Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
Pay just
$10
$2
per week
See all offers
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
Or
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Economy / Employment

Review finds number of workers exposed to asbestos grossly underestimated

RNZ
21 Nov, 2022 10:09 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
0CommentsSave
    Share this article
170317NZHJOHOBSONVILLE02
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • subtitles settings, opens subtitles settings dialog
    • subtitles off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      3
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      NOW PLAYING • 170317NZHJOHOBSONVILLE02

      A review of the asbestos removal sector has found the number of workers which have been exposed to the carcinogen is likely grossly underestimated.

      The Asbestos Sector Review found better training and protections are needed for tradespeople and DIYers who may be inadvertently exposed to asbestos.

      The New Zealand Demolition and Asbestos Association commissioned a comprehensive review to measure the industry’s progress in relation to health and safety regulations.

      Its president, Helina Stil, said the findings are confronting and the industry is still highly fragmented, with complicated and sometimes conflicting standards.

      Stil said the popularity of temporary work and forms of flexible employment contributes to “more precarious work environments, since health and safety laws may not apply”.

      Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

      Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
      Pay just
      $10
      $2
      per week
      See all offers
      Already a subscriber? Sign in here
      Or
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      “There is a massive inconsistency of standards across the board. It makes it very confusing for contractors, and that also leads to risks for workers with these differing standards.”

      She said there was also no nationally consistent approach for asbestos management and removal to guide tradespeople and DIYers.

      “I have a strong belief that there are a lot of workers that are potentially exposed to asbestos-containing materials that may not be removalist workers but tradespeople or DIYers, given the lack of consistent info that’s out there, or a focal point where they can get that information.”

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      But Stil said the number of such exposures was unknown, and that agencies gathering data had no system to analyse or feed it back to the industry.

      Temporary work and forms of flexible employment are contributing to more precarious work environments. Photo / RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
      Temporary work and forms of flexible employment are contributing to more precarious work environments. Photo / RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

      The association represents 2500 workers, and commissioned asbestos and health and safety expert Mike Cosman to audit the sector.

      He spent six months investigating, and found asbestos awareness in the wider construction sector is still “generally low”.

      WorkSafe receives, on average, one asbestos notification per week from those trained in removing it.

      Cosman said that “is likely to be a gross under-estimate of the true picture” because it does not include inadvertent exposure from those in other trades.

      “There’s no data about how many people are being exposed, so we don’t know how many people are in the licensed part of the sector and how much of their time they’re spending working with asbestos because it’s a highly transient workforce.”

      He said the long lag time between a person’s initial exposure and them developing an asbestos-related disease meant such data was not helpful in preventing exposure.

      “That’s why my recommendations are focused on trying to really drive down current exposures, in the hope and expectation that will lead to a lower rate of disease in 20, 30, 40 years’ time.”

      Health data indicates there are around 100 new diagnoses of the asbestos-related disease mesothelioma per year.

      There was an assumption asbestos in buildings had been dealt with, but in reality, there was a lot of asbestos in domestic, commercial and industrial buildings, Cosman told Morning Report.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      “Workers are potentially at risk if they don’t know it is present.”

      It was only banned from being imported into New Zealand in 2016, so the key message was tested before undertaking demolition or refurbishment work, he said.

      “Whilst we tend to say that the buildings that are most at-risk are pre-2000, there’s actually no guarantee that even buildings that have been constructed in the last 20 years may not have some asbestos-containing materials in them.”

      Read More

      • Wellington family waits months to return home after ...
      • 'Accident waiting to happen': At least one person likely ...
      • Asbestos toll will climb for decades
      • How an asbestos cement pipe prematurely failed under ...
      • Suspected asbestos dumped in Waimana River near Whakatāne ...

      In the review, Cosman said, “inadvertent exposure events continue to occur either due to a lack of information or a failure to pass this on to the right people, at the right time and in the right way.”

      The review found the sector to be fragmented, with high turnover rates.

      “There are also parts of the wider asbestos ecosystem that appear to be operating with little oversight as to their practices and standards, such as training and equipment suppliers, medical practitioners providing asbestos medical examinations, and in the transport of asbestos waste.”

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Cosman said training for asbestos removal is costly, with PPE and medical examinations.

      “With no guarantee that workers entering the industry will stay, however, there is strong pressure to minimise these costs in a way that may lead to ‘tick the box’ compliance rather than delivering competent and safe workers.”

      He said a number of people, including trainers, said they were dissatisfied with the current training regime.

      Cosman made 23 recommendations to improve safety and training, including setting up an Asbestos Industry Forum with representatives from WorkSafe and all parts of the sector to regularly discuss and review standards, interpretation, current issues and new developments.

      Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral made up of many small fibres that is used in some building materials. All forms of asbestos can cause cancer - the main way people are exposed to asbestos is by breathing in air that contains asbestos fibres.

      - RNZ

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Save
        Share this article
      0

      Comments

      Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

      Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
      Pay just
      $10
      $2
      per week
      See all offers
      Already a subscriber? Sign in here
      Or

      Latest from Employment

      Property

      'Delayed economic recovery in NZ' – SkyCity CEO on 42% profit drop

      Premium
      AnalysisJenée Tibshraeny

      Higher taxes, deeper spending cuts: What's coming as NZ's economy suffers from long Covid

      Premium
      Official Cash Rate

      Interest rate cut a shoo-in, but how much lower will the OCR go?


      Sponsored

      Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Recommended for you

      The small-town Kiwi photographer caught up in Prince Andrew scandal - and a music legend
      New Zealand

      The small-town Kiwi photographer caught up in Prince Andrew scandal - and a music legend

      Mum kills husband, kids in chilling murder-suicide in US
      World

      Mum kills husband, kids in chilling murder-suicide in US

      'Legacy lives on': Rugby community mourns former All Black
      All Blacks

      'Legacy lives on': Rugby community mourns former All Black

      Teen exchange student indecently assaulted by host father in 'gross breach of trust'
      New Zealand

      Teen exchange student indecently assaulted by host father in 'gross breach of trust'

      'Bonkers': Wellington City Council candidate suggests moving election date
      New Zealand

      'Bonkers': Wellington City Council candidate suggests moving election date

      'Insult to my mana': Ex-NRL player denied entry to pub for tā moko
      New Zealand

      'Insult to my mana': Ex-NRL player denied entry to pub for tā moko



      Latest from Employment

      'Delayed economic recovery in NZ' – SkyCity CEO on 42% profit drop
      Property

      'Delayed economic recovery in NZ' – SkyCity CEO on 42% profit drop

      $200m of asset sales also identified: Carparks in Auckland as well as 99 Albert St.

      20 Aug 09:16 PM
      Premium
      Premium
      Higher taxes, deeper spending cuts: What's coming as NZ's economy suffers from long Covid
      Jenée Tibshraeny
      AnalysisJenée Tibshraeny

      Higher taxes, deeper spending cuts: What's coming as NZ's economy suffers from long Covid

      18 Aug 05:00 PM
      Premium
      Premium
      Interest rate cut a shoo-in, but how much lower will the OCR go?
      Official Cash Rate

      Interest rate cut a shoo-in, but how much lower will the OCR go?

      17 Aug 07:00 PM


      Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet
      Sponsored

      Farm plastic recycling: Getting it right saves cows, cash, and the planet

      10 Aug 09:12 PM

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      Unlock all articles by subscribing to this international offer

      All-Access + BusinessDesk Weekly

      Herald Premium, Viva Premium, The Listener & BusinessDesk
      Pay just
      $10
      $2
      per week
      See all offers
      Already a subscriber? Sign in here
      Or
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search