Calls for national asbestos bod

THE Federal Government has been urged to set up a national taskforce to better manage the threat of asbestos in schools and other public places.The body could help pinpoint urgent priority areas for asbestos removal and develop a national strategy to deal with the “slow burn” danger of asbestos, the Australian Workers’ Union says.

“The scourge of asbestos has taken a heavy enough toll on this country already,” union secretary Paul Howes said today.

“This slow moving catastrophe has destroyed the lives of thousands of workers and will kill and maim thousands more over the next 20 years,” he said.

The national body should have a regulatory mandate to map priority areas for asbestos product removal, such as schools and public places, and oversee its careful and total removal, Mr Howes said.

The union wants a target to see all prioritised asbestos products removed from Australia by 2030.

It’s also called for the establishment of a national asbestos register. –http://www.news.com.au