But we don’t have to worry about asbestos anymore, do we?

This is definitely a very frequently asked question in it’s various forms! “But we haven’t used asbestos for years”, or “All the asbestos has been removed from here”, plus “There is no asbestos here” (honestly, if we had a dollar for every time we have heard this one before finding asbestos….!). Or how about “Nah, that’s not asbestos” and never forget “I have worked with asbestos for years and I’m fine”.

Yeah, so these are the famous last words we are told by clients, builders, tradies and site managers before we start a survey. More often than not, when someone says something like this (with confidence), we will find asbestos. No, we are not bringing it with us! But it is just the way it seems to go - Murphy’s Law.

We understand why people think that asbestos is not a problem nowadays.

• You may know that asbestos was used extensively throughout the 20th Century.

• You may see certain asbestos containing materials day to day.

• You might even know that asbestos has previously been removed on your property.

But there are so many different types and uses of asbestos containing materials, it is best to be openminded about where asbestos might be found.

We have an asbestos legacy

Asbestos was mined in Aotearoa and it was imported from the late 1930s. While raw asbestos was banned in 1999, asbestos containing materials could be legally imported into the country until October 2016. Plus, we have found some products that have slipped through into the country since the ban.

When in good condition and left alone, the risk of asbestos is low for most asbestos containing materials. This means you can leave asbestos where it is and manage the risk over time. So when you are dealing with a building that was built during the time where asbestos was commonly being used, it is very likely that there will be asbestos in it somewhere. Sometimes, the asbestos is hidden too.

Even when asbestos has been removed, not every asbestos containing material will be removed unless you are demolishing the building. If you are removing a high risk material as part of your Asbestos Management Plan, other asbestos containing materials won’t be removed if they are not causing a problem at the time. Asbestos removal is expensive and comes with risk. As wonderful as it would be to remove as much asbestos in buildings as possible, it is not reasonably practicable. We help many of our clients manage asbestos in situ alongside their asbestos management plan.

It is really important you understand the scope of work when it comes to asbestos removal so you know what is being removed and what is staying. Reading the asbestos removal control plan and clearance certificate will help. If it is overwhelming, we are here to decode it all for you.

How do you know if something is asbestos in the first place?

How do you, or even how do we, know if asbestos is present in your building? Under the current asbestos regulations, you have to presume asbestos is present unless proven otherwise.

When it comes to day to day identifying hazards and risk assessment, we provide you with an Asbestos Management survey and Asbestos Management Plan. The survey inspects all accessible surfaces in a building and our surveyors take small, discreet samples of materials we think could be asbestos. Sometimes, knowing a material is NOT asbestos is just as important as knowing it is asbestos. This type of survey is not intrusive and won’t damage the decorative finishes more than what we need for a sample. The Asbestos Management Plan then becomes a live document for regular use on site. Anyone who is doing work in the building must check it to make sure they will not be disturbing asbestos during their task.

What about renovations? We carry out an Asbestos Refurbishment survey specific to your scope of work. We inspect the hidden surfaces, like wall voids and beneath fixed floor coverings, that will be affected by the project. This is so any asbestos can be identified and removed before you start the renovations, making the work safer for you or your contractors.

When it is time to demolish your building, you need us to carry out an Asbestos Demolition survey. Here, we get into as many hidden surfaces as possible. Like with Refurbishment surveys, we want to identify all the asbestos containing materials so they can be safely removed before the demolition starts.

“But I’m fine, and I’ve been around it for years”

Well, that comes down to luck, and it isn’t just about you.

It takes an average of 40 years for symptoms of asbestos related disease to develop. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. The more you are exposed, the more likely you will develop asbestos related diseases, like mesothelioma. Same as with smoking, some people get away with it, but you don’t know if you are one of the lucky ones for a very long time. With asbestos being New Zealand’s highest workplace killer, do you want to take that risk?

Plus, like smoking, secondhand asbestos exposure exists too. If asbestos isn’t being safely managed, or if you have been damaging asbestos, others will be exposed. If you don’t fully decontaminate, you could take asbestos home to your family on your clothes.

It isn’t worth the risk.

So yes, we do need to worry about asbestos!

So while it is very unlikely that you will be coming across new asbestos containing materials, your older building is very likely to contain asbestos to some degree. You cannot be sure that all the asbestos has been removed until the building is demolished. Until a sample has been taken, you cannot be certain if a suspect material is asbestos or not. And don’t trust that because you are currently fine, that you will still be fine in the future. Please don’t put others at risk.

For help with all things asbestos, or to get some training, contact us now!