Telstra has begun advertising for up to 200 specialists to inspect and supervise asbestos remediation work of its pits and pipes following work shutting down in a Sydney residential area due to asbestos fears.
“This is our responsibility so we will take direct control of all asbestos related activity performed by our contractors,” Brendon Riley, chief operations officer at Telstra, said in a statement.
Work has temporarily ceased on pit remediation until contractors complete asbestos training, according to Telstra.
The Australian Financial Review recently revealed bags filled with asbestos were dumped in an unsafe manner by NBN workers in Victoria, reporting the asbestos came from Telstra pits and pipes.
AAP also reported asbestos-related concerns at a site in Penrith, Sydney.
The telco has come under fire for asbestos-related incidents, with the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union calling on Telstra to set up a compensation fund for workers potentially exposed to asbestos similar to the one set up by James Hardie Industries.
Telstra said it would co-operate with the establishment of a working group comprising NBN Co, lead contractors and the Office of Asbestos Safety to implement an asbestos management plan for the NBN.
The working group will also include unions and Comcare, a federal government organisation that works with employees and employers for a safety, rehabilitation and compensation system.
Telstra is conducting an audit into the asbestos practices of contractors upgrading pits as part of the NBN rollout after concerns around safety procedures were raised.
The audit will include examining subcontractors’ asbestos management procedures, compliance monitoring, asbestos awareness and competency and public notification where work involves asbestos.
Once the audit is completed, Telstra said it would work with Comcare and an accredited training partner to update training programs for Telstra contractors before they are approved to work on Telstra pits.
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