An active investigation by MBIE is under way after asbestos contamination was found in some doors supplied by the country’s largest fire door manufacturer.
The issue impacts a product known as FRB board or core, which is made by an overseas third party, and used by Pacific Door Systems (PDS) and other Australasian manufacturers.
PDS was alerted after some of the FRB core was tested and found to contain asbestos. It is not yet known how many doors are affected by the potentially deadly fibre.
It published a safety notice and informed WorkSafe and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) after the discovery.
“PDS recently became aware of a contamination issue (involving asbestos fibres) impacting one of the categories of fire-rated door ‘cores’ previously used by PDS in production of Pyropanel fire-rated doors,” said the notice, issued on August 22.
“It is important to stress that FRB core and the potentially impacted PDS fire door categories do not contain asbestos ‘by design’.”
This was a “contamination event”, PDS said, and it is still seeking an explanation from the third-party manufacturer.
Testing previously found no issue, and PDS has switched to a different supplier for the cores.
MBIE head of building system delivery and assurance Simon Thomas said the issue is under an “active investigation”.
They are working with multiple agencies and suppliers to “gather further information and determine the next steps”.
He noted that installed doors are safe if undamaged and unaltered, and have not been recalled.
WorkSafe central manager Nigel Formosa said the agency was notified of the potential health risk from the doors on June 30 and immediately launched a “targeted health and safety response”.
“WorkSafe inspectors conducted urgent assessments at two companies – one of which was Pacific Door Systems Ltd (PDS).
“As a result, PDS sites in Wellington and Timaru were closed temporarily while they safely removed any asbestos-containing material and have since received independent clearance certificates and deemed safe for workers to return,” Formosa said.
“Since then, we have conducted a number of site visits with different companies where we have been notified of similar concerns.”
PDS said it has since tested a “significant volume” of samples of FRB core held in stock, and a small percentage contained asbestos.
However, the company is aware a fire door it supplied about a year ago tested positive for asbestos, meaning the contamination might date back to then.
It is testing previously supplied doors to understand the scope of the problem.
In the meantime, the company recommended handling any doors in the affected categories as if they contained asbestos, “out of an abundance of caution”.
“PDS understands that the doors should pose no risks while they remain ‘in situ’ with the FRB core fully encapsulated.
“However, should invasive or similar works on potentially impacted PDS fire door categories be planned, then the safety-related considerations raised by the information above will obviously need to be taken into account.”
The company is contacting customers it has supplied the doors to, and where it appears work on the doors may be incomplete.
The Herald has contacted PDS for comment.
According to a WorkSafe technical bulletin, asbestos exposure is the number one workplace killer in New Zealand.
“Each year, around 170 New Zealanders die from asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer,” the bulletin said.
PDS, part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, describes itself as both a national and international supplier of “high-performance door and window systems for fire, acoustic, security, hospital, mental health, ballistic and commercial purposes”.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.