A Christchurch builder has been fined under the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 for being unlicensed and unqualified when removing asbestos from a Riccarton house in February 2017.
The builder was fined $3,000 for:
- Not having a removal license for the job;
- Not safely managing the risks whilst undergoing the demolition;
- Not wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment;
- Allowing others to enter the premises without the appropriate personal protective equipment;
- Not decontaminating the asbestos removal equipment; and
- Deceiving property owners in to believing he had the correct license to do asbestos removal.
On the 4 April 2018 the two-year window for the industry, the regulator and training partners to implement changes created by the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 expired. This means that the requirements in the Asbestos Regulations around managing the risks of asbestos were in full force from that date. The Regulations cover:
- Duties involving asbestos work;
- Managing asbestos risks;
- Health monitoring;
- Training;
- Use of equipment;
- Removal of asbestos; and
- Licensing of asbestos removalists.
If you are involved in asbestos removal, WorkSafe provide an Approved Code of Practice on how to comply with asbestos health and safety laws, including the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016.
We note that Lane Neave will be hosting a number of seminars in the New Year on these changes.
Worksafe – Management and removal of asbestos
Workplace Law team
If you have any queries in respect of the above, or any other Workplace Law issues, please contact a member of Lane Neave’s Workplace Law team:
Employment: Andrew Shaw, Fiona McMillan, Gwen Drewitt, Maria Green, Hannah Martin, Joseph Harrop, Holly Struckman, Alex Beal, Giuliana Petronelli, Abby Shieh
Immigration: Mark Williams, Rachael Mason, Daniel Kruger, Nicky Robertson, Julia Strickett, Ken Huang, Mary Zhou, Shi Sheng Cai (Shoosh), Sarah Kirkwood, Janeske Schutte, Lingbo Yu
ACC: Andrew Shaw
Health and Safety: Andrew Shaw, Fiona McMillan
Seminar series
Employment Law Seminar – Significant changes to the Employment Relations Act. Are you up to date with the latest changes and the impact they will have on your workplace policies and practices?
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