MANNING Hospital staff in Taree "have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace for the past 10 years" and Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) will send a letter to "all those potentially affected by the exposure", according to the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).
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The revelation of asbestos exposure occurred on Tuesday during a FairWork Commission Hearing in Newcastle.
The CFMEU alerted the FairWork Commission and community to the issue and revealed HNELHD had "agreed to work with the CFMEU NSW branch and workers over the remediation of asbestos and the safe removal of asbestos from the Manning Hospital site."
Building 2 is identified by the CFMEU as the source of the asbestos exposure and it sits on the corner of Commerce and York Streets in Taree. It is currently used for administration and non-clinical purposes and is identified for "long-medium term removal" in the HNELHD 'Manning Rural Referral Hospital Master Development Plan'. The plan describes the building as an:
- older facility (former nurses home) in reasonable condition
- has maintenance issues but is generally robust building stock for medium term retention
- meets current and immediate needs for non-clinical uses such as administration and education spaces
- partially air-conditioned with top floor naturally ventilated
According to CFMEU Newcastle spokesman Peter Harris "potentially hundreds of workers, volunteers and contractors at the hospital were at risk of having been exposed to the killer asbestos fibres."
"The case was taken to the FairWork Commission by the CFMEU NSW Branch after talks with the health authority failed," Mr Harris explained.
Mr Harris said the CFMEU was contacted over the asbestos issue after reports in the media about the presence of asbestos at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.
"A visit to the site by CFMEU Safety Officer Michael Preston and an audit of the hospital revealed the site was riddled with the deadly fibre. At particular risk were maintenance staff based in Building Number 2 and those who accessed the building which houses medical records and maintenance equipment," he said.
"Under today's agreement the health authority will draft a letter for maintenance workers and their immediate families acknowledging they have potentially been exposed. Other staff who may have been exposed will also be able to request a letter."
Mr Harris said the CFMEU had raised workers' concerns with Hunter New England Health in August last year, but the authority had refused to accept its responsibilities to notify staff.
"We now have a public admission by the health authority that it has failed to take care of the health of its own staff," Mr Harris added.
