Asbestos again halts work on Opera House

Workers refurbishing the Sydney Opera House have walked off the job after being exposed to asbestos for the second time in two months, their union says.

Construction has come to a stand-still at Sydney's Opera House after asbestos was again found by crews working on the $200 million refurbishments.

Electrical workers downed tools on Friday morning and refused to install cable through the iconic building after it was confirmed potentially deadly asbestos had been found, the Electrical Trades Union said in a statement.

Samples collected on Wednesday contained friable asbestos which can crumble into powder making it easier to inhale or ingest.

The discovery comes just two months after asbestos was discovered in an accessibility tunnel in the Joan Sutherland Theatre prompting a similar walk-off.

Safework NSW said they are monitoring the situation.

Building company Laind O'Rourke said construction will not resume until the site is declared safe.


Share
Published 7 October 2017 4:22pm
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world