McMahon Services are pioneers in the asbestos removal industry, having completed some of the largest asbestos removal projects ever undertaken in New Zealand and Australia. We hold all required licences and our specially trained personnel have a thorough understanding of all New Zealand regulations and legislation.
New Zealand’s first asbestos regulations came into effect until 1978. It became illegal to import blue (woolly stone) and brown (featuring harsh, spiky fibres) asbestos into the country from 1984 and all asbestos contained products became illegal imports in 2016.
Buildings constructed, altered or refurbished from the 1940s to the mid-1980s are likely to feature asbestos-containing materials. Other common uses for asbestos included insulating boards, friction linings, fire doors, gas and electric heaters, fuse boxes, gaskets, pipe lagging, sprayed insulation and brake linings.
Over the years, much asbestos-containing materials from these sources have ended up in the ground due to improper remediation and treatment services at the time.
Bonded asbestos pipe uncovered in soil
The management of asbestos contaminated soil has typically been driven by two main regulatory areas. These are:
Both of these Government agencies play a key role in how asbestos-contaminated soil is managed, and both need to be recognised and understood when undertaking works involving asbestos-contaminated soil.
In addition to the Regulations, there are five key documents that practitioners refer to when dealing with asbestos-contaminated soil. These are:
Asbestos building materials found on site
It also requires trained personnel and specially modified plant and equipment to be used in order to meet the requirements of the regulatory bodies, the community and the client.
McMahon Services have been pioneers in the asbestos removal industry since the industries’ inception in the late 1970s and have completed over $500 million in asbestos removal, hazardous materials removal and environmental decontamination projects in that time.
Our strong profile and reputation in the industry mean we have worked with authorities, regulatory bodies, and government to develop approved codes of practice and safe-work procedures surrounding the safe removal of asbestos, still in use today.
