Keeping our buildings safe

Asbestos and Asbestos containing materials (ACM) are still presenting a serious health and safety risk from numerous New Zealand structures, domestic properties, machines and work equipment. Spark has been identifying and managing asbestos and ACM within its building and asset portfolios; to ensure a healthier and safer working environment for our people and visitors.

This work has included the development and implementation of a Spark Asbestos Risk Management Standard, and a comprehensive risk assessment programme undertaken at our Exchange Buildings and Data centres. From this, we have developed and made available both electronic and hard copy Asbestos Management Plans (AMP) located at our Building Exchange Safety Stations and through accessing Spark’s Risk Manager (RM).

Health and Safety Risk Management  

We now ask our suppliers for any future works at a Spark worksite to undertake a pre planning risk assessment; and apply a pro-active approach in identifying, eliminating or reducing, and controlling all asbestos risks relating to the work to be done. 

This encompasses the following asbestos requirements:

• Share this document with all the people who design, price, manage, supervise, and execute works at Spark Exchanges and Data Centres which could potentially involve disturbing asbestos, ACM, or accessing controlled areas that contain known asbestos and/or ACM.
• Ensure that any person preplanning, designing, pricing, arranging, managing, supervising, and working within Spark areas where disturbing asbestos and ACM may occur at any time, have been educated in asbestos awareness and received suitable training from a recognised training provider. 
• Ensure that before carrying out work that could disturb, damage, or require access and works to be done in isolated areas with known asbestos contaminants, preplanning, safety in design and consultation with a Spark representative has been considered and applied, where required.   

If you have any questions or concerns with asbestos and these requirements, then contact Spark immediately - Spark contact details are on front of the Asbestos Management Plans.  Please note that we are all about working with our suppliers and ensuring continuous health and safety improvement along the way, so let us work together on the above so we can ensure a healthier and safer work environment for everybody at Spark.

More information 

If you need further information or guidance, please email us.