Most homeowners understand the importance of leaving anything asbestos-related to the experts. For example, if you have an asbestos roof, you should hire an asbestos removal company to remove it before calling in roofing experts to replace it with something that doesn’t contain asbestos.

But WorkSafe, the Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand, and the New Zealand Demolition & Asbestos Association are now calling upon companies to make sure they, too, use professionals for anything asbestos-related. Especially in the wake of learning that we’re losing 200-plus people yearly to asbestos-related illnesses.

According to WorkSafe chief executive Phil Parkes, asbestos is our number one work-related killer, with approximately 220 people dying from preventable illnesses like lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. He said businesses must manage the asbestos risks to keep people healthy and safe.

Working With Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACM) Is Prohibited

According to WorkSafe, working with asbestos in New Zealand is prohibited. You are not allowed to:

• Manufacture asbestos and ACM

• Supply asbestos and ACM

• Sell asbestos and ACM

• Store asbestos and ACM

• Use asbestos and ACM

• Recycle asbestos and ACM

• Re-use asbestos and ACM

• Transport asbestos and ACM (excluding disposal)

However, there are things you can do with asbestos and ACM, such as:

• Research and analyse it

• Sample and identify it under Asbestos Regulations

• Remove or dispose of it under Asbestos Regulations

• Transport and dispose of asbestos and ACM under Asbestos Regulations

• Use asbestos and ACM for education, training, and demonstrations

• Respond to an emergency involving asbestos and ACM (including fire-fighting)

• Maintain and service ACM and asbestos under Asbestos Regulations

• Perform rectifying work to asbestos and ACM under Asbestos Regulations

• Maintain, display, and prepare asbestos artifacts

• Launder asbestos-contaminated clothing under Asbestos Regulations

• Perform work that disturbs asbestos during non-asbestos-related mining activities

• Perform asbestos-related tasks approved by WorkSafe

• Carry out tasks involving asbestos-contaminated soil (not containing friable asbestos or a quantity of ACM)

Why Companies Aren’t Using Professionals for Asbestos

Knowing that more than 200 people die in New Zealand each year from asbestos-related illnesses can be sobering, but you might be confused about why businesses continue to put their workers at risk, knowing so many people die from exposure. Sometimes, it can be for some of the following reasons.

The Cost

You can’t put a price on someone’s life, but that’s essentially what some businesses are doing. Rather than hiring professional asbestos removalists with the necessary skills, qualifications, and safety equipment to keep themselves and others safe, they allow their workers to remove asbestos to save money.

There’s no denying that hiring a removal company is more expensive than doing it yourself, but the sobering reality is that a funeral can also be costly. People are dying, and they’ll continue to die when we aren’t taking precautions.

Lack of Awareness Surrounding the Risks

Some individuals and business owners simply don’t understand how hazardous asbestos can be. They might be more than happy to let their employees work with asbestos when they don’t realise that breathing in the microscopic fibres can lead to various health conditions that often result in terminal diagnoses.

In this situation, education can be paramount. The more businesses learn about asbestos exposure and its risks, the more safety measures they might implement to keep their employees safe.

Not Knowing It’s Present

In some situations, business owners won’t be aware that asbestos is present. The building they’re working in might not have an asbestos management plan, or the building owners failed to alert workers to the presence of asbestos.

According to WorkSafe, if a workplace PCBU knows or should know about a respirable asbestos fibre risk in the workplace, they should ensure all risks are identified and meet their legal duties.

Fortunately, finding out whether asbestos is present is a straightforward process. You simply need to contact an asbestos removal company to undertake testing and sampling. The same companies, like Chemcare, can also help with management plans, management surveys, and project management.

While testing and sampling is the most effective way to know if asbestos is present in a building, you can also get a sense of whether you can expect to encounter it based on the building’s age and renovations.

Asbestos was used in construction and insulation up until the mid-1980s and has been known to exist in buildings up until 2000. If a building was constructed before asbestos was used but had renovations before 2000, there’s a chance it might also be present.

WorkSafe even provides helpful graphics to show where asbestos is most likely to be found in residential and commercial structures, such as roofing, flooring, plumbing, wall sheeting, gutters, door mouldings, side flashing, roof ventilators, and more.

Don’t Risk It. Hire the Experts

Health and safety procedures exist for a reason – to keep people safe. Keep your workers safe by enlisting the services of trained professionals for asbestos removal tasks. Request sampling and testing services if you’re unsure if asbestos is present. You have a duty of care to keep New Zealanders safe.