ASBESTOS

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are two groups and six common types of asbestos.

White asbestos was the most common form of asbestos used in New Zealand, followed by brown asbestos and then blue asbestos. Under a microscope, white asbestos looks different to the blue and brown types of asbestos.

White asbestos was most commonly used in building and household products.

Brown asbestos was often used in asbestos cement sheet, pipe insulation, insulating board, ceiling tiles and thermal insulation.

Blue asbestos was used to insulate steam engines, and is also found in some spray – on coatings, pipe insulation and cement products. Blue asbestos is claimed to be the most dangerous because its fibres are so thin.

Asbestos is the single biggest cause of work – related disease deaths in New Zealand. Asbestos is most dangerous when airborne as breathing in airborne asbestos fibres is a serious risk to health. Once the fibres are breathed in, they lodge in the lungs and may cause diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Most asbestos – related diseases take around 20 years before their symptoms start to show. The health risks increase when people inhale more fibres, are exposed more frequently and/or are exposed over a long period of time.

New Zealand now has strict protocols and legal requirements in place under Work Safe to ensure the safety of New Zealanders and employees who work in asbestos removal.

Undisturbed and whole materials containing asbestos do not necessarily create a health risk as they do not generate the airborne fibres.

Asbestos fibres cannot be seen with the eye and they were often mixed with other materials. Asbestos can look different depending on what it was mixed with. Asbestos was widely used as construction and insulation material until the mid 1980s. If your house or building was built, or had work done, between 1950 – 2000, it is quite likely to contain asbestos.

You can confirm the presence of asbestos by getting a sample test completed. An approved laboratory will be able to analyse samples taken from the areas of your home or building and provide a report to confirm the presence of asbestos. At Scope Group, we work closely with certified asbestos testing, sampling and survey companies. Contact us today and we can assist you in getting this service completed.

Removing asbestos safely is always the number one priority. Asbestos fibres can easily become airborne, when disturbed, which makes them easy to inhale or ingest. It is always recommended that you engage with a licensed professional to complete your removal process.

Scope Group Limited can support you in confirming the presence of asbestos through testing and then safely and efficiently removing asbestos using proven removal techniques that are compliant with New Zealand legislation. Contact us today and we can talk to you about the removal of the asbestos and provide a quote.

Asbestos waste needs to be disposed of in a particular way and in the appropriate landfill. You can contact your local council to find out the closest disposal site to you and the specific requirements. When you engage with a removal company such as Scope Group, the disposal of any asbestos waste is included in the removal service.

Each asbestos removal process is different as it depends on the location of the asbestos, type of asbestos, and extent of contaminated material. For each removal process, Scope Group will ensure that any removal method is compliant with the requirements of the Asbestos Removal Code of Practice.

As an overview you can expect that we will ensure that Scope Group will –

• Only utilise removal practices that are compliant with the Asbestos Removal Code of Practice
• Ensure that our team utilise specialised equipment and tools to safely remove asbestos materials
• Monitor the environment in which the asbestos is being removed throughout the process
• Thoroughly clean the work area and organise for the completion of clearance testing to ensure asbestos fibres have been removed
• Safely dispose of the removed asbestos materials at the correct landfill site

Asbestos removal is highly regulated in New Zealand. To ensure you engage with a quality removal company look for a company who are certified to remove asbestos in Asbestos and have proven experience with the removal of asbestos from a variety of environments.

At Scope Group we pride ourselves on providing a high-quality product. You can view our removal licences and certificates here and view our previous removal projects here.