A LAW firm has encouraged employers to implement safety measures for workers who encounter asbestos, after reports of Regional Rail Link workers stumbling upon the hazardous material in Sunshine.
Some RRL builders and sub-contractors allegedly discovered – and unwittingly handled – large amounts of asbestos in May, while digging in Anderson Rd.
A senior Slater and Gordon asbestos lawyer, Margaret Kent, said she was disturbed that large organisations working on big infrastructure projects sometimes did not have “an adequate understanding of locations where asbestos was present”.
“While not enough is publicly known about the (RRL) incident to say definitively whether the asbestos uncovered poses any risk to the community, it is worrying to think that workers may have been exposed to deadly asbestos fibres,” Ms Kent said.
“People need to know that even a single exposure to asbestos can cause a deadly disease like mesothelioma which is almost always fatal and for which there is no known cure.
“Employers in large projects must ensure that the safety of their workers is paramount and that any exposures are built into their planning and risk management programs.”
RRL Authority spokesperson, Bob Neilson, said the safety of the community and the RRL workforce was the project’s highest priority.
“Accredited Rail Operators – such as Metro Trains, for example – maintain asbestos registers, which record all known asbestos -containing assets,” he said.
“RRL work package contractors use these registers in planning works.
“In addition, extensive soil sampling was conducted prior to the awarding of contracts and further soil sampling is carried out regularly by work package contractors.
“Accordingly, each work package contractor on RRL has strict procedures in place to ensure asbestos is managed and removed in accordance with the EPA guidelines, OH&S Regulations 2007, and WorkSafe Compliance Code for Removing Asbestos in the Workplace.”
