“Not correct”: Ausgrid responds to ETU’s asbestos claims

The Electrical Trade Union’s (ETU’s) claims that Ausgrid has suspended asbestos removal programs are “not correct”, the electricity distributor has said.

“We have well-established practices to make sure staff and the public are protected from asbestos-related risks as they go about their work,” said Ausgrid CEO Trevor Armstrong. “This includes a plan to remove and clean sites where asbestos poses a risk to the safety of our people or the public.”

Ausgrid says it has completed an audit of 4000 underground electricity pits. Fifty-seven of those pits were found to contain friable asbestos; all but one pit has been cleared of asbestos and cleaned, Ausgrid says.

In response to the ETU’s claims that it has suspended asbestos removal programs in electricity substations, Ausgrid says it has completed an asbestos audit on all 55 underground substations in the Sydney CBD. Of the 55 substations, 50 have been cleaned and any asbestos removed.

“Every single case where an employee is affected by an asbestos-related illness is a tragedy for them and their families,” Armstrong said. “Sadly, we cannot change the past; however, we can make sure staff are supported and that safety systems in place for more than 10 years are strictly followed, audited and continually updated to protect the public and staff from any asbestos-related risks.”

Ausgrid says its Asbestos Safety Management Plan has the long-term goal of all Ausgrid workplaces being free of asbestos-containing materials (ACM). Ausgrid has also established a number of measures to manage the risk of asbestos, including asbestos remediation programs, an asbestos register, asbestos training programs and a policy for safe asbestos waste disposal.

Last week, the ETU claimed to have evidence that shows Ausgrid has documented 49 cases of asbestos-related illness in 22 years. The union also claimed Ausgrid had suspended asbestos removal programs in electricity substations to avoid paying overtime.