The nation's peak building union says it has major concerns about the safety of workers who are replacing the asbestos roof on Newcastle East Public School.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
It also fears the school's staff, students and the surrounding community may also have been exposed to asbestos contamination.
Construction, Forestry Mining and Electrical Union organiser Mark Cross said union representatives attended the site on Thursday afternoon to investigate several alleged breaches of the state's Work, Health and Safety Act in relation to asbestos contamination.
"We are alarmed and concerned that young children could have been exposed to asbestos," Mr Cross said on Friday.
"There is a process and strict regulations around the removal, handling and dumping of asbestos. It's a known killer - 700 people last year [died of asbestos-related illnesses in Australia.] It's uncalled for, there are control measures in place."
The union has requested the site's primary contractor Central Coast-based Artel to provide it with information about the asbestos management control plan for the site as well as the results of air quality monitoring.
The information had not been provided as of Friday afternoon.
The company's representatives did not respond the Newcastle Herald's requests for comment.
The union was also called to the site on January 6 in relation to alleged non-compliant amenities and electrical wiring and the partial collapse of a section of scaffolding stairs.
"He (the worker) didn't fall from a great height but it had the potential to be replicated across the site where potentially people could have fallen from heights or that scaffolding could have collapsed due to the bracing not being built properly," Mr Cross said.
"We will continue to monitor the site and work with anyone who raises issues. We will be up there to not only hold the builder to account but the state government."
Surrounding residents have also told the Herald their complaints about contamination from the site as well as about the large amount of out-of-hours work which took place during the Christmas break.
Because the project was approved under a state government Review of Environmental Factors, it was not required to comply with specific hours normally imposed as part of a council-issued Development Application approval.
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
