Updated WorkSafe Asbestos Guidance: What SMEs Need to Know

Why this matters to small businesses

Asbestos remains New Zealand's leading cause of work-related death. WorkSafe says about 220 people die from asbestos-related disease each year. Exposure can happen when older building materials are drilled, cut, sanded, broken or removed without the right controls.

This is relevant to builders, roofers, electricians, plumbers, painters, landlords, property managers, body corporates and any business responsible for an older workplace or renovation project. You do not need to be an asbestos company to have responsibilities.

The 2016 asbestos ACOP is still in force

WorkSafe published the updated guidance on 17 April 2026. The existing 2016 Approved Code of Practice for the Management and Removal of Asbestos remains in place. The new material provides clearer, more detailed guidance tailored to different roles.

WorkSafe expects three new good-practice guidelines covering asbestos surveys, removal and assessments to be developed into updated ACOPs after the wider health and safety reforms progress. For now, businesses should consider the regulations, the existing ACOP and the relevant updated guidance together.

Survey before work starts

If work could disturb asbestos, identification should happen before the job begins—not after a worker has cut into a suspect sheet. A competent surveyor needs to understand the building, the planned work and which areas will be disturbed.

A targeted sample can answer a question about one suspected material. A survey is broader: it records suspected asbestos-containing materials within the agreed scope, their location and condition, sampling results, limitations and recommendations.

• Use a management-focused survey where asbestos must be managed during normal occupation and maintenance
• Use a suitably intrusive refurbishment or demolition survey for the areas the project will disturb
• Tell the surveyor the full work scope, including services, hidden layers and areas other trades will access
• Do not assume one negative sample proves every similar-looking material is asbestos-free

Swabs are not for identifying asbestos during a survey

The updated guidance excludes swab samples from asbestos surveys. Suspected building material should be assessed using representative bulk samples and suitable laboratory analysis where sampling is required.

This matters because a poor sample can give false confidence. PropertyHelp can inspect the agreed areas, take controlled samples where appropriate, arrange analysis through an accredited laboratory and explain what the findings mean for the proposed work.

Match the removalist to the material

A positive asbestos result does not tell you, by itself, how the material should be removed. The condition, friability, quantity, dust and proposed method determine the required controls and licence class.

PropertyHelp holds a Class B asbestos-removal licence and removes suitable non-friable asbestos materials such as asbestos-cement soffits, cladding, baseboards, fencing and roofing, as well as other bonded products within the licence scope. Friable asbestos or work outside Class B scope must be handled by an appropriately licensed Class A removalist.

Clearance and handover should be planned early

Do not wait until removal is finished to ask who will inspect the area. The clearance or handover requirements should be agreed before work begins, including who arranges the competent person or licensed asbestos assessor and what documents the client will receive.

WorkSafe's updated guidance also changes relevant surface-testing expectations for clearance inspections and gives clearer direction on assessor independence, asbestos-containing dust, minor contamination, exposure monitoring and health monitoring.

A practical SME checklist

Before approving maintenance, renovation or demolition work in an older building, work through these checks with the contractor and anyone controlling the property.

• Confirm whether asbestos could be present in the work area
• Choose a survey scope based on what will actually be disturbed
• Obtain representative sampling and laboratory analysis where required
• Give the survey report to all contractors who may disturb the material
• Check that the removalist holds the correct licence for the asbestos and method
• Agree isolation, notification, waste, clearance and handover responsibilities
• Stop work and seek competent advice if unexpected suspect material or dust is found

How PropertyHelp can help

PropertyHelp provides asbestos surveys, controlled sampling, accredited laboratory testing coordination and clear reports for Auckland and Waikato properties. We help SMEs, builders, roofers, landlords and property managers understand what material is present before work begins.

Where the work is within our Class B licence scope, PropertyHelp can also plan and complete the removal, arrange lawful asbestos-waste disposal and coordinate any required independent clearance. Clients receive a clear path from investigation to removal instead of having to work out each step alone.