A quarry in Newman, Western Australia, has been re-opened following recent tests which have dispelled last week’s asbestos panic.
The Holcim-owned quarry in Western Australia’s Pilbara was shut down last week after asbestos was discovered at two of its mine sites.
The voluntary closure of the site had a major impact on local construction and development, as the company’s concrete plant provided concrete to businesses across the whole region.
The asbestos discovery also had flow-on effects on mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, causing both to instigate internal investigations of asbestos contamination.
Rio Tinto confirmed the existence of brown asbestos at its West Angeles mine site, while BHP Billiton isolated its Jimblebar mine in order to conduct asbestos testing.
However all three companies, along with local construction businesses, breathed a sigh of relief last week when the Department of Mines and Petroleum concluded testing and announced that airborne concentrations of asbestos at all sites are well below legal limits.
Asbestos related diseases, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, have been a major problem in West Australia for many years. Western Australia once mined blue asbestos at Wittenoom. Many workers who worked at this blue asbestos mine developed asbestos conditions like pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. There have been many Australian asbestos compensation cases as a result of such asbestos exposure. Asbestos compensation claims have been brought not just in West Australia in respect to this Western Australian exposure to blue asbestos, but also in other states including in Victoria and New South Wales. Asbestos litigation in Australia occurs in most states.
There are certain Australian states that have legislation assisting those who have asbestos conditions. For example, asbestos compensation in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, including mesothelioma compensation in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, are assisted by state legislation.
