How do you undertake air disturbance during Asbestos Clearance monitoring?
Introduction
The Clearance inspection process in New Zealand follows the international norm of a four-stage clearance inspection process defined as:
Why do we need to do surface Sampling for Asbestos Clearance?
Introduction
As far as I am aware New Zealand is the only country that requires surface sampling as part of the asbestos Clearance procedure.
Is all Asbestos the same?
Introduction
When I started learning about asbestos, I was told that there were three main types, and that these were known by their ‘colour’. In addition, I was informed that Chrysotile (white) asbestos was the ‘safer’ one, due to its wavy fibre form. Whereas Amosite (brown) and Crocidolite (blue) were the ‘unsafe’ ones, with Crocidolite being the really nasty one.
Asbestos / Asbestoid / Asbestiform – Is there a difference and does it matter?
Introduction and regulatory position
People involved with asbestos will be aware that there are six regulated types, and in New Zealand these are defined in Regulation 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations (2016) (Asbestos Regulations).
Air monitoring, where do you place the pumps?
The aim in undertaking air sampling is to get a realistic sample of the air that people are breathing. As this is a scientific process we need to ensure that we can as much as possible have confidence in our results.
When and why does a building or structure require an asbestos survey?
Since Ladra gained ISO 17020 accreditation, more people are asking me questions regarding asbestos management. The most recent one is regarding when and why an asbestos survey needs to be undertaken? These questions will be answered below as outlined in the Regulations:
Should a lab with ISO 17025 accreditation get ISO 17020 accreditation?
I have had a significant response to my recent blogs regarding the difference between ISO accreditations 17020 and 17025. One of the recurring questions is people asking whether Labs who are 17025 accredited should also apply for 17020 accreditation?
What is the difference between ISO/IEC 17020:2012 and ISO/IEC 17025:2005?
I have talked to many people, especially since Ladra’s recent Accreditation to ISO 17020, and there appears to be a level of confusion as to the difference between ISO/IEC 17020:2012 and ISO/IEC 17025:2005. Both these standards are published by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and in New Zealand accreditation to them is obtained through IANZ.
How do you determine competency to undertake an asbestos survey?
The Asbestos Regulations state that an asbestos survey can be undertaken by individuals that can demonstrate competence in undertaking this work. WorkSafe has published in its Good Practice Guideline: Conducting Asbestos Surveys how this competence can be demonstrated and the table below will outline these together with some comments.
Why do you need to consider visibility when planning a smoke test?
Click of the link below for a demonstration showing safety issues when undertaking a smoke test of an asbestos enclosure, especially in relating to a lack of visibility.