The Quiet Closure of the Asbestos Exposure Register – What Sailors Need to Know

For many former sailors and members of the New Zealand Defence Force, asbestos exposure was simply accepted as part of life at sea. Engine rooms, pipe lagging, insulation, brake linings, boiler rooms, gaskets, and countless other shipboard materials contained asbestos for decades. Many personnel worked in confined spaces where asbestos dust and fibres were common, often without any warning of the long-term health risks.

For years, one avenue available to veterans and other workers was the Asbestos Exposure Register (AER), operated by WorkSafe New Zealand. The register allowed people who believed they had been exposed to asbestos during their employment to voluntarily record that exposure.

However, without much public attention, the register was closed to new registrations on 6 December 2023.

What Was the Asbestos Exposure Register?

The AER was introduced in 1992 and operated by WorkSafe and its predecessor agencies. It was essentially a database of self-reported asbestos exposures. People who believed they had been exposed — particularly in workplaces such as shipyards, naval vessels, construction sites, railways, power stations, and industrial facilities — could place their details on record.

For many NZDF sailors, particularly those who served aboard older vessels, the register provided:

• An official acknowledgement that exposure may have occurred.
• A documented history should health problems develop later in life.
• Information that could potentially assist future research into asbestos-related disease.
• A personal record that exposure concerns had been raised during their lifetime.

Asbestos-related illnesses often take decades to appear. Conditions such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, pleural plaques, and asbestos-related lung cancer may not emerge until 20 to 50 years after exposure.

Why Was the Register Closed?

According to WorkSafe, the register was closed because:

“The level of exposure and the health outcome for most registrants were unknown, which limited the usefulness of the information for research purposes.”

While WorkSafe has stated that information already held on the register will continue to be securely stored under the Privacy Act, there appears to have been little public notification that the register was being discontinued.

For many veterans, that has created uncertainty and frustration.

What Has Replaced It?

At present, it is unclear whether there is any direct replacement for the Asbestos Exposure Register.

WorkSafe now directs people concerned about asbestos exposure to:

• consult their GP or health provider,
• seek health monitoring where appropriate, and
• notify occupational illness or exposure concerns through existing WorkSafe reporting systems.

But these processes are not the same as having a dedicated national exposure register.

There also appears to be no specific NZDF asbestos exposure database publicly available for serving or former defence personnel.

Why Recording Exposure Still Matters

Even though the register has closed, keeping your own records remains extremely important.

Former sailors and defence personnel should consider documenting:

• Ships and establishments served on.
• Dates of service.
• Areas worked in (engine rooms, boiler rooms, dockyard maintenance, refits etc).
• Known asbestos incidents or removal work.
• Names of witnesses or workmates.
• Any medical symptoms or respiratory concerns.

This information may later assist:

• ACC claims,
• medical diagnosis,
• occupational disease assessments,
• family support applications,
• or historical exposure investigations.

In many asbestos-related cases, the difficulty is not proving illness — it is proving exposure decades later.

Asbestos and the NZDF

The issue of asbestos in defence environments is not merely historical. The New Zealand Defence Force continues to actively manage asbestos risks within older buildings and infrastructure. In 2023, NZDF publicly highlighted the importance of its asbestos management systems and compliance programmes.

That acknowledgement reinforces what many former sailors have known for years: asbestos was widespread throughout defence facilities and vessels built before modern asbestos controls were introduced.

A Question Still Worth Asking

Many veterans may reasonably ask:

• Why was the register closed?
• Was enough notice given?
• Should there still be a dedicated exposure recording system for former workers and service personnel?
• Who now holds responsibility for long-term occupational exposure records?

These are valid questions, particularly for those who served in environments where asbestos exposure was routine rather than exceptional.

For now, the best advice may be simple:
keep your own records, talk with your GP about any concerns, and ensure your service history and exposure details are documented while memories and evidence are still available.