21 Mar Asbestos Management, Refurbishment and Pre-demolition Surveys of Buildings and Campuses
The Health and Safety Reform Bill has been passed by Parliament and the new law, the Health and Safety at Work Act, will come into effect on 4 April 2016. The new act regulates work in a number of areas, including asbestos.
Asbestos has been used in a wide range of building construction products over many decades in New Zealand and may be found in pipes, insulation, lino flooring, interior walls, textured ceilings, external cladding, soffits and roofing on buildings constructed before the late 1990s. Asbestos is a health risk when it is disturbed and then breathed in as fine fibres. Once inhaled, these asbestos fibres can become embedded in the lungs and may causes diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
The new Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 (dated 15 Feb 2016) have been developed to support the Health and Safety at Work Act. Under these regulations, businesses with management or control of a workplace have a duty to ensure that workers are not exposed to asbestos. This will require these businesses to:
- Prepare and maintain an “Asbestos Management Plan”, with the asbestos being identified and recorded by a suitably trained/competent person, including laboratory testing of samples.
- Undertake a survey for asbestos prior to any refurbishment or demolition of buildings constructed pre-2000.
As Engineering and Surveying Consultants, Fraser Thomas have over 16 years of contaminated site experience. This includes assessing, remediating and managing asbestos contamination in soils, and over 40 years of building inspections through our structural engineers.
We have now trained up relevant staff to undertake building surveys for asbestos under the new Asbestos Regulations 2016. These staff have attended a rigorous four day course entitled “BOHS-IP402 Survey and Sampling Strategies for Asbestos in Buildings”, which enables them to carry out Asbestos Management, Refurbishment and Pre-demolition surveys of buildings and campuses. This includes identifying all the various types of Asbestos Containing Materials, using all the appropriate sampling methodologies, prioritisation for remedial recommendations, risk evaluation and protective measures required to protect the surveyor and the customer. The certification is issued by the British Occupational Health Society (BOHS).
We can help your business to meet your requirements under these Asbestos Regulations. Contact us now on 09 2787078.
