05:43 pm, Thursday 11 April, 2013

Photo: SafetyCulture Library

The Transport Workers’ Union is demanding for all yards of a waste disposal company to be audited and for council contracts to be immediately reviewed after the company’s site in Toowoomba tested positive for illegal handling of asbestos.

An investigation conducted by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland confirmed the positive test result. Because of the discovery, TWU Union Secretary Peter Biagini now questions the safety from asbestos of the company’s other yards.

“This company, with the backing of our tax payer money through their Local and State Government contracts, is playing with people’s lives – they have been found to illegally handle asbestos, exposing workers to the deadly substance,” said Mr Biagini.

“It is such a known and dangerous substance that not only affects the person handling it, but what about when that person goes home and washes their clothes in the family washing machine, exposing the entire family?”

Mr Biagini also highlighted the fact that Gowrie Creek runs through the company’s yard in Toowoomba and makes its way into the Condamine River, where Dalby gets its drinking water.

“Sadly, even today, unborn babies will die from asbestos related illnesses,” he said.

“The Commonwealth Government knows how dangerous asbestos is, and have announced a new asbestos safety and eradication agency to start from July this year.”

“But unfortunately, until that starts, this issues lies within the State Government’s jurisdiction.”

Following the results, TWU wrote to the company’s manager, to the Minister for Justice Jarrod Bleijie and to councils who have contracts with the company to discuss the situation.

The union is planning to meet with workers to discuss about their safety from asbestos. The Chronicle reported that TWU will hold a community meeting on April 23 with legal and asbestos experts.

“Last week Minister Shorten nailed just how bad this substance is,” said Mr Biagini.

“Each year 650 Australians are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the worst of the asbestos related diseases.”

“Sadly, as Minister Shorten said, those that have been exposed to asbestos, in whatever form there is nothing that can be done to turn back time and protect them from asbestos exposure,” he said.

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12:34 pm, Friday 11 May, 2012

Bus drivers have threatened to ban students from a Gold Coast High School, after a student allegedly assaulted a driver on Wednesday.

According to Yahoo News, the bus driver stopped to collect more children and asked some students to make space for more passengers when he was suddenly punched in the face.

The Education Department is conducting an investigation on the incident but said that it is too early to lay blame and that there is no evidence violence occurred.

The victim suffered a few minor injuries and was back at work on Thursday.

The 16 year-old student from Helensvale High involved in the attack made his own complaint against the bus driver.

Scott Connelly from the Transport Workers Union condemned the attack, saying it was a malicious, surprise attack that the driver did not see coming.

“It was a vicious, unprovoked assault on the driver, who was just trying to do his job,” said Mr Connelly.

“He’s fallen to the ground; just smashed in the face by this youth. Straight afterwards, a teacher on the bus wrestled the youth to the ground.

“If we’re focused to, we’ll look at putting a ban on this school until the situation’s fixed.”

Director General for Education Glen Hoppner said that Education Queensland is unable to substantiate any of the allegations at this stage.

“We’ll thoroughly investigate it and we’ll find out the facts.”

Just last month, another driver abandoned his bus claiming that the students were abusive.

The union says that there have been 15 assaults on Gold Coast bus drivers in the past 12 months, resulting to an urgent meeting with the Transport Minister demanding for tighter security.

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06:45 pm, Tuesday 29 November, 2011

A recent survey conducted by the Transport Workers Union’s revealed that one in four truck drivers were pressured to drive at risky speeds to meet deadlines and that they are pushed through their limit.

The Transport Workers’ Union’s 2011 Safe Rates Survey which was done over a three-week period was concluded on 11 November 2011. The survey was conducted to 715 transport workers across Australia.

In a news release, TWU National Secretary Tony Sheldon said that these results confirm the pressure that powerful industry clients can give to drivers and operators. “With no way to ensure cost recovery on essentials like fuel and maintenance, or when forced to work slabs of unpaid waiting time, truck drivers have to push themselves to – and something through – the limit,” said Mr. Sheldon.

The survey also showed that forty eight percent of truck drivers report to work one day a week in unpaid waiting time. For delivery drivers, it is more than 10 hours a week which results to 300-500 hours per year of working without pay. Fifty six percent of the drivers had to delay vehicle maintenance because of economic issues. The survey also revealed that twenty seven percent of the drivers had to drive at excessive speeds, while nearly forty percent were pressured to drive longer to meet client expectations.

The survey results supported the Department of Infrastructure and Transport’s 2010 Road Deaths Australia Report, which shows that there were 256 fatalities from crashes involving heavy trucks.

Mr. Sheldon said that the Safe Rates Survey was conducted to address the economic aspects which contribute to crashes and other issues in the road transport industry.

“All of the evidence tells us that we need an independent tribunal to establish and maintain enforceable rates and related conditions. All drivers must be able to make a living for themselves and their families, and safely,” said Mr. Sheldon.

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