MEDIA ALERT: 16 May, 2014 Second asbestos find demands WorkCover step up: CFMEU The CFMEU is calling on WorkCover to launch an asbestos blitz following the second find of asbestos on a building site in as many days. NSW State Secretary Brian Parker said major builders were walking away from their duty to workers by refusing to stop work on sites once asbestos was found. In the latest case, union officials were called to a site at James Craig Road in Rozelle on a range of safety issues and found asbestos easily visible in a pile of excavated soil that was placed beside the workers’ lunchrooms. Despite the CFMEU highlighting the problem to Richard Crookes management, workers at the shipyard site were told to continue working. CFMEU Organiser Darren Taylor said it appeared the asbestos-filled soil had been in place for several weeks – meaning employees in businesses around the industrial area and boat owners may have been inadvertently exposed. Mr Taylor said a workplace hygienist had been called but workers at the site were expected to continue on the job. “This is a deadly toxic substance and it is completely unreasonable and dangerous to expect the workers to remain there,” Mr Taylor said. The Rozelle find follows an incident at Blacktown Hospital on Thursday when it took several hours for the site to be closed after asbestos was discovered throughout the building site. “This is clearly not good enough,” said Mr Parker. “It is a fact that even the smallest amount of exposure to asbestos can lead to terminal illness 20 years’ later. “Working class heroes like the late Bernie Banton fought for justice for sufferers of asbestos-related disease and to highlight the danger of this toxic fibre. “Now we have a new wave of gung-ho companies willing to put workers’ lives at risk to meet a building deadline.” Mr Parker said WorkCover needs to step in and pull builders and developers into line over their attitude toward asbestos on sites. “It is very simple and not negotiable. If you find asbestos, the site must be closed and the issue dealt with before anyone goes back to work.”
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 01:23:05 +0000