Spike in asbestos incidents at council facilities

THE number of safety incidents surrounding asbestos has risen, according to the Toowoomba Regional Council.

The council waste spokeswoman Cr Nancy Sommerfield said the council had seen a spike in both the number of incidents of illegal dumping of asbestos and incidents of finding the building material concealed in normal waste.

She said this could lead to council staff inadvertently being exposed to asbestos, which can lead to asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

“Our main concern is at our waste facilities and the risk of exposing our staff,” Cr Sommerfield said.

“It is quite a criminal activity to dump asbestos.”

She said the council would step up its surveillance at waste facilities to combat the issue.

“We’re looking at getting body-worn cameras for staff and additional CCTV to see who is doing it,” she said.

“Council is also investigating how and where we receive and handle asbestos in the future.

“We’re working on a couple of strategies looking at ways to make it safe but easy to manage.”

Cr Sommerfield said the council would also run an awareness campaign aimed at home renovators, educating them on what asbestos looks like and how to handle it.

“There are asbestos management companies out there that renovators can use if they don’t want to come into contact with it,” she said.

“You’ll still be safe and they know what to do.”