Three deaths related to asbestos exposure at former ABC site
Three former ABC staff have died from exposure to asbestos at the broadcaster’s former offices in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick.
Deaths from exposure between the 1950s and 1980s were confirmed by Senate estimates Tuesday.
The ABC’s chief financial officer, Melanie Kleyn, said it was not possible to confirm whether the deaths were “actually” caused by workers being on site, but they were “related to exposure” and the broadcaster was contacting the families of those who died.
Chief executive Hugh Marks said the deaths were “horrific” and the ABC was “deeply concerned” for those affected, adding that asbestos exposure affected many buildings and businesses across Australia.
At a similar time, staff at the Melbourne Publishing House were also exposed. Senators were told ABC did not have a comprehensive list of people who might be affected, but was making efforts to contact them and would pay medical expenses.
State insurer Comcare also handles claims for injuries or illnesses related to exposure to asbestos by employees of state-funded organisations, including the ABC.
The ABC had previously told Liberal senator Sarah Henderson there were two deaths but corrected that figure at the hearing.
Managers also confirmed that 13 active ABC sites were found to contain asbestos and said they were being managed on an ongoing basis with licensed contractors to ensure staff in these buildings were not exposed to asbestos.
These sites, available in the property information section of the ABC staff intranet, are: Tamworth, Warrnambool, Geelong, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, the Adelaide office in Collinswood, the Canberra office in Dickson, an office and residence in Longreach, a residence in Mount Isa, an office in Kununurra and offices in Darwin and Launceston.
In a statement in March, Mr Marks said the ABC would provide access to specialist medical support for current and former staff and that the broadcaster had been “proactive” in this regard.
He said at the time: “We are aware and understand how challenging it is for current or former employees working at Elsternwick studios and Broadcast House to come to terms with this situation.”
“We fully understand how this may cause concern… Unfortunately, society has been confronted with this problem for a long time, and the health impacts of the widespread use of these products on individuals and their families has been a great tragedy.”
Last month the union’s peak body, the ACTU, called for legal reform to require employers to remove asbestos from buildings.
“Despite a national ban imposed more than two decades ago, more than 6 million tonnes of asbestos remain in our homes, schools and workplaces,” said deputy secretary Liam O’Brien.
“Under current law, employers are not required to remove asbestos from workplaces unless the asbestos is broken, at which point workers and the public may already have been exposed to asbestos.”
