When asbestos is discovered in any kind of building, it can be a scary time, especially if you are the property owner tasked with ensuring it is removed properly. Asbestos removal can be a complex process, requiring careful risk assessment and health controls at every single step. That’s why having professional asbestos removal project management is essential.

DIY asbestos removal is generally not permitted in most situations in New Zealand and is heavily discouraged for its potential health impacts. With the scale and intricacies involved in safely removing this hazardous material, it’s important to bring professional guidance on board. Without it, you might face severe delays, increased costs, safety breaches, and even legal headaches. Not to mention, an enormous risk to your personal health.

If you have just had asbestos identified on your property, then you’re in the right place. This article seeks to explore the real-world benefits of trusting professionals like us with the oversight of an asbestos removal project.

Health & Safety Always Comes First

When it comes to handling asbestos, health and safety are not line items; they are non-negotiable.

Asbestos is virtually invisible, existing in asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that can release tiny airborne fibres even when slightly disturbed. Once inhaled, those fibres can cause serious diseases like asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer, often decades after the initial exposure.

Professional asbestos removal project management ensures you have a team on-site that understands the fundamental risks at play. Not only that, but they come equipped with strict safety protocols to put in place from day one, like:

• Air monitoring (for identifying if any fibres are released into the air)
• Zone containment and negative pressure units
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Safe waste removal and disposal custody
• Post-removal clearance testing

All of these individual facets of an asbestos removal plan minimise exposure, not just for the workers directly interacting with possible asbestos deposits, but for occupants down the line.

You’ll Always Know What Comes Next

When dealing with a hazardous substance like asbestos, it’s important to have someone at the helm of the project who understands the process from end to end. Professional asbestos removal project management doesn’t just include that person; it includes their plan.

An asbestos removal or management plan will include everything you need to know about the process, including:

• When site inspections and asbestos surveys need to happen (along with results and recommendations)
•  Material testing (friable vs. non-friable) to determine the best approach
•  Individual risk assessments
•  Method statements and removal strategies
•  Scheduling to minimise disruption to your project (and keep your team – and you – safe)

With something as hazardous and yet difficult to pinpoint as asbestos, this kind of planning is vital. It prevents exposures and keeps your project running smoothly, especially in complex environments like schools, hospitals, or commercial properties still partially occupied by other people.

The Paperwork is Taken Care Of

If you’ve found asbestos on your property, then health and safety are likely your highest concern (and rightly so!). But another aspect of removal lies in the vital paperwork trail that must be left behind. There are stringent WorkSafe NZ and Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) regulations that must be complied with. That includes licensing requirements, notifications of removal, and proper waste tracking documentation.

Alone? You would need to tackle all of that yourself. With asbestos removal project management, your on-site manager ensures that your removalist is appropriately licensed, notifies WorkSafe with sufficient time, and ensures that air monitoring and clearance reports are filed. Additionally, they triple-check that all waste is transported and disposed of safely.

Without this critical paperwork trail, a regulatory inspection or a sale in the future could create some serious headaches for you.

You’re Not Risking Overtime

Finally, just like any other project, asbestos removals are at risk of running overtime. Unforeseen delays are common in poorly managed removal jobs, especially when additional deposits of hidden asbestos are uncovered or removal work contaminates other areas. Not only is this a major health hazard, but it can also create costs and decimate a project schedule, both of which are not ideal if you’re tackling a renovation or demolition.

With a seasoned project manager overseeing the removal, you’ll have someone reviewing the original building plans and identifying all ACMs upfront, then contracting licensed removalists and ensuring the project stays on a given timeline. Not only that, they’ll build contingency plans in case any unexpected asbestos is found.

This type of project management is useful for the same reason experienced project management is always beneficial; it places the workload in experienced hands. In this case, the benefits are even more noticeable because the stakes are much higher with a hazardous substance like asbestos.

If you’ve just found asbestos on your property and you’re not sure what to do next, get a project manager on board. From there, it’s smooth sailing.

Keep your removal on track with Consultex.

At Consultex, we bring our extensive experience in testing for and managing asbestos to the table. Our asbestos removal project management team is one of the best in the industry, providing you with on-site expertise so you can breathe easy and know your team is safe.

Cut down on costs, stay on target, and stay safe with a member of our project management team helping you along. Get in touch today