Health Monitoring for Asbestos
A comprehensive asbestos safety, health monitoring and wellness package
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring mineral fibres which are resistant to heat and corrosion. Due to these properties, it was used in the construction industry in the early 1900s.
Asbestos was first imported to New Zealand in the late 1930s, it was used in building materials till the mid-1980s. A number of New Zealand houses built during 1940 to 1960 used asbestos cement or tiles. Due to wear and tear microscopic fibres can become airborne and contaminate the environment. If these fibres are inhaled they can cause cancer.
Although, the use of asbestos was banned in New Zealand since 1984. It is still found in a number of houses and products which pre-date 1984.
How asbestos can be harmful to health?
Asbestos is made of microscopic fibres that can be inhaled or ingested. Long-term exposure to those mineral fibres causes fatal lung disease. Other long-term effects of asbestos exposure include:
- Respiratory problems are the most common type of disease associated with asbestos exposure. The disease is caused by breathing in the fibres that are found in the air and dust.
- Laryngeal Cancer is caused by asbestos getting lodged in the throat. This leads to tissue damage, scarring and irritation. It can manifest itself as a variety of symptoms. These symptoms are a sore throat or hoarseness for example.
- Malignant Mesothelioma is aggressive cancer. Malignant Mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs and the pleura. It most commonly affects men who have been exposed to asbestos during their work life.
- Pleural Plaques are small red or purple bumps on the lungs. It is not an aggressive form of cancer and does not spread to other parts of the body.
Asbestos products
Asbestos can be found in building materials. This includes asbestos roofing, insulation, cladding, windows, gaskets, and floor tiles. These microscopic fibres was used in many building products because of its low cost and heat, fire, and chemical resistance.
Who is exposed to Asbestos
Individuals exposed to asbestos work include the removal and demolition industry. Asbestos exposure can also come from working in older buildings which have asbestos material (roofing, insulation) being airborne due to wear and tear.
The Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016
New Zealand adopts Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations in the year 2016. This law requires that only licensed holders can remove asbestos. This means that if you are working with or around asbestos, you must take precautions.
Licences for professionals removing asbestos
In New Zealand there are two types of licences for professionals removing asbestos:
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- Class B licence holders can only remove non-friable asbestos (solid)
- Class A licence holders can remove all types of asbestos including friable (crumbling)
In New Zealand asbestos is regulated by various agencies:
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- The New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority regulate the issue of Asbestos.
- The New Zealand Customs Service manages the prohibition of the import of hazardous substances.
- The health effects of asbestos are a concern for the New Zealand Ministry of Health (MoH) and local public health units.
- WorkSafe New Zealand regulates occupational settings and occupational diseases.
- The local territorial authorities have the power to prevent or control the hazard
Health Impact
Signs and symptoms of asbestos-related diseases and illnesses take years to develop. Health professionals can perform regular medical assessments and perform some tests to monitor the health of the workers being exposed to asbestos at work.
Managing asbestos health risks in the workplace
PCBUs should ensure regular air monitoring to assess the effectiveness of asbestos controls. The regulation requires regular health monitoring to be provided to workers if they are at risk of exposure to asbestos while performing their regular tasks at work, these include but are not limited to the following:
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- Class A licensed asbestos removal work
- Class B licensed asbestos removal, (if the worker is working for more than four weeks work in any twelve-month period).
- Licensed asbestos assessor work
- Any other workers carrying out ongoing asbestos-related work or unlicensed asbestos removal activities and are at risk of exposure to airborne asbestos.
Health monitoring
The assessment must be performed or supervised by an occupational health practitioner with experience in health monitoring.
WellForWork can be your partner when handling occupational asbestos requirements. We have a team of occupational health and safety practitioners (Occupational Medicine Consultant, Occupational Health Nurse, Industrial Hygienist and Safety Professional) to take care of all legislative requirements related to:
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- Asbestos safety at work
- Asbestos air monitoring
- Asbestos training for the health and safety committee
- Asbestos health monitoring at site and in our clinics located in different cities in New Zealand.
WellForWork working with our partner organizations and community to keep kiwis’ safe
