The Auckland Ministry of Health, through its “Worksafe Auckland”, department, oversees and issues licences for the removal and safe disposal of adobe.
This article contains a list of licenses that any building owner may request to see, to verify whether asbestos removal or assessment is being performed by a qualified person. Some critics have said that the regulations are excessive. The Government bases its argument on the fact that asbestos-related diseases continue to cause around 170 Auckland deaths each year.
The number of tonnes of asbestos-laced materials in Auckland infrastructure, such as buildings and underground pipelines, is not known. However, the amount is estimated to be in the tens or millions of tonnes. It will take many decades to eradicate asbestos from the daily lives of humans. Government regulations will be needed to ensure that asbestos is properly removed.
What a full asbestos service can provide:
1. Site sampling and testing is done to determine where the contamination exists and whether it’s safe or not.
2. Develop a long-term asbestos management plan that will ensure the safety of everyone at the site.
3. Experts who are familiar with asbestos removal safely should be removing it.
What to ask for:
In 2016, the Government issued new Health and Safety (Asbestos) Regulations. The new Regulations strengthened requirements for asbestos removal company in Auckland.
All asbestos-related services must be thoroughly trained to ensure compliance with all health regulations
Implementing a system that checks and balances such as inspections by inspectors
Safety management systems are required for class A removalists
A “Class A” removal service can:
You can deal with any quantity or type of asbestos-containing material, regardless of condition.
The “Class B” license can be:
Asbestos is found in other materials such as wall boards or roof tiles. Other materials, such as roof tiles or wallboards, may contain asbestos.
No license is required if:
The asbestos material to be removed is within a 10 square metre space.
Asbestos in the material is not “friable”, meaning it will not become airborne.
The ten-square-metre limit includes the entire removal process. For example, a 100-square metre asbestos area cannot be removed by removing ten square meters per day for ten consecutive days. This service requires a class B license.
What is an “Assessor’s” license?
A licensed asbestos tester monitors air quality when asbestos is removed.
Once the asbestos material has been removed, the assessor will make sure that the air is free of asbestos fibres. This clearance must also be permanent during the entire removal process.
A licence for an assessor is needed to supervise all asbestos removal sites of Class A (friable).
A “qualified independent person” can grant a clearance certificate for Class B sites. This person could be a project director or someone from a removal service.
