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An Adelaide resident has been left shocked after contractors for NBN Co started removing asbestos outside her home without warning, weeks after a similar incident in WA.
Key points:
- Ms Tyler claims she received no advance warning that the asbestos was being removed
- NBN Co apologised to a WA family in November for removing asbestos outside their home without warning
- Labor MP Steve Georganas said residents have a right to be scared if it happens locally
Lorraine Tyler didn't know what an asbestos pit was until she discovered contractors working on two right outside her front door last week.
She has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and already has compromised lungs.
Last Wednesday, a contractor knocked on her door and asked her to move her car so he could remove asbestos from outside her house.
Ms Tyler said the telecommunications pits were left unsecured, prompting concerns over the deadly material.
"Not knowing what asbestos pits were and having lung cancer, I looked it up. I was concerned, very concerned," she said.
"I found out that the asbestos pits are Telstra asbestos pits and have been removed as part of the NBN rollout."
After researching the pits online, Ms Tyler found a Telstra phone number to contact.
The advice she received was to shut her door, seal the house, wear a mask and, if possible, leave the premises while the work was happening.
"I was alarmed because I don't know why I've got lung cancer and my lungs are compromised," she said.
"And I don't want anybody else suffering with compromised lungs.
"It's dreadful and yet this thing was happening in our street, right outside our front door as it turned out, and nobody knew because we hadn't had any notification."
The incident in Adelaide comes after NBN Co apologised to a family in WA last month for not warning them about asbestos removal.
NBN apologises for 'causing concerns'
Telstra has now apologised to Ms Tyler, saying the information she was given over the phone was incorrect.
The correct advice was that a safety zone had been set up around pit remediation works where asbestos may be present — and all residents needed to do was stay outside the barrier.
After the ABC contacted NBN Co for comment, notices about asbestos removal appeared in letterboxes along Ms Tyler's street nearly a week after the work started.
A spokesperson for the NBN told the ABC that it expected and "contractually required" its delivery partners to meet safety practices and laws at all times.
"We have reviewed the issue raised by Ms Tyler and have confirmed with our delivery partner all works carried out are compliant and meet our safety practices," the spokesperson said.
"We do however apologise for any concern this matter may have caused but want to reassure residents the telecommunications pits are safe."
Ms Tyler said she also raised the issue of only seeing one worker in full protective gear.
NBN Co advised that during different stages of the pit upgrades, only the worker in the pit needed to wear a mask and full personal protective equipment.
Asbestos pits left 'very insecure'
When Ms Taylor returned home, she noticed pieces of yellow plastic "casually thrown over the top" of the pits that had been left unsealed.
After tapping the plastic with her foot and discovering it wasn't attached at all, she called Federal Labor MP Steve Georganas.
"If people are in and around them, or kids could come along and take the lid off, it's very insecure," Mr Georganas told the ABC.
"SafeWork SA told us they've been contacted many times, not just about this specific location but it's a regular occurrence around the metropolitan area and other areas where work is being done in telecommunications pits."
He said local residents had a right to be scared when it was happening in their street.
"We've heard of the illnesses that asbestos causes, we've heard that one tiny little speck lodged in your lung can kill you, they've got every right to be concerned and they've got every right to be angry as well," he said.
SafeWork SA confirmed it is making enquiries into the removal of the asbestos pits but could not comment further.
While NBN rollout work in Tasmania and the Northern Territory is already complete, work is continuing in most states.
The company said it is on track to meet its national deadline of June next year.
Have you or any of your family been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease after working in a telecommunications asbestos pit? If so, contact frost.helen@abc.net.au
Topics: health, asbestos, lung-cancer, diseases-and-disorders, community-and-society, information-and-communication, telecommunications, adelaide-5000, sa, australia
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