The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) is urging former Ballarat FMP factory workers to sign up to asbestos registers as there is concerns these workers may develop asbestos related illnesses in the future.
The FMP factory located in Ballarat, Victoria was one of the last companies in Australia to stop using asbestos. The company put an end to using asbestos as part of their brake and clutch material in the early 2000s.
Former FMP employee Colin Muri has said that when working as a shop steward at FMP he was working with asbestos heavily every day.
All former employees should sign up to asbestos registers and should be aware of the risks that are associated with exposure to asbestos. These former employees could be at risk of contracting asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis or mesothelioma; symptoms of these diseases often don’t show up until 20 to 30 year after the initial exposure so these workers are still at risk.
