For many years, people in Western Australia thought that asbestos was a problem of the past. We knew that old houses built before 1990 often had asbestos in the walls or roofs. However, a major safety alert from WorkSafe WA in early 2026 has changed everything. This new alert warns that many fire doors installed very recently—between 2021 and 2025—might actually contain asbestos.
This is a big deal for anyone who owns or manages a building in Perth. Whether you look after a school, a hospital, an office tower, or an apartment block, you need to understand how passive fire protection installers perth are working to fix this problem. In this guide, we will explain what the 2026 alert is all about, why it is dangerous, and what you need to do to keep your building legal and safe.
What is Passive Fire Protection?
Before we dive into the asbestos issue, it is important to understand what “passive fire protection” actually is. Most people know about “active” fire systems, like loud alarms or sprinklers that spray water. These are called active because they have to do something to work.
Passive fire protection is different. It is built into the very bones of your building. It doesn’t move or make noise; it just sits there, waiting. Its job is to “compartmentalise” a fire. This means if a fire starts in one room, the walls, floors, and fire doors act as a shield to keep the flames and smoke trapped in that one spot. This gives people more time to get out safely and helps the fire brigade put the fire out before the whole building is ruined.
A passive fire protection system perth includes things like:
- Fire-rated walls and floors: Barriers that resist heat.
- Penetration seals: Special “putty” or “pillows” used to plug holes where pipes or wires go through walls.
- Fire doors: Thick, heavy doors designed to stay standing even in intense heat.
The 2026 Asbestos Fire Door Alert Explained
In late 2025 and early 2026, the Australian Border Force and WorkSafe WA discovered that a specific type of “Fire Rated Board” (FRB) imported from overseas contained traces of asbestos. This board was used as the “core” or the inside filling of thousands of fire doors sold across Australia between 2021 and 2025.
This is what many industry experts are calling the “ghost asbestos” crisis. Because these doors were manufactured long after the 2003 total ban on asbestos in Australia, nobody expected them to be dangerous. However, testing has confirmed that the internal material is “friable.”
What does “Friable” mean?
“Friable” is a word used by safety experts to describe a material that can be easily crumbled or turned into a powder by hand. When asbestos is friable, it is much more dangerous. If you drill a hole into one of these doors to change a lock, or if the door is damaged by a trolley hitting it, tiny asbestos fibres can fly into the air. If you breathe those fibres in, they can get stuck in your lungs and cause very serious illnesses many years later.
Why This Matters for Perth Building Owners
If your building was built or had its fire doors replaced between 2021 and 2025, you cannot simply assume they are safe. Under the WHS Regulations 2022 in Western Australia, the person in charge of a workplace has a legal “duty of care” to manage asbestos risks.
If you ignore the 2026 alert and a worker or tenant is exposed to asbestos because of a damaged fire door, the penalties are very high. More importantly, you have a responsibility to keep people safe. This is why professional passive fire protection contractors perth are currently busy auditing buildings all across the city.
Your 2026 Compliance Checklist
If you are worried about your fire doors, you should follow these steps to stay compliant with the new mandates:
1. Check the Paperwork
Look at your maintenance records. Were any new fire doors installed in the last five years? If the answer is yes, you need to find out who supplied them. Many passive fire protection perth companies are reaching out to their clients to let them know if they used the impacted boards.
2. Physical Inspection
Look at the edge of the door near the hinges. You should see a metal “compliance tag.” This tag tells you the fire rating of the door and who made it. However, you cannot tell if a door has asbestos just by looking at the tag. If the door was made between 2021 and 2025, it needs further checking.
3. Professional NATA Testing
Do not try to cut into the door yourself! To know for sure, a small sample of the internal core must be taken and sent to a lab that is “NATA accredited.” This ensures the test is accurate and legally recognised.
4. Update the Asbestos Register
Every commercial building in Perth must have an Asbestos Register. If your doors are found to contain asbestos, they must be added to this list immediately. You must also have an “Asbestos Management Plan” that explains how you will keep people away from the doors until they can be fixed or removed.
Should You Remove or Encapsulate?
If your testing comes back positive, you have two main choices. Professional passive fire protection installers perth can help you decide which is best for your situation.
- Encapsulation: If the door is in perfect condition and is in a quiet area where it won’t get hit, it might be possible to seal it so the fibres can’t get out. However, this is usually only a temporary fix. You will have to label the door with a warning sign, and you can never drill into it.
- Removal and Replacement: This is the safest and most common choice for busy Perth businesses. The old doors are removed by a “Class A” licensed asbestos removalist, wrapped in thick plastic, and taken to a special waste site. They are then replaced with modern, certified, asbestos-free fire doors.
The Importance of Using Certified Contractors
Fire safety is not a “DIY” job. Because fire doors are part of a complex passive fire protection system perth, they must be installed perfectly. If there is a gap that is too wide between the door and the frame, or if the “closer” doesn’t latch the door shut properly, the door will fail in a fire—even if it doesn’t have asbestos.
By hiring experienced passive fire protection contractors perth, you get:
- Correct Installation: Ensuring the door meets Australian Standard AS 1905.1.
- Certification: Getting the right paperwork to show the council and your insurance company that your building is safe.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Setting up a schedule to check the doors every 6 or 12 months as required by the law.
Staying Ahead of the 2026 Mandates
The 2026 asbestos fire door alert is a reminder that fire safety is always changing. Technology gets better, but sometimes new problems appear that we didn’t expect. The best way to protect your property and the people inside is to have a strong relationship with a team of passive fire protection installers perth.
At SafetyTech, we are dedicated to helping Perth businesses navigate these tricky new rules. We stay on top of the latest alerts from WorkSafe WA so that you don’t have to. From the initial audit of your passive fire equipment perth to the final installation of compliant doors, we provide a complete service that prioritises your safety and your legal standing.
Don’t wait for your next annual fire safety inspection to find out you have a problem. Being proactive now can save you a lot of stress, money, and risk in the long run.
FAQs
What is the 2026 Perth asbestos fire door alert?
It is a safety warning issued by WorkSafe WA regarding fire doors imported between 2021 and 2025 that have been found to contain traces of asbestos in their internal cores.
How do I know if my fire doors contain asbestos?
The only way to be 100% sure is through professional sampling and NATA-accredited lab testing. Doors installed between 2021 and 2025 are at the highest risk.
Why would modern fire doors have asbestos?
Some manufacturers overseas used “Fire Rated Boards” as cores that contained traces of asbestos, despite the total ban on the material in Australia since 2003.
What should I do if my building has these doors?
You must contact passive fire protection installers perth to have the doors audited, updated on your Asbestos Register, and either encapsulated or replaced by a licensed professional.
Can I just paint over an asbestos fire door?
Simple paint is not enough for friable asbestos. If the door is damaged or needs to be worked on, painting will not stop the fibres from being released. You need a professional solution.
Is it illegal to keep asbestos fire doors in Perth?
It is not necessarily illegal to have them if they are in good condition and correctly managed on a register, but you are legally required to identify them and manage the risk under WHS laws.
Who can legally remove these doors?
Because the internal cores are often “friable” (easily crumbled), removal must be done by a Class A licensed asbestos removal contractor.
What is a passive fire protection system perth?
It is the group of stationary building components (like doors, walls, and seals) that work together to stop a fire from spreading through a building.
How often should fire doors be inspected?
Under Australian Standard AS 1851, fire doors in commercial buildings should generally be inspected every 6 to 12 months to ensure they still close and seal correctly.
What happens if I ignore the WorkSafe WA alert?
You could face significant fines for failing to manage workplace risks, and your building insurance may be voided if a fire occurs and the doors are found to be non-compliant.