Rail worker exposed to asbestos
KiwiRail is reviewing its protective measures after a Hutt Valley workshop employee was exposed to asbestos.
Company spokesman Simon Kilroy said the incident occurred on March 8, when a staff member was refurbishing the locomotive and recognised a part that was known to contain asbestos.
The brake insulators, also called gaskets, were first identified as a hazard by KiwiRail in 2016.
In 2014, the company also discovered asbestos in 40 locomotives imported from China.
The unit containing the gasket did not have a sticker, which alerted staff of the asbestos, as was normal procedure, Kilroy said.
KiwiRail’s safety group general manager, Katie McMahon, said: ‘‘We are reinspecting all potentially affected units to ensure it is clear which units contain this type of gasket.’’
Kilroy said the employee did not touch or handle the gasket and immediately recognised it despite the missing sticker. ‘‘Due to the gasket remaining intact the likelihood of harmful exposure is low.’’
The gasket was removed and sent to an independent material testing facility.
Asbestos is the single-biggest cause of work-related fatalities, responsible for 170 deaths a year.
It is no longer imported for use in buildings or where members of the public are likely to be exposed to it. But it is still imported for a limited number of specialist products, such as gaskets, seals and brake linings.
KiwiRail’s gaskets are currently being removed as part of a planned programme.
Otago University associate professor in occupational medicine David McBride said all asbestos was hazardous but blue or brown asbestos was ‘‘the stuff that gives you cancer’’.
‘‘White asbestos is a lot less dangerous that we thought … it doesn’t remain in the body for very long, we know now.’’
McBride said cases like that of the Hutt Valley workshop worker ‘‘shouldn’t happen’’ under current industry regulations.