Asbestos in the work place is regulated under the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 (Asbestos Regulations), and how these Regulations are interpreted is outlined in the Approved Code of Practice: Management and Removal of Asbestos, Nov 2016. The removal of both Class A and B asbestos requires an appropriately qualified person to supervise the work.
With the change in HSWA Regulations (Asbestos) 2016, a building owner or the principal person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), needs to have an asbestos management survey undertaken to determine if there is any asbestos containing material (ACM) present that may affect the daily operation of any business undertaken within that building or structure. There is a requirement on PCBU's to treat any ACM that may be in the building or structure in the same way as any other hazard that exists, and that its existence, or absence, must be documented with the building's hazard register.
"Any dwelling or commercial building built prior to 2000 has the potential to have had ACM used in their construction," says Lines. "Examples of this can be seen in soffits, cement panelling or cladding, pipe lagging or insulation, plaster skim products, texture coatings on ceilings, roofing materials, gaskets, guttering and downpipes, to name only some."
Dominion have successfully undertaken removal and containment of ACM on a number of projects including hospitals, a university, service tunnels, commercial roofs and various domestic housing jobs set for refurbishment and demolition.