Killick Family Funerals battles to survive after asbestos incident

Following a neighbour spraying their office with asbestos, Kingaroy Killick Family Funerals battle loss of business while resolving a life-threatening workspace.

Katrina and Jason Killick. Their family business is fenced off until an accident involving asbestos is cleared up.

The owners of Killick Family Funerals in Kingaroy were horrified to learn that on January 14, 2023 their offices at 44 Alford Street, Kingaroy, were accidentally covered with asbestos fibres.

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The incident occurred when their next-door neighbour cleaned their asbestos roof using a heavy pressure washer, causing the Killick’s building to get some of the blowout.

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The business and the rental property next door have since both been fenced off by South Burnett Regional Council, in accordance with Worksafe Queensland, while plans to clean the asbestos are ongoing.

Business owner Jason Killick said he was first notified when his pregnant daughter, working from the office, noticed a mud-like substance covering the side of their building, air-conditioning unit and driveway.

Jason Killick said the air-conditioning will be deconstructed and thoroughly cleaned.

“On Thursday (January 26, Australia Day) I saw the neighbour’s roof and quickly realised it was asbestos, not mud,” Mr Killick said.

“Sometime in the next three weeks council have arranged to clean our building with a giant wet vacuum to suck up everything, they even have to remove large patches of our soil and grass that are contaminated.

“The air-conditioning will be deconstructed and thoroughly cleaned, also the asbestos in the kerbing around us,” he said.

The Killicks addressed the community on Monday after rumours began circulating about the business.

Mr Killick said the fencing around the property led people to assume the business had closed.

“This has cost us business, and council continue to shut down any rumours,” Mr Killick said.

The driveway’s closure has inconvenienced accessibility to the building, as well as community groups who use the office regularly to host scrapbooking and fossicking clubs.

“We can technically use the building, but for now we are choosing to mostly work remotely,” Mr Killick said.

“I don’t want my daughter in there while she’s pregnant.

“We are expecting to reopen the office fully anywhere from the next three weeks,” he said.

The Killicks have thanked the community for its support and say they have done everything to ensure their property, where accessible, is safe.