Asbestos found on vacant site after cinema demolition
BROKEN pieces of asbestos sheeting have been found on the vacant site of the demolished Civic Theatre in Goondoon St. The question now is, where did the old bits of fibro come from?
CFMEU Gladstone organiser Ben Loakes said he collected bits of what looked like asbestos from the site some time after the demolition.
He sent them to Brisbane company Parsons Brinckerhoff, which analysed them and confirmed they contained asbestos.
Mr Loakes received documentation with the test results on Friday. The Observer has seen the document.
The old Civic Theatre was torn down on February 6 and the site was cleared.
The company responsible for demolishing the old building three weeks ago, Frater Asbestos and Demolition, is not disputing that Mr Loakes has found asbestos on the ground, but it says that material was not a result of its demolition on the site.
The company's owner said the asbestos building material was already in the ground before demolition began, and that all asbestos in the building had been correctly removed before demolition began.
Read the full statement from Frater Asbestos and Demolition.
There is no disagreement about whether the building had asbestos in it, but Mr Loakes said he was concerned the company in charge of the demolition job had not followed correct procedure for asbestos removal.
"It has potentially exposed workers (to airborne asbestos)," Mr Loakes said.
Mr Loakes showed The Observer the material scattered around the site.
Although sparse, they were not difficult to find. The some pieces were 10cm in width, but most were smaller.
Nobody was saying the fibro in its current state was a health risk, since it was harmful only when broken up and particles became airborne.
However, Mr Loakes was concerned it could be broken up and its dust released during demolition, and that it could be stirred up again when a new construction team arrived to build on the land.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland was contacted today for comment and was expected to respond tomorrow.
