NBN moves quickly to ensure pits are safe after asbestos fears
The NBN Co has apologised for an open telecom pit containing asbestos in East Hills as Panania residents fear exposure to the deadly fibre in their streets.
- Bankstown braces for travel chaos during Christmas holidays
- Check out the creative juices of our award-winning chefs
- 'Dangerous' cable problem near car park to be fixed
Panania residents are upset that work to roll out the NBN in their streets could be exposing them to asbestos and NBN Co have apologised to East Hills resident for an exposed pit in Smith Park.
Many of the old telecom pits being replaced in Panania to accommodate the NBN have asbestos, with a Canterbury Bankstown councillor raising concerns that many residents are not being informed of the hazards.
An open pit containing an asbestos frame was spotted at Smith Park, East Hills, last week by councillor Steve Tuntevski.
He was so worried that many residents were not aware of the removal of asbestos that he raised the issue at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
“I want to ensure that the removal of asbestos containing telecommunication pits are consistently done so in a safe manner undertaken by suitably trained, experienced and qualified personnel so as to limit the potential exposure of airborne asbestos fibres to residents,” Cr Tuntevski says in his motion.
He told The Express he had seen an open pit containing an asbestos frame at Smith Park last Thursday and Friday, and was worried at how the work was being carried out.
When The Express contacted the NBN Co for a comment regarding the open pit, they apologised to the community and said they were treating the matter on an urgent basis.
“We are aware of an issue involving preliminary pit works in East Hills last Thursday (July 18),” an NBN Co spokeswoman said.
‘Our delivery partner attended the site the following morning and completed the required works to make the pit safe.
“The safety and wellbeing of the community and our contractors is our first priority and we are taking this matter seriously.
“We expect and contractually require our delivery partners to comply with and meet applicable safety practices and laws at all times, so as to help ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of their workforce and the public.
“We apologise to the community for the concern this may have caused and want to assure residents we are looking into the issue as a matter of priority.”
A NBN spokeswoman confirmed they had informed residents of the planned work at Panania, dropping leaflets to them in June.
Cr Tuntevski said he has seen first hand how work was being done to replace the old pits and said in some instances the pits containing the asbestos frame have been left exposed with no warning signs.
“I have seen NBN co-contractors removing old asbestos containing Telstra pits and replacing them with new ones,” he said.
“Their practices appear questionable because workers are wearing masks while residents are walking past them.”
According to Zena Marai, who lives on Marco Ave, Panania, she was not informed of the NBN work, despite a pit being replaced in front of her house.
“I didn’t know anything about it and we never got a notification from NBN about the pits being dug up or replaced,” Mrs Marai said.
“This is the first time I know about (potential) asbestos contamination and I am worried about it.”
Another resident, Karum Sharmin said they received a notice last year saying NBN was coming but had not received any new notification.
“We have heard nothing about the NBN work starting or that asbestos is being removed from the pits,” she said.
The NBN spokeswoman said two exclusive zones have been kept aside while the pits are being upgraded.
“Due to the age of some of the pits, a small number were found to have asbestos requiring safe removal, in line with strict safety protocols and legislation,” the spokeswoman said.
“Notification was provided to the properties immediately adjacent to the work sites in question.
“Additionally, two exclusion zones were established, one for the specialised removalists to work within and the second was a larger barrier surrounding the first to restrict any entry to the public or other workers.”
IN OTHER NEWS
Cr Tuntevski said: “I have seen workers using masks in the pits while sometimes their colleagues are not wearing masks which is strange.
“There is no mention of any asbestos being cleared in the NBN letter I received and this is concerning because no one knows about the dangers.”
“I am concerned at the lack of community transparency associated with the removal of asbestos containing telecom pits.
“I am concerned residents could be exposed to asbestos fibres during their removal of asbestos containing pits as well as possible residual contamination on council’s nature strips.”
Cr Tuntevski, whose expertise covers environmental health and buildings, pointed out a few pits which has asbestos, during a walk in Panania, where several pits are being replaced.
Meet the talented young artists from ARTEXPRESS 2025
The annual art exhibition which shows some of the most outstanding and exemplary artworks across NSW by HSC visual arts students has opened. Meet the students and see their amazing works.
$350m hospital revamp first in almost three decades
A southwest Sydney hospital is set for its first major upgrade in 27 years and will include an expanded emergency department and intensive care unit. Read more.