Auckland Branch Event - Asbestos Release Incidents: Health Risk Assessment, Regulatory Response and Risk Communication in New Zealand

In Auckland and other major urban centres in New Zealand, older buildings constructed with asbestos containing materials are ubiquitous and an unfortunate fact of life. When asbestos fires and other asbestos release incidents inevitably occur, members of the public and site workers are justifiably concerned and rely on regulatory authorities and their specialists to respond to these events and provide sound risk assessment and management advice or actions.

Darryl Thompson from Auckland Council and Lance Constable from WSP Ltd will share their experiences with response, risk assessment and management advice for asbestos release events. The coordination between Auckland Council, WorkSafe and Auckland Regional Public Health Service will be discussed, and health risk assessment and exposure modelling approaches and technologies will be outlined, in reference to specific events that took place.

Your ticket includes one complimentary drink and a selection of appetizers. Please note that this is not a formal dinner event. BYO!

To minimise our use of plastic, we encourage delegates to bring their own reusable water bottles.

The speakers:

Lance Constable, Service Line Leader
Environmental Health & Safety, WSP Ltd

Lance has over 15 years’ experience as an occupational hygienist and hazardous materials consultant with technical expertise in workplace exposure assessments, human health risk assessments, and asbestos management, surveying, and clearance inspections.

Darryl Thompson, Technical Specialist - Environmental Health Response Team Licensing and Regulatory Compliance,
Auckland Council

Darryl previously worked as a chemistry technician and microbiologist in Australia, including a role as Scientist in Charge of the Microbiological Department at the Western Australian Centre for Disease Prevention.

Darryl has been employed with Auckland Council for the past two decades, working as a Technical Specialist within Council’s Environmental Health Response Team. As well as the usual roles that an EHO deals with, Darryl has extensive experience with managing the risks posed by asbestos and hazardous substances including methamphetamine