Lets talk about Asbestos…

Here is a link to a podcast with the awesome team at Relatable where we discuss all things asbestos.

If you are concerned about asbestos on your property, give us a call for a friendly chat.

Asbestos was used widely throughout NZ in consumer products and building materials between the 1940’s – 2000 and is found in many Kiwi homes, making it commonplace for us to identify suspected possible asbestos material in our inspections.  Our inspectors are qualified in asbestos safety, identification and removal and we include a visual check for suspected products in our reports.

Asbestos is invisible, there is no physical confirmation that it’s present and for a lab to verify the presence of asbestos used in any building material, an invasive test sample is required. This will involve removing a small portion of the product and taken to the lab for sample testing. We recommend this is completed safely by a trained independent professional, who knows how to treat the area during sample testing and respect the chain of command.  We offer sample testing services

Once you have the results, if a product is confirmed to contain asbestos, it is all about the type and condition for how and when you consider dealing with it, and there are often several options available (including in many cases not doing anything if there is no damage or risk of damage as in some situations it is best left alone unless remedial work is required).

There are two classes of Asbestos:  
Class A asbestos is known as friable asbestos. The name is given to asbestos materials that are powdery or can become dust from being crushed when dry. This is considered the most dangerous class of asbestos and should to be dealt with straight away by licensed professionals.

Class B asbestos is considered non-friable as it is bonded asbestos, normally mixed and sealed into products. It is bound tightly and cannot be easily crumbled to expose asbestos fibres.

Bonded asbestos is considered safe if it is maintained. It poses a risk if it is no longer adequately contained in the material it came in (such as due to damage, being cut or drilled into during building work, home maintenance or wear and tear). For this reason, the Ministry of Health advises homeowners not to undertake home maintenance on materials that may contain asbestos, or dispose of such materials themselves.

Renovation work and Asbestos products

New regulations came into effect in 2018 for trade services to have an asbestos management system in place before carrying out works on a property.

Given these rules you can expect any maintenance to any confirmed asbestos products to be at a higher cost than regular repair costs.

Here is information from Worksafe on Asbestos for homeowners

Here is the Ministry of Health information