Commercial Asbestos Inspections
Who needs a Commercial Asbestos Inspection?
A commercial asbestos inspection is essential for property owners, facility managers, and businesses, especially those managing or operating in older buildings. It’s crucial for anyone responsible for maintaining a safe environment and complying with health and safety regulations.
This includes property managers overseeing maintenance and renovations, business owners preparing to buy or sell commercial properties, and tenants ensuring their workspaces are free from asbestos-related hazards. Regular inspections help identify and manage asbestos risks effectively, safeguarding occupants and meeting regulatory requirements.
Stay compliant with workplace asbestos regulations
Workplace PCBUs (person conducting a business or undertaking) with identified asbestos in their workplaces, including in soil or naturally occurring asbestos, must have an asbestos management plan in place. This also applies to workplace PCBUs that are likely to have asbestos in their workplace from time to time.
Asbestos management is not just a regulatory requirement but a critical step in protecting the health of your employees and clients. Stay ahead by familiarizing yourself with the latest regulations, ensuring that your business operations meet all necessary safety standards. For detailed information and resources, visit WorkSafe New Zealand.
Frequently asked questions
What areas do we service?
We service the majority of New Zealand with key locations in metropolitan and regional areas.
How is an asbestos inspection is carried out?
- Identification of building materials suspected to contain asbestos
- Description of the condition of the suspected asbestos containing materials
- Identification of urgent and serious safety hazards
- If the inspection includes Sampling services, we will safely remove small (20c piece) size samples of building materials.
We will seal the area affected by the sample removal and we always select unobtrusive, low risk locations to remove samples wherever possible.
Before we leave, we speak with you regarding any suspected Asbestos containing materials which we believe are highly likely to have a positive lab result and which may be in a condition that means that they are an urgent and serious safety hazard.
If the inspection includes asbestos testing services, we will remove asbestos management samples and securely seal the area affected by the sample removal. These samples will be analyzed.
Lab analysis of samples may take 1-3 working days.
Once Completed, a full report including the confirmed findings from the lab results will be provided. In the survey report we will discuss safe asbestos management and recommendations regarding safe removal of asbestos.
We don’t work with any one asbestos removal company, so you can be assured of impartial and bias free advice.
Items provided with your Asbestos Inspection Report include:
- A record of locations
- A record of the condition of the item in each area
- Advice regarding its management
- Photographic information
- Lab analysis reports
What is an Asbestos Inspection?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral rock made up of many small, strong fibers. These fibers are highly resistant to heat, fire and chemicals which once made it a popular material for:
- asbestos-cement cladding and roofing
- backing material for floor tiles and vinyl sheets
- insulation board for thermal protection (eg, around fireplaces)
- textured ceilings and sprayed-on wall surfaces
- lagging for insulation around pipes, heaters and hot water cylinders
Asbestos was mainly imported and used in New Zealand before the 1980s. Once the health risks of asbestos were known, its use was gradually stopped, and other materials used instead. However, products and appliances with asbestos content may still be around, particularly in New Zealand homes built before 1984.
source:
https://worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/asbestos/information-for-homeowners/
If your home was built before the year 2000, it is essential before starting any renovation or maintenance work on your home, a visual asbestos inspection and possibly asbestos sample testing is conducted. This will help identify where the asbestos is in your house or property. It is also important to understand what condition it’s in.