Asbestos Awareness Week 18 – 24 November

The week of 18 – 24 November 2024 is Asbestos Awareness Week.  

Asbestos exposure is New Zealand’s number one workplace killer. Despite the serious health risks of asbestos exposure being widely known for 80+ years, around 220 people die each year from asbestos-related disease.  

A reminder to businesses and tradies that there is no excuse for not protecting workers from the risk of asbestos exposure.  

We are also aware that homeowners doing DIY renovations risk asbestos exposure and may also expose the tradespeople working on their homes. 

WorkSafe have recently updated asbestos guidance, with more updates coming soon. Current updates include information for businesses and workers, homeowners, protective clothing and equipment, and managing asbestos in buildings or workplaces. You can see this guidance, and the redevelopment plan, on their website: We are updating our asbestos guidance | WorkSafe

To help spread the message, they have created a range of assets for you to use, including images for social media, websites and newsletters, a factsheet and poster. These can all be downloaded from their website. Asbestos Awareness Week 2024 | WorkSafe

More resources available at www.worksafe.govt.nz/asbestos.   

If you have any questions or would like to know anything else about asbestos, please email asbestos@worksafe.govt.nz.