Do I need an asbestos management plan?
Approximately 170 people in New Zealand die each year from asbestos-related diseases. Breathing in asbestos fibres is known to be a serious health risk. This is because once the asbestos fibres are inhaled they become lodged into the lungs and can then cause diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma. Asbestos fibres are released into the air when the asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are disturbed.
Asbestos was heavily used in New Zealand up until the mid-1980s and continued to be used until the year 2000. It can be commonly found in New Zealand homes within the insulation, cladding, vinyl, roofing and much more. In 2016 New Zealand introduced the Health & Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016.
The asbestos regulations were created to help protect people in New Zealand from asbestos-related injury. The regulations state that a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) must provide an asbestos management plan if a) asbestos has been identified at the workplace, or b) it is likely to be present at the workplace. It is the PCBU’s responsibility to ensure there is a written asbestos management plan available and that it is kept up to date.
What is an asbestos management plan?
An asbestos management plan sets out where asbestos is or may be present in the property and how to manage it. The asbestos management plan must be kept up to date, which includes updating it every five years, or when asbestos has been removed, disturbed, sealed or enclosed.
Before you can create an asbestos management plan the property needs to be surveyed for asbestos. This process can be presumptive or require sampling. A presumptive survey is where the Inspector surveys the property and notes where they assume asbestos may be present. A sampling survey is when the Inspector takes samples from the property and sends them to a lab to be analysed to confirm whether there is asbestos present or not.
Not all PCBUs must have a sampling survey. However, if you are demolishing a property or renovating it, you legally are required to have a sample survey. This is due to the fact you will be disturbing the asbestos if there is any present. Otherwise, you must treat all presumed materials as if they do contain asbestos and have them removed by a certified professional.
Our asbestos survey and management plans include the following information:
- Scope of inspection
- Scope of works
- Survey results interpretation
- Executive summary
- Results
- Asbestos register
- Asbestos management plan
The common areas surveyed are:
- exterior roof
- external wall cladding
- plumbing system
- electrical system
- interior
If you are unsure whether you require an asbestos management plan, feel free to call our friendly team on 0800 422 387.