AMWU members working on a coal-loader construction site at Kooragang Island have returned to work after an asbestos threat closed operations last Thursday.

300 employees working at the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) site were sent home when asbestos was found in recycled aggregate concrete spread over 1.5 kilometers of the work site. The material may have been in place for up to 3 months and there’s a possibility workers have been exposed to the deadly mineral.

The NSW Industrial Relations Commission put in place a nine-point plan to deal with the asbestos on the site. The AMWU, together with the other onsite unions, insisted the company needed to put in place a strong policy to deal with the entire issue including the removal of the asbestos and the ongoing health concerns of the workers.

The unions insisted that no risk was acceptable when it came to the exposure of workers to a deadly mineral like asbestos.

AMWU Organiser, Daniel Wallace said the workers were satisfied with the outcome and that their employer acknowledged that this was a serious issue which the workforce had concerns about.

“The industrial hygienist gave three options to the company which were: (a) total removal of all asbestos from the site, (b) removal of some asbestos from the site and cap other parts of it, or (c) cap all of the asbestos, keeping it onsite. Only the removal of all asbestos was acceptable to our members.”

Mr Wallace said workers will receive ongoing health checks.

“All workers and contractors will have ongoing health monitoring facilitated by the company and they will receive information on who they can talk to about their possible exposure to the asbestos and the threat it may hold for them. The workers, with the help of the union and the support of the company, will be registered with the Dust Disease Board and will participate in regular x-rays to ensure early identification of scar tissue or other indicators of exposure.”

It was estimated that it would take up to three weeks for all the asbestos to be removed and NCIG counsel Trent Sebbens told the NSW Industrial Relations Commission that the closure of the operation would cost about $2 million per day.

However, the commitment of the occupational health and safety reps, delegates and members, who all volunteered to assist the specialist asbestos removal team in the clean up process for no extra pay, meant the site was open within a week. Mr Wallace says this shows the commitment the workers had in ensuring they had a safe working environment for the future.