At CES our priority is the health and wellbeing of our staff and clients. With this in mind, we wanted to let you know what we are doing to help keep everyone as safe as possible during this time.
Our laboratory remains open and ready to support you with your service requests. We are following Ministry of Health guidance on travel, and personal office hygiene, have reviewed business continuity, and continue to update our people so that they have the information they need to stay safe and well.
What else are we doing?
Here are a few other things we are doing to take extra care of our clients and staff:
- Increased cleaning of ‘high touch’ surfaces.
- Staff members are asked to confirm they are feeling well daily, if unwell requested to stay (and sent) home.
- Self-isolation and social distancing practices are supported in line with Ministry of Health guidance for any affected staff.
- Regular updates for staff on Ministry of Health and company guidelines.
- Restricted access to our facility.
- All staff visiting field sites are asked to confirm with the client and points of contact on-site that the property location is safe to enter, there are no suspected cases, and no persons in self-isolation.
- For our field services; we are asking additional screening questions to check for and manage any potential risk factors.
- Replacing meetings with phone-calls, video conferencing or email contact.
What does this mean for you?
In line with Ministry of Health guidelines, if you have symptoms or have returned from overseas recently; we ask that you delay your visit to our labs and contact us by phone or email instead. If you are visiting our labs, please text the person you are visiting and they will meet you at entrance.
The Ministry of Health has stated that the symptoms of COVID-19 are:
- A cough
- A high temperature (at least 38 degrees centigrade)
- A shortness of breath
We will continue to monitor Ministry of Health updates and will be in touch with any changes to policy and practices, otherwise business continues and we look forward to continuing to deliver our services to you.
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Asbestos Containing Vinyl
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Asbestos awareness is key to ensuring the health and safety of everyone, we hope you find the general information being provided about the more common asbestos containing materials (ACMs) found in our community helpful.
Below is some information on vinyl. Our previous newsletters have covered asbestos cement, asbestos insulation boards and loose fill asbestos. If you have a particular ACM you would like to hear more about or would like to book in an Asbestos Awareness course please let us know
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Vinyl laid prior to the 1980s is more likely to contain asbestos and should be tested if renovations are planned. Asbestos was historically mixed into the vinyl to make it more insulating, durable and resistant to fire.
Asbestos becomes dangerous when respirable fibres of the mineral are released and become airborne. If the material is in good condition it normally does not pose a threat, because the asbestos is enclosed in vinyl, preventing the fibres from escaping. Vinyl is considered non-friable (see backing information), which means these products are not easily broken by slight pressure. However, cutting, sanding or otherwise disturbing vinyl can result in release of asbestos fibres into the air and increase exposure risk.
If you do need to lift or disturb a small section of asbestos containing flooring follow the Worksafe advice available.
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Backing material
Vinyl flooring was often made with a friable asbestos backing, which means mineral fibres are easily released into the air if the flooring is disturbed or damaged. Removal work for this type of vinyl is considered Class A and a licenced removalist is required.
The adhesives used to install vinyl products also often contained asbestos, though asbestos fibres in adhesives are less likely to become airborne.
If you are unsure about a material in your home or workplace can send in a sample for analysis or request one of our samplers to come out to the property and collect a sample for you. Our Worksafe Licenced Assessors are completely independent and can conduct air monitoring and clearance inspections if removal of asbestos flooring is planned.
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