As a result of the number of asbestos related issues arising the length and breadth of the country, WorkSafe New Zealand have initiated a project to develop an asbestos liaison protocol for each region.
The Bay of Plenty protocol has recently been completed, see below the first iteration:
Asbestos liaison protocol (942kb pdf) Appendix 1 - protocol agency jurisdictions (104kb pdf) Appendix 2 - Asbestos protocol flowchart (129kb pdf) Appendix 3 - decision tree (211kb pdf)
The aim of the protocol is to establish a framework that describes how particular asbestos related events should get managed and which agency is responsible for taking the lead in each situation. The protocol will be periodically reviewed and updated accordingly.
The purpose of the protocol is to:
- support the reduction of occupational and public health risks associated with exposure to asbestos, and
- increase public confidence in asbestos incident management by setting out processes for effective liaison between government agencies in response to asbestos-related enquiries and incidents in the Tauranga, Coromandel and Whakatane region.