September 29th, 2010 - Fines have been issued and an investigation begun at an Australian school where improper asbestos removal occurred at a construction site on school grounds.
The Courier-Mail reported that an inspector from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) discovered the violation when he responded to a complaint about a lack of barricades and excessive noise at the Burpengary State School. The inspector found a contractor cutting through asbestos sheeting with power tools while disassembling a portion of a building there.
The work occurred during a recent weekend when none of the 1,050 students and staff were at the school. Asbestos fibers that become airborne are a health danger to anyone in the vicinity. Asbestos exposure is linked to lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis, and has been the focus of many asbestos settlements and mesothelioma lawsuits in recent years.
Acting deputy director general of infrastructure services Graham Atkins told the newspaper that proper procedures for asbestos removal had not been followed and that a work permit had not been issued. The violation carries a penalty of $1,600 against the school, and an $800 fine was levied against the contractor, the newspaper reported. Atkins said the matter is still under investigation, and a cleanup of the site has begun.
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