Asbestos
Safety
Action
Plan
The long
awaited
state
Asbestos
Safety
Action
Plan has
been
welcomed
by SA
Unions
as an
important
tool in
fighting
the
rising
incidence
of
asbestos
related
disease.
South
Australia
now has
the
world's
highest
per
capita
incidence
of
mesothelioma.
The
action
plan is
one step
towards
building
awareness
and
reducing
the
number
of new
victims
of this
lethal
substance.
read
on>>
A
Living
Monument to
Departed
Asbestos
Campaigners
The
valiant
struggle of
four
impressive
asbestos
victims
campaigners
was
remembered
in the
planting of
a tree for
each at Jack
Watkins park
on Asbestos
Awareness
Day 2008.
read on >>
Asbestos
Register
If
you think
you have
come in
contact with
Asbestos
contact SA
Unions on
8279 2222 or
email :
saunions@saunions.org.au
to obtain an
Asbestos
Register
Form to have
your details
recorded.
Jack
Watkins Park
The
Jack Watkins
Park in
Kilburn was
completed
and opened
earlier this
year on the
cleaned up
site of the
old
Islington
Railway
Yards.
The project
was
initiated by
the local
Council and
now provides
a great
resource for
the
community in
Kilburn.
This site is
well known
as a place
where a
large number
of workers
died of
asbestos
related
disease as a
result of
the work
they were
performing.
One of the
worst jobs
resulting in
this large
number of
deaths was
the removal
of friable
asbestos
from railway
carriages.
This put the
workers in
direct
contact with
the
material.
It also
resulted in
wives and
children of
the workers
dying as the
workers
carried the
dust home on
their
clothes.
Asbestos
dust also
blew around
the area
into
people's
yards and
homes.
Over the
last 100
years a
conservative
estimate
would put
the number
of workers
who died at
around 400,
although
many of
those who
died in the
30's and
40's were
diagnosed as
having lung
cancer and
other
diseases
because of
the lack of
awareness of
asbestos and
its dangers.
The number
of community
members who
also died is
difficult to
measure but
whole
families
have died of
asbestos
related
disease in
this area.
This is why
it is both a
community
and a union
issue and
has led to
the
collaboration
of the City
of Port
Adelaide
Enfield with
the SA
Unions to
develop a
memorial for
the victims
of asbestos
on this
site.
It is apt
that it is
placed in
the Jack
Watkins Park
as Jack has
been a
tireless
campaigner
for the
removal of
asbestos
over many
years.
The memorial
was
developed as
a place for
reflection
and memorial
of those who
died but
also a place
for people
to learn
about the
dangers or
asbestos and
celebrate
the good
things that
happened on
this site -
the
mateship,
the hard
work.
These words
are part of
memorial, as
is a place
for people
to sit and
have quite
reflection.
The memorial
was
initiated
and funded
by the SA
Unions, the
City of Port
Adelaide
Enfield and
the funding
was also
sought and
given by the
State
Government,
WorkCover,
unions, law
firms and
businesses.
All the
names of the
generous
supporters
are included
as part of
the
memorial.
The generous
support has
enabled this
memorial to
be creative,
innovative
and
beautiful.
Asbestos
Facts
Fact
1
It is
estimated
that 54,000
Australians
will be
affected by
an
asbestos-related
illness by
2020.
Fact
2
It is
estimated
that 18,000
of those
will die
from an
asbestos-related
cancer.
Fact
3
South
Australia
has the
second
highest per
capita
incidence of
asbestos
related
disease in
the nation.
For every
mesothelioma
sufferer,
another 2
people
develop
asbestos
related lung
cancer.
Asbestos
Links
SafeWork SA
- Asbestos -
click here
Asbestos
Diseases
Society of
SA -
click here
Asbestos
Victims
Association
-
click here
ACTU - OHS
Campaign -
click here
Asbestos
Awareness :
ACT
Government -
click here
