CEPU member action required – read below
CEPU members working at Glebe PO Box facility have just been removed from their workplace and relocated for a second time in just over a week due to intervention from your Union following the discovery of Asbestos contamination.
Without notice to Australia Post, the private owners of the facility which is attached to the site of the former Glebe Post Office, recently undertook construction work outside of hours to the Asbestos containing ceiling of the facility.
Employees were relocated from the workplace for a remediation and testing process to take place and were directed to return to work at the facility earlier this week. The next morning, Branch Official Elly Huttly attended the workplace to speak with affected staff and to undertake her own inspection of the workplace on behalf of the Union.
The Union discovered further evidence of possible Asbestos containing material being disturbed in the facility and intervened to have the employees removed from the workplace for a second time.
Australia Post assured that it keeps a close eye on its facilities that are known to contain Asbestos – including annual monitoring for any disturbances in the material that may cause the material to become hazardous to employees. This is supposedly also so for facilities not owned by Australia Post but leased from a private owner.
However, this alarming situation and our initial enquiries with other nearby facilities have caused your Union to hold serious concerns with the effectiveness of this process.
What you need to know
- Asbestos was once a common building material used widely in domestic and commercial construction and has been banned for use in NSW since 1988.
- It is relatively harmless if in a solid state and undisturbed. However, it must be closely monitored as it becomes hazardous to human health when disturbed by actions such as chopping, cutting, grinding etc, allowing microscopic fibers to enter and settle in the lungs.
- Conditions directly linked to hazardous Asbestos exposure include Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma and Asbestosis.
What you need to do – act now, don’t delay
Inspect your workplace for any materials you think may contain Asbestos, specifically fibro wall and ceiling sheeting, eaves and wet areas presumed to have been constructed prior to 1990.
Materials may already have been identified through Australia Post’s audit processes and if so, should be identified with a sticker similar to those shown to the right.- If you identify any of these materials with or without a warning label or are even just unsure, alert your AUR. Ensure your AUR contacts their Branch Official immediately to register your workplace as affected. If an AUR isn’t present in your workplace, a member should contact the Branch on the workplace’s behalf.
- If material is visibly disturbed or contains any penetration, all members in the workplace should immediately complete and lodge a P400 incident report.
A copy of the P400 should also be provided to the Union office via email at admina@cepu.org or fax on (02) 9893 7396 and your Branch Official should be notified.
If you require any further information or advice, please contact Branch Assistant Secretary Peter Chaloner or Branch Officials Ben Casey, Gil Enzon, Elly Huttly, TK Ly, James Perkins, Peter O’Connell or Aaron Stockdale on (02) 9893 7822.
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