In Australia, a building architect denies union reports claiming asbestos has been found at a building site.
The Paspaley Building, which is four-stories high, has been undergoing demolition the past few weeks in preparation for the new eighteen to twenty-story Charles Darwin Centre.
Officials from Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFME) stated they took samples from the site and sent it in for examination. They identified them as chrysotile, also known as “white asbestos”.
Ross Connolly, the building architect, said the site was declared safe by Worksafe NT and that the union was “stirring the pot”. Connolly said they allegedly discovered an asbestos sheet and was later found out to be harmless cellulose fiber cement.
Connolly also stated that the site had been certified as asbestos-free by a professional asbestos remover, who removed the remains of the three buildings about a month ago. Workers also knew the protocol for any asbestos discovery, but there were no reports made to the site manager.
Work has resumed while the union continues to claim the site was shut. An assistant secretary of the CFME said the site was “riddled” with asbestos.
An official from the CFME said that they found 10cm x 10cm sheets of material on the site. Some claim that asbestos was removed according to a document, but the sheets were broken up and were left there still on the site.
The Paspaley Building is said to have been built in the early 1980s or earlier. Asbestos was used commonly in households and at worksites due to its tensile strength and resistance to fire. The natural fiber is linked to over 3,000 deaths per year. It is known to cause mesothelioma, an incurable disease, and other asbestos-related illnesses.
Where Could Asbestos Be Found?
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SOURCE: Byrne, Conor. “Denial There’s Asbestos on Paspaley Work Site.” Ntnews.com.au. News.com.au, 19 June 2013. Web. 19 June 2013. <http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2013/06/19/322033_ntnews.html>.
