Introduction

This guide is for painters who work for themselves or have other people (including apprentices) working for them. It explains how you can manage risks and protect yourself and other people from airborne asbestos fibers. You could also share this guide with your workers to enable them to work safely with asbestos-containing products. – You must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of any workers who work for you or who you influence or direct, and make sure that other persons are not put at risk by the work that you carry out. This is called the ‘primary duty of care’. – If you’re self-employed, you must also ensure (so far as is reasonably practicable) your own health and safety at work. Working with or near asbestos Did you know that every tradesperson is likely to come into contact with asbestos at work? Painters are part of a group of tradespeople most at risk of regular exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. This is because painters often have to deal with products that may contain asbestos, such as walls, window sills and textured ceilings. This guide explains how you can manage risks and protect yourself and other people from asbestos fibers. The guide: – outlines the critical things that you and other painters need to know about asbestos – identifies areas where asbestos could be lurking in buildings – will help you to decide whether you are doing everything you can (so far as is reasonably practicable) to ensure that you and your workers are working safely in areas that contain asbestos.

What’s the risk?

New Zealand buildings and other structures may contain asbestos. If you and your workers don’t take the right steps to protect yourselves, you’re putting your health – and your incomes – at risk. Most asbestos-related diseases are caused by exposure to asbestos fibers at work. Even small jobs might expose you and your workers to danger. Breathing in airborne asbestos fibers is a serious risk to your health. When asbestos containing materials (ACMs) are disturbed, tiny asbestos fibers can be released. If you breathe in the fibers, they can lodge in your lungs and cause lung cancer, asbestosis, mesothelioma or other serious lung diseases. Symptoms for most asbestos-related diseases take between 10 to 40 years before they start to appear. Use safe work practices to protect yourself, your workers and other people from exposure to asbestos fibers.

2.0 Where you might come across asbestos

Asbestos is in many New Zealand structures Asbestos is still in many homes, workplaces and public buildings throughout New Zealand. Any building built before 1 January 2000 is likely to contain some form of asbestos, particularly those built, altered or refurbished between 1940 and the mid-1980s.

Even some recently-constructed buildings may have asbestos or ACMs. Asbestos and ACMs are not dangerous if they are in a good condition and remain undisturbed. Asbestos can be in places that you might not expect. Figures 2 and 3 show potential locations of asbestos in an industrial building and in a house built before 2000.

Look out for asbestos in these locations

– Architraves around doors and windows

– Asbestos cement sheeting walls

– Behind wallpaper (sometimes used to disguise asbestos sheeting)

– Bitumen roofs

– Boilers

– Broken pieces of asbestos sheeting in subfloor spaces

– Cement flooring

– Cement slabs – Ceramic tiles; wall tiles

– Chimneys

– Compressed asbestos cement panel flooring

– Cornices or moldings

– Eaves and gables

– External angle moldings (on corners)

– External walls (eg corrugated asbestos cement sheeting; artificial brick)

– Fireplaces

– Floor coverings such as carpet, tiles, lino, vinyl

– Flues

– Formwork of cement slabs

– Fuse boxes

– Gussets in ducted air-conditioning systems

– Insulation for hot water pipes and tanks; lagging around hot water pipes

– Internal and external ventilation outlets

– Joinery strips (covering joins)

– Lagging around hot water pipes (eg under the sink) and in wall cavities

– Loose fill asbestos insulation

– Mains water pipes

– Roof capping

– Sealants in air conditioning ducting joins

– Textured ceilings

– Wall caulking and joining compounds, plastic cornice adhesives and sealants

– Wall tiles

– Walls

– Window sills

In kitchens, bathrooms and laundries look out for asbestos in these places too

– Asbestos cement sheeting under vinyl floor coverings

– Fire blankets

– Flues in fuel stoves

– Laminate benchtops (Formica)

– Oven door seals

– Range hoods (asbestos lagging and/or asbestos cement sheeting surround)

– Tilux sheeting/splashbacks (compressed, coloured and patterned waterproof cement sheeting)

– Vinyl sheeting lining cupboard shelves

– Wall tiles, including tiles above sinks

Asbestos might also be in structures like these outside a home or building

– Animal hutches

– Carports

– Extensions and lean-tos

– Fences

– Garages

– Garden beds

– Gazebos and shelters

– Greenhouses

– Outdoor toilets

– Outdoor laundries

– Sheds

– Sleep-outs

– Stables

– Swimming pools

– Water tanks

Before starting the job – ask if there’s any asbestos

At a commercial or industrial site

When you start planning a job and before you or your workers arrive at a site, ask if there is an Asbestos Management Plan. When asbestos or ACM has been identified (or is likely to be present), the PCBU1 with management or control of the workplace must prepare an Asbestos Management Plan and review and revise it when necessary.2 An Asbestos Management Plan must be in writing and:

– tell you the location and condition of any asbestos that has been identified on-site or is presumed to be located on-site

– set out how any identified asbestos or asbestos-containing materials will be managed on-site.

At someone’s home

If you or your workers will be working at someone’s home, ask the homeowner if they know if there is any asbestos in or around the house. If no-one knows for sure, carry out checks so that – if needed – control measures can be put in place before any work starts.

For more information call or email your local Safety Online Representative.

👉Email: help@nzsafety.online

👉 0508 NZ Safety (69 723389)

*Source WorkSafe NZ