Asbestos Surveys and
Management Plans
New Zealand law requires business owners to know if their property contains asbestos. Are you compliant?
Our specialist asbestos survey and management plan services can help you meet your legal obligations and protect your employees, site visitors and business from NZ’s number one cause of fatal workplace disease.
What is an asbestos survey and are they legally required?
The objective of an asbestos survey is to systematically identify the presence of any asbestos or asbestos containing material (ACM) in a building or on a property. BTW Company carry out all three types of asbestos surveys: management surveys (recommended for normal use of a building), refurbishment surveys and demolition surveys (required when a building is going to be refurbished or demolished).
Asbestos surveys need to be completed by a ‘competent person’ with the relevant qualifications and experienced identifying asbestos and ACM. Surveys can also take the form of soil testing where it’s suspected that land may host discarded ACM.
Asbestos surveys collect that data used to create Asbestos Management Plans, which are legally required under the Health & Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016.
What is an asbestos management plan?
Informed by an asbestos survey, an asbestos management plan explains what the survey found and how it will be dealt with. Asbestos management plans are most commonly displayed at building entrances and must be made available for all site visitors.
An asbestos management plan includes:
- Where any identified asbestos or ACM is located on the premises.
- How it will be managed (e.g., left in good condition, painted, encapsulated or removed).
- What procedure is to be followed if required site work could expose the asbestos or ACM, and how incidents or emergencies will be logged.
- A timetable that includes dates for removal (if applicable), a plan review timeline and any activities that could change the environment.
Who needs an asbestos management plan?
In order to comply with the Health & Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) needs to know if their property or business (workplace) contains asbestos or ACM and must have a written asbestos management plan prepared.
Under the Regulations, a PCBU has a legal requirement to identify all ACM as far as is reasonably practicable in the workplace and have an asbestos management plan in place to manage this risk. Failure to have these measures in place can result in significant fines and prosecution.
Our Asbestos Surveys and Management Plans services include:
- Asbestos surveys (Management, Refurbishment and Demolition surveys)
- Risk register and associated plans
- Asbestos management plans
- Soil testing
- Ongoing management
- Safety audits and oversight