Asbestos Union’s call for ‘zero tolerance’ to ensure staff safety
THE health of Ministry of Defence guards at Ashchurch Camp in Tewkesbury is ‘being put at risk’ due to asbestos exposure’ according to a trade union.
Unite has raised serious concerns that members employed by the MOD to patrol the site while other staff are on leave are ‘being placed in harm’s way.’
They claim members of the MOD Guard Service are required to wear a specific pair of boots when on patrol which have to be removed after completion and are not allowed to be taken into other areas.
They claim this highlights the severity of the contamination.
The MOD confirmed in July that asbestos had been found in a number of buildings at the 178-acre site, and have since launched an investigation to
determine the extent of the contamination and also a clean-up operation.
A spokesperson for the MOD said: “The health and safety of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we are taking a number of sensible, precautionary measures to safeguard workers while we implement plans to remove asbestos and clean affected areas.”
Unite regional officer Caren Evans, who has national responsibility for the MOD, said: “Requiring MOD guards to continue to patrol a site which is otherwise shutdown owing to asbestos contamination is alarming.
“The fact that workers have to change their boots clearly indicates there is a risk of further contamination; no worker should be placed in harm’s way.
“Changing boots does not protect workers from breathing in asbestos which can have fatal consquences.
“The MOD must introduce a zero tolerance approach to ensure that no one is exposed to asbestos.”
Unite said: “While the majority of staff have been placed on indefinite leave, this does not apply to the MOD Guard Service who are still required to patrol the base either on foot or in vehicles.”
They added: “This has raised serious concerns among the affected guards that their health is being put at risk.”
There are a total of 580 staff at Ashchurch Camp, which is operated by Defence Equipment Services, made up of contractors and MOD staff. It is the primary centre for the long term storage and distribution of military vehicles in the UK.
The MOD had previously stated that some staff were placed on leave as they investigated and cleaned up the area, but that it ‘was not indefinite leave.’
Unite said they had written to senior management at the MOD raising the safety concerns.