The danger of asbestos exposure to Telstra workers rolling out the National Broadband Network in Goulburn, New South Wales, will be reviewed before they are able to continue working in Telstra pits. A Telstra worker was spotted on Friday working in pits in Goulburn however was wearing all the appropriate protective clothing.

A badly damaged pit which may be contaminated with asbestos requires urgent attention and repairs as it is located on a pedestrian footbridge and could be putting the community at risk. Asbestos exposure is a major health concern in Australia as it can lead to people contracting asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Telstra has confirmed they are taking all the necessary safety measures to ensure the risk of asbestos exposure is kept to a minimum. The pits which contain asbestos are understood to be underground therefore as long as the work around them does not disturb the asbestos, it is hoped they remain safe and pose no health risk to the public.

All Telstra staff are required to follow strict asbestos handling and management procedures while working in the pits. These safety precautions are extremely important as Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos related diseases in the world and the number of people diagnosed with mesothelioma in Australia and asbestosis in Australia is expected to rise.

In the past, there have been many asbestos compensation claims in Australia on behalf of former Telstra workers.

Kelso High School which has been completely rebuilt after a terrible fire in 2005 is the only school in the Bathurst, New South Wales, area that is entirely free of asbestos. This has been confirmed by the NSW Education and Communities asbestos register which outlines where asbestos is present and its condition in all the state’s public schools. The NSW asbestos register shows that asbestos is present in almost every school in the Bathurst area however this asbestos is regarded to be in a good condition and remains safe as long as it is not disturbed.

It is not surprising that there is some much asbestos in New South Wales schools considering that from the 1940s to 1980s asbestos was a widely used building material all throughout Australia.

The NSW asbestos register is updated every year with additional information about the presence of asbestos and its condition in these schools. This is important as while this material poses no health risk if left undisturbed, once this asbestos is disrupted it can pose a serious health risk to all those exposed.

Exposure to asbestos can result in people contracting asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Unfortunately, there are many cases of mesothelioma in Australia and asbestosis in Australia. Australia is at the forefront of trying to treat mesothelioma.

In order to provide some form of justice to these victims of asbestos, there is legislation in some Australian states including NSW, Victoria and South Australia to help them pursue an asbestos compensation claims in Australia. Not all persons suffering asbestos conditions in Australia are able to claim mesothelioma or asbestosis compensation in Australia.

Asbestos has been found in the City of greater Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. The police, Environment Protection Authority and WorkSafe were all called down to Garsed Street where the asbestos was discovered. The council is urging all people to stay away from the area as trained asbestos removalists are in the process of clearing the toxic asbestos. Part of the street has been closed to traffic to ensure the public is not dangerously exposed to asbestos fibres. This is extremely important as even minimal exposure to asbestos can see these individuals contract an asbestos related disease such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.

Prue Mansfield, the director of Planning and Development, has confirmed that the city thinks the asbestos has come from a building nearby and was disturbed by vandals. He is encouraging those responsible to come forward so they can go through the necessary health checks. The owner of the building is required to secure the property and has been contacted about this obligation.

The appropriate asbestos removal and management procedures are of crucial importance in these situations to ensure the public is not exposed to asbestos. This is extremely important as Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestos related diseases in the world and the number of people diagnosed with mesothelioma in Australia is expected to rise within the next decade.

Workers, while constructing a new rail line that is being built through Melbourne’s West, have discovered a large amount of asbestos along the route. Unfortunately, some of the workers were unaware of the dangers that asbestos poses once inhaled, and therefore dealt with the asbestos in an unsafe manner.

Fairfax Media conducted a WorkSafe report regarding the construction of this new rail line. The report has revealed that workers on the Regional Rail Link have made a “number of unexpected finds” of asbestos.

However, this discovery of asbestos is not unexpected. It was recognised early on that the $5 billion rail project was to take place through an existing rail corridor. This rail corridor was constructed sometime before the 1980s, which means that it was likely to contain asbestos. Before construction took place, officials and asbestos experts mapped out the ‘hot spots’ of where asbestos was likely to be discovered.

The authority has previously assured the public that any asbestos discovered on the site had been dealt with in an experienced manner. However in May 2013, contractors Thiess in Sunshine discovered fragments of asbestos in the area the ‘hot spot’ locations that had not yet been removed. Unfortunately the asbestos was unknowingly handled by some Thiess building workers.

Once asbestos is disturbed, it releases dangerous air particles. The inhalation of these toxic air particles can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos related diseases.

Once WorkSafe was alerted of this asbestos issue, they conducted another report on May 9 and recommended that more needed to be done to prevent the exposure of asbestos to workers.

In Australia many former rail workers have made a claim for mesothelioma compensation in Australia. Such workers have also made claims for asbestosis compensation in Australia. This demonstrates that the railways in Australia, certanily in the past, have been a dangerous place for such workers. Asbestos related diseases in Australia have affected many people. Many Australians unfortunately suffer asbestos conditions in Australia.