Where it sits on New Zealand homes
WorkSafe lists asbestos cement roof sheeting and ridge capping, spouting (gutters), downpipes, gables and eaves, and roofing panels such as Super Six among the places asbestos is found in homes. Any home built before 1 January 2000 may contain it.
Asbestos cement is non-friable: the fibres are bonded into the cement. WorkSafe says non-friable asbestos is often called Class B asbestos, while friable asbestos, which is powdery or crumbles to powder under hand pressure when dry, is often called Class A.
Not sure about yours? Start with our guide on how to tell if your roof is asbestos.
Leave it, clean it, or remove it?
| Leave it | Clean and coat it | Remove and re-roof | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suits | A sound roof with no leaks | A sound roof that's weathered or mossy | A roof that's leaking, cracked or worn out |
| Main risk | Someone disturbing it without knowing | High-pressure water or careless foot traffic | Fibre release during removal |
| Who does it | Nobody, but warn trades before they start | A business following WorkSafe's low-pressure method | A licensed Class B or Class A removalist, then a roofer |
| Rules to know | Keep people off it | Biocide from a low-pressure sprayer, surface kept wet, no blasting | WorkSafe notified 5 days ahead, clearance certificate at the end |
The licence rules, in plain English
The asbestos regulations ban businesses from doing or allowing work involving asbestos, except listed work such as removal, sampling, and maintenance or servicing done in line with the regulations.
A Class A licence covers removing any type or amount of asbestos. A Class B licence covers removing any amount of non-friable asbestos, plus the dust and debris that goes with it.
A business can remove up to and including 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos without a licence, but the work must be done by a competent person trained as the regulations require. Removing more than 10 square metres, counted cumulatively over the whole removal project for the site, needs a Class B or Class A licence. WorkSafe says a large area can't be split into sections of 10 square metres or less to avoid needing one.
Those duties sit on businesses. WorkSafe's guidelines note that a home occupier who engages a tradesperson for residential work isn't a PCBU, the legal term for a business with these duties. Landlords are different: WorkSafe says they must make sure work is done safely and, where people could be exposed to fibres, identify the asbestos and prepare an asbestos management plan.
How a licensed removal runs
The asbestos is identified first
Before refurbishing or demolishing a home, the business doing the work must identify all asbestos likely to be disturbed and, so far as is reasonably practicable, remove it before the work starts.
You get a written quote or plan
WorkSafe says it should cover the work, any tests or inspections, how long it will take, the cost, warranties, the health and safety measures and the disruption to your home.
WorkSafe is notified
The licensed removalist must tell WorkSafe in writing at least 5 days before starting. In an emergency they phone straight away and follow up in writing within 24 hours.
You and the neighbours are told
So far as is reasonably practicable, they must tell the person who ordered the work, the occupier and owner of the home, and nearby neighbours that it's happening and when it starts.
Careful methods on the day
No high-pressure water over 350 kPa and no compressed air on asbestos, and no power tools or brooms unless the dust is captured or suppressed.
Waste sealed and taken away
Asbestos waste must be sealed in a clearly marked container and disposed of at a place approved for it by the local council.
A clearance certificate at the end
An independent licensed asbestos assessor (for Class A work) or an independent competent person (for other work) inspects the area. The written certificate names them and states that no visible asbestos residue was found and, as far as can be determined, the area doesn't pose a risk from asbestos.
How do you check the removalist?
WorkSafe keeps public registers of licensed asbestos removalists and assessors. 'Current' means they can do the licensed work. 'Suspended', 'Expired' or 'Cancelled' means they can't.
Removal licences last 5 years from the day they're granted, unless cancelled earlier, so check the status close to your start date as well as when you get the quote.
What to have in writing before removal starts
- The removalist's licence class and its register status
- The scope: which roof faces, ridge capping, spouting and eaves are included
- Any testing, plus the clearance inspection and who will do it
- How long it will take, and what disruption to expect
- How the house stays watertight between the old roof coming off and the new one going on
- Where the waste is going
- The price, and what's excluded
- Who's doing the re-roof, and whether that's the same company or a separate roofer
Then the new roof
Removal is only half the job. Swapping asbestos cement for longrun or another roof raises the consent question, and councils don't all answer it the same way. Our building consent guide walks through it. If consent is needed, the re-roof is restricted building work for an LBP.
Talk to your insurer before work starts, because house insurance may not cover you during renovations and you may need contract works insurance. Afterwards, update your sum insured so it includes the new roof.
How big the job is depends on the roof area, how easy it is to reach, how much spouting, ridge capping and eaves sheeting is included, and how far the waste has to travel to an approved site. A written quote from a licensed removalist, with the re-roof priced as a separate line, is the only way to know yours.
Never water-blast it or walk on it
High-pressure water and foot traffic are two easy ways to disturb an asbestos roof without meaning to. Keep the water-blaster away, and stay off it: WorkSafe lists fibrolite among the brittle roofs workers shouldn't walk on. If it's already been disturbed, stop, keep people and pets away, close doors and windows, and contact an asbestos contractor or your local health protection officer.
Your part, and the professionals'
You can
- Get a sample tested before any work is quoted
- Check the removalist's status on WorkSafe's register
- Ask for the written quote or work plan WorkSafe describes
- Tell your insurer before work starts
- Keep the clearance certificate with your house papers
Leave to a roofer
- Sampling and testing
- Removal over 10 square metres, by a licensed removalist
- Sealing, transporting and disposing of the waste
- The clearance inspection, by an independent assessor or competent person
- The new roof, by an LBP if it needs a consent
What we'd do with an asbestos roof
If it's sound and not leaking, we'd leave it alone, keep people off it and make sure every tradesperson knows it's there. Once it's leaking or worn out, we'd have it taken off by a licensed removalist, check their register status, insist on the clearance certificate and re-roof straight after. We wouldn't pay to coat a roof that's close to the end.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.