Asbestos Awareness Week 2010

Asbestos Awareness Week was held 22-26 November 2010 with the full support of the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC).

Leading up to the Awareness Week, a major survey of Victorian OHS representatives was released, stating that asbestos in workplaces, the home and in the community remains a threat to public health in Victoria.

The survey was conducted by Victoria’s Asbestos Disease Support and Advocacy groups and polled 295 representatives from a range of industries in October.

It found:

• 72% of respondents indicated that it was likely that they had been exposed to asbestos;
• 42% of respondents indicated they had been exposed at their current or previous workplaces;
• 25% indicated that they had been exposed in the community with schools, public buildings and the local neighbourhood often mentioned;
• 62% thought there wasn’t an asbestos register at their workplace or didn’t know there was one; and
• more than half did not know if there was a plan to remove asbestos from their workplace.

Commenting on this, VTHC Secretary Brian Boyd said: “These findings provide a stark reminder of the threat of asbestos at work.

“The survey also highlighted the threat of asbestos in the home. One in five of the safety reps had encountered asbestos materials doing home renovations and a third of these had not taken any safety precautions when dealing with the asbestos.”

The VTHC also said the survey indicated that women were less likely to aware of the risk of asbestos exposure than men and that respondents under 45 years of age were also less likely to be aware of the risk of exposure.

Boyd added: “We are calling on a newly elected Victorian state government to prioritise two areas: to lobby for a national asbestos authority whose main aim is to achieve an asbestos-free workplace environment by 2030; and to urgently start addressing the ever-increased risks faced in the domestic asbestos area with education and awareness programs around home renovation and safe disposal.”