Asbestos – Property Managers.

When it comes to asbestos there are many people responsible for ensuring the health and safety of people on-site is managed.

Property Managers (residential and commercial) are one of them. The regulations state that under HSWA landlords must ensure that, when work is carried out at their property, it is done safely and without endangering workers or others, including tenants.

Landlords must identify asbestos in the workplace and document plans for managing its risks in an asbestos management plan if there is a risk of exposure to respirable asbestos fibres.

Under HSWA you have a duty to identify asbestos and prepare an asbestos management plan for work involving a risk of exposure to respirable asbestos fibres. For example, exposure is likely to occur from dust created when drilling or cutting into asbestos-containing materials (ACM).

The risk of exposure depends on the kind of work you’re planning to do. Types of work that create risk may include renovations, refurbishments or demolition work.

If the work creates a risk of exposure in an area of the property you must ensure asbestos is identified and an asbestos management plan is prepared.

In summary, if you are a landlord and are doing any maintenance (small or large), renovation or demolition work on a house built between 1950 and 2000, you are required by legislation to identify and manage asbestos.

Failure to comply with current asbestos regulations is an offence and is liable for conviction a) for an individual, to a fine not exceeding $10,000: b) for any other person, to a fine not exceeding $50,000.

If you think your property has asbestos it is always safer to get it checked than risk the repercussions of not doing so. Call us today to book your asbestos survey or management plan 0800 422 387.