‘Asbestos Surveys’ vs ‘Asbestos Management Plans' (AMP)
What is an asbestos survey?
There are two types of asbestos surveys carried out by Asbestos Surveyors:
An Asbestos Management Survey (AMS) is used to locate and identify asbestos and ACMs in a building. It usually involves taking and testing samples of suspected ACMs, and in certain situations, the presence of ACM can be presumed. This information should be presented in a format that can be used to prepare an Asbestos Management Plan (AMP). The AMP is then used to inform the management of asbestos during normal occupation and use of the building. An asbestos management survey is for occupation and routine maintenance only and generally only involves minor, intrusive work; any inaccessible areas must be assumed to contain asbestos (WorkSafe NZ, 2025).
Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys are conducted to locate all asbestos in buildings in unoccupied workspaces. This should provide information to enable a risk assessment to be carried out in preparation for refurbishment or demolition works. These surveys are generally intrusive and require penetration or removal of the building’s structure (e.g. penetrating carpets and tiles, walls, ceilings, cladding), and should only be conducted in unoccupied areas. All suspected ACM that may be disturbed must be confirmed by sample testing – presumptions cannot be made (WorkSafe NZ, 2025).
What type do I need?
An asbestos management survey is required to manage the risk of asbestos fibre exposure during normal occupation and use of a building. This includes standard maintenance and minor works, such as painting, cleaning, changing a light fitting, removing a single panel, drilling a hole and cleaning debris in air conditioning units and gutters.
On the other hand, refurbishment/demolition surveys are required when buildings are to be upgraded, refurbished or demolished. For larger premises, a mixture of both surveys may be needed.
To keep you, your family and community safe, please contact a Licensed Asbestos Specialist for guidance on what survey you need for the specific activities you will be doing. - you can find them on the WorkSafe, FAMANZ, and NZDAA websites (see links here).
What is an Asbestos Management Plan?
An Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) is a written plan created using the asbestos survey information. AMPs are mandatory for all commercial and rental properties - they are legally required by PCBUs that own or manage buildings that contain asbestos, or if their building was built on or before 2000. These include commercial property owners, property managers and their workers, commercial tenants, residential landlords, project managers and their workers and body corporates and their members. The PCBU should ensure that an AMP is prepared for the building, and they can hire a Health and Safety professional, a qualified occupational hygienist or an Asbestos Surveyor or Licensed Asbestos Assessor to help them (WorkSafe NZ, 2025).
An AMP must include information about:
Where asbestos or ACM is identified and located,
Decisions about how to manage asbestos risks in the workplace and the reasons for doing so,
Procedures for recording incidents and emergencies involving asbestos or ACM,
The workers who carry out work involving asbestos, including their training, roles and responsibilities, and any health monitoring (WorkSafe NZ, 2024)
The AMP must be readily accessible to relevant workers and must be reviewed at least every 5 years in NZ. Under asbestos regulations, PCBUs must ensure that the risk of people being exposed to airborne asbestos in the workplace is eliminated (as far as reasonably practicable), or minimised (as far as reasonably practicable). Any airborne contamination must not exceed 0.01 fibres/ml of air over an eight-hour period (trace level).
Learn about the different types of Asbestos Specialists here.
References:WorkSafe NZ. (2025). Conducting Asbestos Surveys: Good Practice Guidelines for Asbestos Surveyors. https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/asbestos/conducting-asbestos-surveys-good-practice-guidelines-for-asbestos-surveyors/WorkSafe NZ. (2024, October 11). Managing asbestos in your building or workplace – for PCBUs. WorkSafe. https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/asbestos/managing-asbestos-in-your-building-or-workplace-for-pcbus/