The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union says that new test results show that asbestos at Kwinana Power Plant still poses a risk to workers.

AMWU Western Australian Secretary, Steve McCartney, said today that workers at Kwinana power plant had been dry cleaning hazardous areas of the power plant for the past few weeks.

‘Verve employees have been working diligently at cleaning up the asbestos at Kwinana Power Plant, however the processes approved by Verve are not best practice and have not done the job’ Mc McCartney said.

‘In recent days testing by Verve has shown 16 out of 35 samples have come back positive for dangerous levels of asbestos.’

‘Vast areas of the power plant are still in containment after weeks of cleaning and workers are still unable to return to full employment.’

‘This whole process has been carried out back to front, while Verve has carried out its legal duties after the fact but they are still yet to explain how this demolition work was carried out in an uncontrolled and sloppy manner in the first instance.’

‘The AMWU are yet to receive adequate answers from Verve as to how this happened and how they will protect their workers into the future.’

“The AMWU call upon Verve to spare no expense in the removal of asbestos at Kwinana and to ensure that the workers are back on the job as soon and as safely possible.”