LEGACY ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT IN REMOTE COMMUNITIES

By Glenn Marshall

Director Works & Infrastructure

Central Desert Regional Council

Presentation to Inaugural Municipal Services Conference – NT Local Government

7 Oct 2015

What is ‘legacy asbestos’?

• Old and no-longer-used asbestos lying around the community

• Might be in house yards or on edge of community.

• Typically in old landfills or in rubbish/dirt dumping areas

• Typically old cement sheets and water/sewer pipes

Today’s Message:

• Don’t ignore legacy asbestos, you know it exists.• Assess risks to your staff and residents• Establish programs to manage risks, within budgets, staff

resources & safety limits• Seek partnerships and funding• Commence achievable actions

How big is the problem?• NT Asbestos Register lists asbestos in buildings• No registers for legacy/dumped/random asbestos• It can be found anywhere around the community• Older communities are worst.

Risks to ResidentsDangers are poorly understood by residents

Risks when lying on the edge of communities

• If undisturbed, probably low risk

• Grass fires tend to make it more friable & dusty

• Potential disturbance & dust by Council field staff during plant operation

• Be cautious!

Regional Waste Coordinator• A position funded mostly by NT Dept Health since 2013.

• Works across Central Desert, Barkly and MacDonnell Councils• Has been focused on setting up quality landfill sites and hazardous

waste management (excluding asbestos)

• In late 2014, obtained $45,000 for pilot Community Legacy Asbestos Mapping Project at Yuendumu, Papunya and Ali Curung.

• Funded by Aust Govt Asbestos Safety and Eradication Program

• In June 2015 obtained a further $75,000 from ASEP to map a further 15 communities in the 3 Regional Councils.

• Current NT Asbestos Removal program has been of limited help• Willowra example

Central Desert Council’s Strategy• Community audits – where are the problem areas?• Train staff – identification, make safe, handling• Fence off and sign old landfills, dumping grounds &

contaminated areas• Install EPA-approved asbestos disposal pits• Educate community about asbestos – identify & report

suspected asbestos, leave it alone.

Asbestos Disposal Pit at Yuendumu• In 2013, Council sought and was granted NT EPA

approval to install an Asbestos Disposal Pit at the current landfill site.

• This was for local asbestos only.• EPA were encouraging and supportive of the move.• It has proved very handy for small volumes of locally

derived asbestos from contractors and Works staff• Administrative reporting at the end of each year is

onerous (20 page report) and costs $500.• We have argued that we do not have the resources or

funds for this, but feel on deaf ears.

Yuendumu case study• 4 legacy landfill/dumping areas identified• 1 since fenced off, others still open access.

Yuendumu legacy landfill 1• Did a detailed walk-through audit of 15ha legacy landfill/dump next to active landfill

• .

Yuendumu legacy landfill 1• Found and sampled multiple possible asbestos samples.• Got them analysed. Virtually all were asbestos.• Area was then fenced off by Works Crew with 4 strand

stock fence and ‘Danger Asbestos’ signs.• Minimal risk to Crew. Fence is minimum 20 metres from

nearest asbestos samples.

• Other 3 sites are scheduled for fencing, but Councilcurrently lacks funds for fence materials.

Active landfill next to old landfill• The legacy dump is unwind of the current landfill.• Do asbestos fibres blow into the work area of our Staff?• We sampled 8 handfuls of dirt from within the current

landfill.• All were analysed in Adelaide for individual asbestos

fibres• None came back positive• If we still held concerns, next step would be to sample the

air, preferably on a windy day.• This is expensive and not currently being considered.

Yuendumu existing landfill• In July 2015, possible recent asbestos dumping at the active landfill

was reported by the Team Leader Works.• The Regional Waste Coordinator inspected the site.

• One obvious asbestos pipe (1m) was found, wrapped and removed to the asbestos disposal pit.

• A further six (6) cases of cement sheeting were found in various locations (4 looked very much like asbestos):

• construction waste area;• green/woody waste area• scrap metal area• public drop-off area• entry road to asbestos disposal pit

• All were sampled and posted for analysis to Adelaide

Yuendumu existing landfill (cont)

• The smaller deposits were immediately removed by the Works Crew to the asbestos disposal pit.

Yuendumu existing landfill (cont)• Scattered deposits were surrounded by portable fence

panels with ‘Danger Asbestos’ signage.• After analysis, only one was confirmed as asbestos, on

the entry road to the asbestos disposal pit.• It was old asbestos sheeting broken into multiple 20-cent

sized pieces along a 30m x 4m section of the entry road.• The options were i) remove 400mm layer of soil to

asbestos disposal pit; ii) cover with 400mm soil and permanently fence off.

Yuendumu existing landfill (cont)• To minimise risk to the Works Crew, soil was carted in and

the area permanently fenced.• A new access road to the asbestos disposal pit has been

created.

• LESSONS• Treat all suspected asbestos as real asbestos until proven

otherwise.• Get suspected asbestos analysed.• Isolate suspected asbestos immediately until proven to be

asbestos• If intact and easy to remove, consider wrapping

and removing it

Staff Training at Yuendumu• In 2013, Council provided Cert II Asbestos Identification and

Handling training to the Works Crew at Yuendumu.• They have subsequently removed several cases of real or

suspected asbestos.• In 2014 NT Work Safe assessed Council’s training and

methods, found them sound and allowed it to continue.

• Council only allows removal of intact, non-friable asbestos pieces by its staff. Anything that is friable, flakey, crumbling or burnt is left alone, fenced off and sign posted.

• If it is in a risky area, experts are called in to remove it (this has only been done once due to very high cost)

Properly nullifying legacy asbestos risk

• Council is assessing the scope and costs to properly nullify risky legacy asbestos at the 4 legacy sites.

• First actions are:• Fence and sign sites to stop public access or further dumping• Install firebreaks around fence line to minimise further incidental

burning of asbestos (making it more friable/dusty).

• Further affordable actions are limited.• If funding is ever secured (probably millions of $):

• Detailed audit/sampling of each area to clarify type, extent, location & condition of asbestos

• Dozing up asbestos-laden dirt piles into one pile.• Covering those piles with 500mm clean soil cap.• Or: excavate large pits and push contaminated dirt into those

Questions or comments?