Asbestos strife plagues firm

By ALAN PERROTT

A company involved with the unauthorised removal of asbestos waste in Penrose has a controversial track record with the deadly material.

Southpark Corporation and predecessor Industrial Holdings have owned and developed most of the land around Hugo Johnston Drive since 1982.

Hugo Johnston Drive sits on a 2.5ha asbestos cement dump used by James Hardie from 1938 to 1983.

James Hardie was also the source of the asbestos contaminating Flat Bush in Manukau City.

The Auckland City Council and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) became involved when contractors hired by Southpark began removing asbestos from land next to L'Oreal warehouse in Hugo Johnston Drive on Monday.

A L'Oreal spokesman said it had not been warned of the excavation work and contacted OSH when it saw what appeared to be asbestos being dug up and removed.

L'Oreal staff were sent home until the potential danger of inhaling asbestos dust passed.

An OSH officer closed the building site on Tuesday. It will not open until contractors comply with six improvement notices.

Geoff Atherfold, Auckland City team leader in compliance monitoring, said Southpark had years of experience with asbestos issues and should be aware of correct practices.

While the company had resource consent for the excavations, said Mr Atherfold, it was not permitted to remove any asbestos.

"They should have been well aware of what was required."

The asbestos was dumped on another Southpark-owned property on Hugo Johnston Drive.

Southpark chief executive John Sax said the former Carter Holt Harvey-owned site had been certified as clear of asbestos.

When the company began uncovering large amounts, it decided to remove it to the site further down the road, which was used to store asbestos material.

Since 1988, asbestos had been removed and dumped as it was discovered, he said. The material removed this week posed no danger.

"It's an emotive issue, but asbestos in cement form is extremely stable.

"The L'Oreal workers would be exposed to 10 times higher levels of asbestos just driving to work."

Air monitoring in the area had never registered a positive result for asbestos, said Mr Sax.

The incident was a "groundhog day" experience for Friends of the Earth activist Bob Tait.

"I have been complaining about that area since 1988. There's no question about the danger there, but nobody seems to be taking responsibility for preventing it."

Mr Tait became interested in the area when he found five loose bags carrying asbestos labels on a building site in October 1988.

The company had begun levelling land for subdivision before receiving approval from the One Tree Hill Borough Council. At the time, the area was described as an "opencast asbestos mine."

Asbestos has continued to be an issue around Hugo Johnston Drive.

It was discovered at the nearby Southdown nature reserve, half a kilometre from the dump site, in November 1988.

In January 1989, former Southdown freezing workers were urged to take part in a health-monitoring programme after concerns that a workers' carpark was sited on top of asbestos waste.

In May 1989, Industrial Holdings was instructed to fill in a trench which exposed hundreds of asbestos bags. The Labour Department reported sighting workers excavating contaminated soil without protective face masks.

The department visited the area again in May 1993, after uncovered mounds of asbestos material were reported on land owned by Carter Holt Harvey.

Inspectors were concerned the material could dry out and fibres be blown several kilometres.

The Southdown Reserve was again closed in March last year after workers discovered asbestos material.

Mr Sax said most of the area had been sifted, but when asbestos was found his company had the expertise to deal with it.

"We would never knowingly subject anyone to any risk."