A contractor engaged to crush about 7000 tonnes of waste concrete at the Daroobalgie waste depot identified asbestos in the mix.

A portion of the crushed concrete had already been delivered to three sites for use on the northern bypass and used to build two culverts. 

In a report to Forbes Shire Council’s October meeting, general manager Brian Steffan said a specialist was brought in to inspect the site as soon as the asbestos was identified.

“We can now confirm that a small amount of contamination was found,” he said.

Air monitoring identified that exposure was limited to within 10 metres of the stockpile at the waste depot, which has now been fenced off.

The stockpiles and culverts have been sprayed with a special PVA sealer and will be watered down during the day to contain any fibres.

Mr Steffan says they will be closely monitored. 

“While the risk is small the potential harm is significant and we have taken every possible step to ensure the safety of our community and staff,” Mr Steffan said.

All council’s outdoor staff members, who could have been exposed to the asbestos, will have spiro lung tests this week and those will become part of routine health screen checks. 

Now that the sites are sealed and considered safe, they will not be disturbed until a comprehensive management plan for the material is prepared by the specialist asbestos hygienist. 

The report indicated that the asbestos fragments are in “good condition and considered non-friable”. 

Non friable materials are bonded by cement, vinyl or other material and may release a few fibres when damaged or broken, but do not continue to do so.

The material found at the waste depot came from lining board (sheet asbestos) and a small amount of asbestos concrete water pipe.

“The incident and management response has been reported to both WorkCover and the EPA who have advised that council has done everything possible to make the sites safe,” Mr Steffan said. 

“We will be providing regular updates on progress to them.”