of Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) for Solomon Islands, Ms. Debra Kereseka, applauded the training.

“This training gives you a deeper understanding of the health risks associated with asbestos and ACM, and with the knowledge needed to manage these materials safely and effectively,” she said.

Ms Kereseka said that the introduction of an Asbestos Management Policy and Regulation, including a ban on the importation of asbestos, will be a significant step toward reducing asbestos-related diseases in the Solomon islands.