How to Safely Identify Asbestos In Your Home or Workplace

 
 

A common question that many home and business owners ask is how they can safely identify asbestos in their homes or businesses. By being knowledgeable about asbestos, including its potential presence on your property, you can be in a strong position to take the right and safest actions regarding its disposal or containment. You can find all the answers to your burning questions below.

Asbestos Testing in NZ

You might be shocked to learn that the best (and only) way to confidently and safely determine the presence of asbestos in your house or business is by testing for it. Choose a reputable asbestos testing business like Chemcare, and they can take care of all the sampling and testing for you.

Typically, a surveyor will visit your home and take a small sample of the material you believe contains asbestos. Depending on what that material is or its location on your property, some intrusive work might be required. This is sometimes the case if the material is behind flooring, panels, or fascia.

Once the material sample is taken, it can be sent to a lab for a full analysis and reporting. A full analysis can provide helpful information such as:

  • The amount of asbestos in the material

  • The condition of the asbestos

  • The type of asbestos it is  

Once you have all the facts, your chosen asbestos specialist can provide options for how you can approach this hazardous natural material. Often, any of these three options can be suitable:

1. Leave It Alone

Suppose you were only testing your home or business for asbestos out of curiosity, and it’s deemed to be in good condition. In that case, you might be able to leave it as it is.

However, if you’re a business owner planning to leave asbestos alone, you’ll need to create an asbestos management plan. These plans must include details surrounding:

  • Where the asbestos is located (specifically)

  • How you plan to manage it (paint it, encapsulate it, or leave it alone)

  • Your timetable for management (dates for removal or reviewing it in the future)

2. Encapsulate It

When you have no plans to remove asbestos but you need to ensure no one has access to it, encapsulation can often be a viable option. Your chosen asbestos team can discuss this method with you.

Encapsulation typically involves treating asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) with a sealant to form a protective layer between the ACM and the indoor or outdoor environment. This task should be undertaken by trained experts who know how to safely encapsulate ACM for long-term safety with approved sealants and materials.

Many people prefer asbestos encapsulation in NZ for some of the following reasons:

  • Safety – removing large quantities of asbestos can sometimes be better for building integrity and worker safety

  • Convenience – removing asbestos can be time-consuming, and you might not be able to access your home or business for a while. Encapsulation can be much faster and more convenient

  • Cost – Encapsulation can be a more cost-effective option than asbestos removal, perfect for businesses and homeowners on a budget  

3. Remove It

When asbestos-containing materials are in poor condition and hazardous to people’s health, removal can be the best and only decision to make. While the Ministry of Health provides helpful information for homeowners to take care of non-friable asbestos up to 10m2 themselves, all friable asbestos must be removed by WorkSafe New Zealand licensed asbestos removalists, such as Chemcare. 

Perform a Residential Risk Assessment

The more you learn about asbestos, the more curious you might be about whether your home contains any. Perform a residential risk assessment before arranging your asbestos test, and you can learn more about the likelihood of your property having ACM.

The Ministry of Health has a residential risk assessment table to help make this process easier. It outlines the likely ages of homes to contain asbestos, the materials they might contain, and the risks they pose.

For example, unrenovated homes built before 1940 are likely to contain no asbestos, presenting no risk to human health. However, a pre-1940s home with renovations performed between 1950 and 1985 might have a number of asbestos materials like corrugated cement roofing, Fibrolite eaves, and Fibrolite cladding.

Performing a residential risk assessment can assist with the information-gathering process. When you learn about your home’s risk level, you can decide whether or not to proceed with asbestos testing and removal.

Identify Asbestos In Your Home or Workplace Today

While a property might look like it does or doesn’t contain asbestos, there is no guaranteed way to know without performing asbestos testing. Whether you’re looking for peace of mind or are about to undertake renovations, now might be the right time to learn about asbestos testing. Contact the friendly team at Chemcare to find out more.

Karan Kikani