Kindergarten Closed After Asbestos Discovery
A kindergarten in Warragul has been closed for the time being, following the discovery of asbestos.
Specialists removed the deadly material from oen of the locations but the site will remain closed until the other two locations have been made safe.
The Baw Baw Shire Council said the two sites were not intact , nor were they an active part of the centre where children or staff are at risk.
“To mitigate any chance of inadvertent exposure during the ongoing renovations it was deemed in the best interest of everyone to suspend kinder activities at the site until this additional asbestos could be removed,” the shire said in a statement.
The council is collaborating with the builder, the site supervisor and an independent asbestos assessor to remove the asbestos as swiftly as possible and it is anticipated children will return to kinder on Thursday.
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Source: http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2013/08/20/580382_national-news.html
Paspaley Building to Undergo Asbestos Test
Samples from the Paspaley Building site have been sent in for tests by an independent inspector.
The four-storey building has been under demolition for several weeks in preparation for building the 18-storey Charles Darwin Centre on the corner of Smith and Bennett streets.
Union officials discovered positively identified traces of white asbestos on the site late last month.
However, builders say all asbestos was carefully removed from the site and that the union was causing trouble and maybe even planted the substance.The original removalists checked the site again and found nothing.
Building architect Ross Connolly yesterday said Worksafe NT reported the site as safe and said the union was “stirring the pot”.
“They allegedly discovered some asbestos sheet,” he said.
“Worksafe has confirmed that the material found was not asbestos,”
He said the site was certified as free of asbestos by a certified removalist who removed the deadly substance from the building several weeks ago.
“Clearly when you do an asbestos register there’s always the risk that there might be some asbestos that might be not evident at the time the register was prepared,” he said.
“The contract for the removal makes it incumbent on the operator to obviously deal with anything that turns up in the removal process.
“There’s a later risk that when you demolish a floor slab or something underneath, given that we’re talking about a part of the town that was around in the war, there could be some asbestos sheeting in the soil underneath the building that was neither undiscoverable at the time of the asbestos register preparation nor at the removal.”
CFMEU assistant secretary Jade Ingham said the site was “riddled” with asbestos.
“I can tell you we’ve better things to do than stir the pot and turn up on sites,” he said.
“If they were resolute why did they shut the site?” CFMEU official Ben Laokes said they found 10cm x 10cm sheets of material on the site.
“The document provided to us saying the asbestos was removed but then you walk through and see sheeting everywhere,” he said.
“It didn’t take us long to find it. We took four steps into the site and we found it. It’s all broken up.
“The workers there had concerns about it.”
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Source: http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2013/06/20/322033_ntnews.html
Asbestos Training: Deadly Material Found in Paspaley building Tests
NT WorkSafe has divulged that asbestos was found in the Paspaley building at the end of the Smith St Mall in Darwin.
NT WorkSafe boss Doug Phillips said they met with the builders, Sunbuild and discussed the findings of the sampling.
“The sampling found there were some isolated pieces of bonded asbestos,” Mr Phillips said.
“However there was no asbestos detected in the soil sampling.”
Sunbuild had once denied the existence of s any asbestos left on the site even though unions had submitted various samples that contained the deadly material.
The original asbestos removal team came up short which lead to NT WorkSafe conducting its own independent tests.
Mr Phillips said Sunbuild was recommended that they develop a management plan in consultation with licensed specialists so that work could go forward without any issues.
“Sunbuild is also required to undertake appropriate consultation with its workers and the businesses surrounding the work site and to address any concerns that the wider public may have,” he said.
Source: http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2013/06/22/322105_ntnews.html
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Asbestos At Park May Be Due To Hut
A member of the public has suggested asbestos found this week at Stromlo Forest Park may be from ruins of a hut that was built almost 60 years ago.
The man, who did not want to be named, said he had been walking the trails on Mount Stromlo for many years and the asbestos could have originated from a now-ruined structure known as Magnetic Hut.
The Australian National University website says the hut, the first paleomagnetic laboratory on campus, was built in 1955 and was a ”long, timber-frame structure clad in weatherboards”. Sections of the hut were removed in the 1970s.
Small pieces of bonded asbestos were found on a cycling track at Stromlo Forest Park. The results of soil and air tests are due by the middle of next week. The track has been closed.
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Source: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/claims-asbestos-may-be-linked-to-hut-20130405-2hcsj.html#ixzz2Q1KNU9ce
Brush Fire Properties Need Safe Asbestos Removal
Following the property destruction during the brushfire season, WorkSafe is reminding Victorians to ensure property cleanups do not expose them to asbestos
In the wake of devastating property losses during this bushfire season, WorkSafe is reminding Victorians to take particular care during the clean-up of their properties to avoid potential exposure to asbestos.
Less than 25 years ago, asbestos was a frequently used material in roofing, sheet walls, ceilings and in moulded products.
Other common asbestos-containing materials and products included vinyl floor tiles and sheets, insulation materials, and sealants.
Lisa Sturzenegger, WorkSafe’s Health and Safety general manager for operations, said, “We’re asking people undertaking a clean up of bushfire-damaged property to take particular care to avoid disturbing asbestos fibres.
“The safest way to remove asbestos, particularly if the asbestos is friable, that is it is crumbling or disintegrating, is to contact a licensed asbestos remover. There is a list of licensed asbestos removers at www.worksafe.vic.gov.au,” Ms Sturzenegger said.
“We strongly encourage property owners not to attempt to remove asbestos materials themselves. If you suspect that you have asbestos on your property, there is really only one way to identify it, by having it checked by an analyst accredited by the National Association Testing Authority.
In general, most asbestos materials used in the construction of houses are solid in nature and do not pose a significant risk. However, when asbestos is exposed to high temperatures, such as those found in bushfires, it can become less-solid (friable) and begin to crumble. This may result in the release of asbestos fibres into the atmosphere.
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Source: http://www.worksafenews.com.au/news/item/302-safe-removal-of-asbestos-from-bushfire-damaged-properties.html
WA Proposes Removing Levy To End Illegal Asbestos Dumping
The Illegal disposal of asbestos in Perth is expected to end after a landfill levy for the deadly substance is dropped, according to the WA government.
The exemption will be in place as early as Januay 2013, and will apply to asbestos sheeting bound in black plastic– however asbestos- contaminated soil will still be subject to the levy.
Environment Minister Bill Marmion stated that the new measure is intended to discourage and deter illegal dumping.
Regardless of increased fines, people had continuously dumped asbestos sheeting in bushland and other sites away from public scrutiny. The Waste Authority advised that the landfill levy could be unintentionally pushing people to people to dispose of asbestos waste improperly.
“This is good news for small business and families, reducing costs and protecting the health of communities and the environment,” Mr Marmion said.
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Source: http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-bid-to-stop-illegal-asbestos-dumping-by-removing-landfill-levy/story-e6frg13u-1226512262288
Asbestos Training: West Perth Site Declared Safe,At least For Now
Initial air quality test results reveal that asbestos particles are at a manageable level in West Perth following a large fire in an a
The factory is said to have had an asbestos roof, which caused concerns that the dangerous substance had been released into the air.bandoned factory.
The Vincent council has been significant part of the costly clean up since the explosion; going so far as to pay for the private firm Parsons Brinckerhoff to install several air-testing monitors.
Despite the site being declared safe with regards to asbestos exposure right now, there are still concerns that the construction to be done in the aftermath of the explosion could dig up asbestos dust.
Airborne monitoring at the site is expected to continue during the demolition, which is expected to start within the next few days and last slightly more than a week.
Vicent CEO John Giorgi stated their intention to inform the concerned community of the current status of the clean-up since some residents were concerned when the council made no effort to contact them regarding any health risks.
The clean-up is expected to cost the council between $130,000 to $150,000 because of the need for a demolition and precautions pertaining to asbestos.
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Source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/13742776/asbestos-levels-safe-in-west-perth/
Asbestos Training: Over 100 Workers Exposed at WorkSite
Over 100 workers are believed to have been exposed to the deadly substance, asbestos as a result of safety lapses at an Ipswich work site.
Brad Ayers, a contractor is one of the workers allegedly in the “significant potential exposure”
According to workers and union representatives, the workers began work on a bridge where much of their material is believed to be asbestos, however it was never tested to confirm.Work was only halted this month when an analysis identified a substance at the site was revealed to be chrysotile asbestos.
One of the highlighted concerns is that workers were exposed to this substance prior to going home and hugging their wives and children.Ayer is terrified over the prospect of exposing his young children to the deadly substance. He expressed his grave disappointment and anger that the employers allegedly lied to their faces.
The Roadtek project commenced after a truck smash left the overpass on Cunningham highway severely damaged.The Formwork on part of the bridge is made up of a 25mm sheet of asbestos which had to be removed following the crash.
A piece of material suspected to be asbestos was eventually turned in for analysis but work went ahead when staff was informed that the site was safe. Since workers were not informed of the dangers, they did not wear the proper protective equipment.
Chrysotile asbestos is identified as a Class 1 carcinogen under the National OHS commission.
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Source: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/brad-ayers-33-one-of-more-than-100-workers-potentially-exposed-to-asbestos-from-ipswich-worksite/story-e6freoof-1226359843387
Asbestos Training: Thermochemical Conversion Waste Cleanup
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Process Overview Video Description
The following is a video description for the 6 minute video displaying ARI Technologies Inc Thermochemical Conversion Process Overview. Each bolded headlines below correlates with the same headlines that can be observed in the video. The text accompanying each bolded headline provides a concise description of what the video demonstrates when the viewer sees each headline in the video.
- Waste Feed Operations: Timed buzzer alerts the worker to push bags of asbestos waste off of a scale and onto a conveyor. Each bag weighs approximately 50 LB and is loaded onto the conveyor every 3.5 minutes. This adds up to a total daily load of 10/tons per day.
- Asbestos Bag Feed & Shredding: The bag is moving up the conveyor across to the conveyor scale where the bag’s weight is electronically recorded prior to being dropped into a shredding system. Shredder housing is held at slight negative pressure and vented through ductwork to HEPA filters in order to avoid the risk of releasing harmful emissions into the workplace. The shredded waste is fluxed, mixed, and conveyed to a feed hopper. One cannot see the flux, mix, or conveyance process since they are all enclosed and out of sight.
- Ram Feeder Pushes Waste into Hearth: The prepared waste hopper can be observed in the background. As the ram extracts, the prepared waste descends from the hopper in the anterior of the ram where it is then pushed into the furnace. Cycle of ram is timed for 10 tons/day.
- First Cake Breaker Breaks up Waste: The rotating shaft is armed with blades to The rotating shaft is equipped with blades to separate the compressed pile of waste just pushed onto the hearth by the ram feeder. It is not possible to view this process because the pile of waste that moves into view from the right conceals this process. The additional cake breaker can be observed in the background rotating in the alternate direction.
- Second Cake Breaker Spreads Waste: The second cake breaker can be seen exposing cooler waste and dispersing it to an even depth on the hearth to increase heat transfer rates, and to achieve uniform heating.
- Removal Plow Collects and Rake Removes Treated Product: the alloy plow gathers treated product on the hearth. The rake intermittently drags the product of the hearth where it is released into a water quench. At this time , the waste The alloy plow gathers treated product on the hearth. The rake intermittently drags the product off of the hearth where it drops into a water quench. At this point, the waste discharge is approximately one-half to- two thirds the mass of feed and one-half to one-tenth the volume of the feed.
- Removal of Treated Product Bins: Treated product is sent from the Treated product is directed from the water quench tank through the auger conveyors to enclosed storage bins where it awaits a confirmation analysis. Each bin has a capacity of approximately 2 tons of product which equals to approximately 4-tons of asbestos fee
- Removal of Treated Product Following Analytical Clearance: Upon being declared as “asbestos-free”, the trap door on the holding bin is opened and the treated product is position on a roll-off bin where it will await transportation off site.
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Asbestos Awareness: Company Fined For Importing Asbestos
A company appeared in Perth Magistrates Court where they received fines for importing asbestos into Australia.
The global engineering company Clyde Bergemann Senior Thermal was found to be accountable for a $64,000 fine for penalties and costs of importing the deadly substance in machinery parts.
3 years ago, CBST imported over 60 machinery parts from China which was allegedly supposed to be used in the development of a power plant.
Customs and Border protection discovered that the machinery contained chrysotile asbestos, also known as white asbestos. It is currently banned for importation under the customs regulations since it can cause serious health defects such as lung cancer.
A year later, the company imported an additional 60 parts with asbestos in it.
CBST was subsequently found guilty of two counts of importing prohibited substances.
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Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/asbestos-importer-slapped-with-64000-fine-20120507-1y8l2.html#ixzz1uExSVjs3
Asbestos Awareness: 2.9 Million Awarded in Workplace Compensation
Thus far, almost 3 million dollars was paid to Tasmanian workers who are victims of asbestos exposure.
Workplace relations minister David O’Byrn confirmed that the asbestos Related Diseases compensation scheme had already granted payments to eight applicants.
So far the largest compensation awarded under the employer-funded scheme, was $540,000. The program was launched in October and the cost was covered by an employer-levy. O’Byne alleges that Tasmania’s biggest OHS killer was going to become even more of a problem when the contraction rate is expected to be at its highest in the next five-to-10 years.
O’Byrne stressed the dangers of the asbestos substance which exists throughout various government and corporate buildings, and even homes.
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Source: http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/05/04/325001_tasmania-news.html
