Thursday, September 01, 2016

ABC – Asbestos-laden Road Base used in WestConnex and the Blue Mountains National Park

Fears asbestos-contaminated road base is being used on Sydney's WestConnex road project
Exclusive by the National Reporting Team's Lorna Knowles

There are fears a Sydney excavation company has supplied asbestos-laden road base to the WestConnex project, as well as the Blue Mountains National Park and many private homes.

Key points:

  • The federal asbestos safety agency wants work on WestConnex halted for testing
  • The agency's CEO has called for an immediate investigation
  • Moits strenuously denies the allegations
  • A former employee of Moits claims the company is putting lives at risks by recycling demolition waste containing asbestos.

The federal Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency is calling for an immediate investigation. Chief executive Peter Tighe said the State Government should stop work on the multi-billion-dollar WestConnex project to conduct urgent testing.

Moits strenuously denied the allegations, saying its recycled products had been certified as asbestos-free.

Safe Work NSW told the ABC it had inspected the site twice — once today and once in early June. It found the company had "adequate work health and safety control measures in place".

Daniel McIntyre was a weighbridge operator and quality control trainee at Moits's Rock and Dirt Recycling plant at Clarendon, in western Sydney. The facility receives demolition waste from building sites across Sydney, which is crushed up to be re-used as road base.

Mr McIntyre said part of his job was to supervise a team of men, employed to "emu pick" through mounds of rubble for any rubbish that could not be put through the crusher.

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