Asbestos awareness for renovators: what to check before you start

Asbestos was used in many building products for decades. It is safe while it is intact, but cutting, drilling, sanding or breaking it releases fibres that can cause serious lung disease years later. If you renovate older homes, you need to know where it hides and what to do before you start.

Which buildings may contain asbestos

Asbestos was widely used in building products until the mid-1980s, and some products containing it were still around after that. In New Zealand, any building built or renovated before 2000 may contain asbestos. In Australia, its use was banned at the end of 2003. Treat older buildings as if they could contain it until you know otherwise.

Where it hides

Common places to find asbestos in older homes include:

• Fibre cement sheet on walls, eaves, soffits and wet areas
• Textured or stippled ceilings, sometimes called popcorn ceilings
• Vinyl floor tiles and the backing of sheet vinyl
• Adhesives under floor coverings
• Roofing, guttering and downpipes made of fibre cement
• Insulation around old pipes, boilers and heaters
• Electrical meter boards and old fuse boxes
• Fire doors and flue pipes

You can’t tell if a product contains asbestos by looking at it. The only way to be sure is to have a sample tested by an accredited laboratory.

Check before you start work

Before any renovation on an older building:

1. Ask the owner if there is an asbestos survey or test results for the building
2. If not, recommend one before work starts, especially for demolition or major renovation
3. Mark any known or suspected asbestos on the job plan
4. Tell everyone working on site where it is
5. Plan your work to avoid disturbing it, or plan its removal first

In New Zealand, a person in control of the work must find out if asbestos is likely to be present before work that could disturb it. Building it into your quote and plan protects your crew and your business.

When you need a licensed removalist

Removing asbestos is controlled work. In New Zealand:

• Friable asbestos, which crumbles easily, must be removed by someone with a Class A licence
• Non-friable asbestos, such as solid fibre cement sheet, needs a Class B or Class A licence if there is more than 10 square metres in total over the whole job
• Licensed removal must be notified to WorkSafe at least five days before work starts

A competent person can remove 10 square metres or less of non-friable asbestos without a licence, but they must still follow the safe work rules, use the right protective gear and dispose of it properly. For most tradies, it is safer and simpler to get a licensed removalist in. Australia has similar licensing rules, with details set by each state.

Safe habits on older jobs

Even when you are not removing asbestos, you might disturb it by accident. Good habits include:

• Don’t use power tools on suspect materials. Cutting, drilling and sanding release the most fibres.
• Don’t water-blast or dry-sweep fibre cement or old roofing
• Keep suspect material damp if you must handle it, and use hand tools
• Wear the right respirator, rated for asbestos, and disposable coveralls
• Use a vacuum with a proper HEPA filter rated for asbestos, not a normal workshop vacuum
• Bag waste in heavy plastic, label it and take it to an approved disposal site

If you find something you think is asbestos partway through a job, stop work in that area. Keep people out, damp it down if safe to do so, and get it tested.

A simple example

You are quoting a bathroom renovation in a house built in 1975. The walls behind the tiles are fibre cement sheet. You can’t tell if it contains asbestos, so you include testing in your quote. The sample comes back positive. The area is about 18 square metres, so it is over the 10 square metre limit. A licensed removalist strips the sheet first, then your crew starts on clean framing. Your quote showed this as a separate item, so the client understood the extra cost and the time.

Quick checklist

• Check the age of the building
• Ask for an asbestos survey or test results
• Test suspect materials before you disturb them
• Use a licensed removalist when the rules require it
• Never use power tools on suspect materials
• Wear the right respirator and coveralls
• Stop work and test if you find something suspect
• Price testing and removal into your quote as separate items

For the wider safety picture, see how to keep a simple hazard register.