Asbestos

Find out more about managing and working with asbestos.

Management and removal of asbestos

This Approved Code of Practice sets out WorkSafe New Zealand’s (WorkSafe) expectations about how to comply with asbestos health and safety law, including the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016.

Asbestos Licence Holder Register

Find a current asbestos removal licence holder or asbestos assessor.

Conducting asbestos surveys: Guidance for asbestos surveyors

Good practice advice for how to plan, carry out, and report the results of an asbestos survey.

Working with asbestos

Access the latest guidance on working with asbestos. You can also find information on duties relating to work involving asbestos – licensed and unlicensed.

Asbestos quick guides for tradespeople

Asbestos poses a significant health risk for tradespeople, which is why we have launched four new guides designed to help plumbers, builders, electricians and painters quickly understand their responsibilities and manage the risks when working with or near asbestos.

Conducting asbestos surveys – Good practice guidance for asbestos surveyors

Asbestos licensing

Find out whether you'll need a licence under the asbestos removal licence system and how to go about applying for one.

Certification of safety management systems

Any businesses applying for a Class A asbestos removal licence must have a certified safety management system in place by 4 April 2018.

Asbestos in the home

This information provides advice about what homeowners or residential tenants should do if they think there could be asbestos in their home or on their property.

Consultations

Whether you‘re a representative from a large organisation, a self-employed contractor or an interested member of the public, your views are important to us and we encourage you to have your say.

What you should know about working with asbestos

Anyone who works on the fabric of a building may be at risk of disturbing asbestos.

Asbestos safety after a natural event or emergency

When homes and other buildings containing asbestos are damaged during floods, the asbestos-containing materials can become eroded, disturbed, broken, or friable.

Managing asbestos in your building or workplace – for PCBUs

Guidance for businesses, commercial and residential landlords, body corporates, and information on asbestos management plans.

Pipelines - Safe Work Instrument

This is the Health and Safety in Employment (Pipelines - Design, Construction, Operation, Maintenance, Suspension, and Abandonment Requirements) Safe Work Instrument 2023.

Introduction to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 – special guide

A guide to New Zealand’s key work health and safety law and its regulator.

How we approve methods for working with asbestos

This policy sets out how we use our authority to approve methods for managing the risk associated with asbestos at workplaces and how we treat these methods once approved.

Asbestos Awareness Week 2025

This Asbestos Awareness Week (November 17–23 2025) we remind tradies and businesses that there are no excuses for not protecting workers and others from the risk of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos in coloured sand

On 6 November 2025, WorkSafe was informed that batches of coloured/kinetic sand used at educational facilities in Australia have been found to contain two types of asbestos – tremolite and chrysotile. This sand product is allegedly imported from China and can be used in classroom activities, as well as other decorative and craft uses at home.

We are updating our asbestos guidance

With input from industry, we are currently working on redeveloping and updating our asbestos-related guidance.

Asbestos in Aotearoa New Zealand

This guidance is for anyone interested in the history of asbestos in New Zealand and the diseases it can cause.

Where to dispose of asbestos

Find out where and how to safely dispose of asbestos containing material.

Protective clothing and equipment for working with or near asbestos

This guidance provides information about personal protective equipment (PPE) for working with or near asbestos.

Policy clarification: Meeting the duty to indicate the presence and location of asbestos at work

This policy clarification explains our view of the duty to indicate the presence and location of asbestos and asbestos-containing material (ACM) in the workplace. It includes situations in which asbestos and ACM are assumed to be present.

Consultation: Revoking the existing asbestos approved code of practice (ACOP)

Psychosocial surveys of first responders

WorkSafe’s 2024 surveys of police officers and ambulance workers reveal significant and overlapping challenges in the wellbeing and mental health of first responders.

Consultation: Asbestos-related guidance for tradespeople

Asbestos exposure register

Find out about the Asbestos Exposure Database.

Consultation: Good practice guidance for asbestos assessors

Asbestos removal: Good practice guidelines for licensed and unlicensed asbestos removalists

Duty to notify licensed asbestos removal

Before you start any work to remove asbestos, you must inform WorkSafe at least five days before the work starts