Tackling the asbestos "cowboys"
Failure by authorities to police safety in the asbestos removal industry is threatening the lives of construction workers and members of the public. Last month members of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) called for the re- establishment of NSW WorkCover's specialist Asbestos Demolition Units. "These units should never have been closed down", said CFMEU State Secretary Andrew Ferguson. "These units had specialist inspectors. They were experts. Since the closure of the units safety has deteriorated." This was shown at the beginning of the month at St Peters, in Sydney's inner west, when a developer conducted unlicensed demolition next door to a public school. Concerned parents contacted the CFMEU after material from the demolition spilt into the street. The site, which was unsecured and allowed children to "play" on it after hours, contained asbestos components. A WorkCover inspector who attended the site was allegedly threatened by the developer. "The CFMEU has been very militant in its view of protection of the public", CFMEU organiser Marty Wyer said. Illegal dumping He pointed to the problem of demolition cowboys who illegally dump asbestos into landfill as a cost cutting measure. This was recently highlighted with asbestos being found on a popular beach in northern Sydney. "There are cowboys in the industry", said Mr Wyer. "You only have to pick up a copy of your local rag and see the demolition companies that advertise in the classifieds. They may be able to quote a demolition licence, but this doesn't mean they can remove asbestos." More dangerous Mr Wyer spoke of demolition contractors who would remove asbestos on weekends to avoid scrutiny, crushing the asbestos up and rendering it more dangerous. The union says that educating people about the deadly dangers of asbestos is also a problem. "My job is to empower safety representatives. It's easy to explain safety if it's a harness to stop someone falling off a roof. But because it can take 20 years to take effect we tend to think we're bullet-proof, but death from asbestos is a very horrible death", said Mr Wyer. The move by the industry to clean up the cowboys operating in it follows complaints by residents in Randwick and Centennial Park, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, about the practices of asbestos removalists. At the Centennial Park site, next to Fox Studios, residents were concerned about dust blowing across the street into their homes from an asbestos removal job. "We were given no warning", said local resident Josephine Wadlow- Evans. "Residents were absolutely horrified." Ms Wadlow-Evans and other residents allege that workers on the site were initially working without masks, asbestos sheeting was being dropped and broken and dust was blowing across the street into residents' homes, driven by "gale force winds". Residents immediately contacted WorkCover but, despite their concerns, a WorkCover complaint register from the time notes that the incident "Does not warrant investigation as the company is licensed to conduct this work and has in the past demonstrated competency in same"! From January 1 this year, the last loopholes allowing the use of asbestos were eliminated, but that does not address the problem of the asbestos that already exists in buildings across the country. The deadly fibre was a popular building material for decades. As a result it is found in buildings ranging from the Opera House right across to local primary schools. Forty-five thousand people are expected to die from asbestos related illness over the next 20 years unless effective medical treatments are found. The extent of the problem can be measured by the existence now of 8000 mesothelioma sufferers, 25,000 lung cancer patients with asbestos exposure and 33,000 asbestosis sufferers in Australia. Peggy Trompf from the Workers' Health Centre in Lidcombe stresses the importance of dealing correctly with asbestos. Domestic asbestos "In a domestic situation asbestos is commonly found as fibro asbestos-cement sheeting [also known as AC Sheeting] in homes built pre-the 1970s, also as asbestos lagging or roof insulation", says Ms Trompf. "If there's more than 200 square metres of AC Sheeting, or any amount of lagging or insulation, it must be removed by a licensed contractor. "In a commercial setting a thorough audit should be done to determine levels of asbestos and an asbestos register established before any work commences on any strip-out or demolition." Peggy Trompf says that people who suspect that they may have asbestos in their home or workplace can contact the Workers' Health Centre and arrange to have materials tested. The Workers' Health Centre website also has a fact sheet on asbestos. WorkCover NSW can be contacted for a list of licensed asbestos removal contractors. Members of the public contact the CFMEU on 02 9267 3393 or the NSW WorkCover Demolition and Asbestos Hotline on 02 9370 5885, 02 9370 5881 or 02 9370 9220 to report any suspicious behaviour on demolition sites.