Global Road Technology raises health and safety fears with airborne dust an Australian research scientist has warned South-Pacific employers, including in PNG, are ignoring the risk of airborne dust from roads and worksites, which could lead to severe health impacts on workers and costly legal action.
While
governments and
businesses
around the
world had been
co-operating to
reduce the
likelihood of
injury from
asbestos and
coal dust,
fugitive dust
from roads and
worksites could
cause health
issues among
workers and
neighbouring
communities.
Scientist
Babak Abtahi
said the health
costs could be
significant for
the government,
and those
failing to stop
the problem
from
occurring.We
know that
airborne
particle
pollution
causes more
than 3000
premature
deaths each
year in
Australia,
Dr Abtahi
said.Each
of these deaths
are
preventable,
but require
government and
industry
investing their
effort into
preventing
so-called
‘fugitive
dust’ in our
air.
Aside
from the human
cost, the
financial costs
could be
substantial
with courts
finding that
companies that
are aware of
the risk can be
liable for
exemplary
damages; the
economy will
still be
counting the
cost of
asbestos and
coal dust for
decades to
come.
Dr
Abtahi works
with Global
Road
Technology,
which has
started work to
upgrade roads
in the National
Capital
District (NCD)
to not only
deliver safer
roads, but also
eliminate
fugitive dust
throughout many
PNG
communities.
GRT’s
PNG Managing
Director
Clayton Burgess
said local
residents and
workers have
been very
positive about
the benefits of
works completed
at the Napa
Napa
refinery.We
have applied
our patented
polymer
solutions and
immediately cut
airborne dust
by up to 95 per
cent while
reducing the
need for
ongoing water
spraying, which
was not as
effective in
keeping down
the dust,
Mr Burgess
said.That
means our
solutions are
cheaper to
implement and
37 per cent
cheaper to
maintain, while
also providing
flexibility
because they
allow future
infrastructure
(including
electricity and
water) to be
installed
without having
to dig up
expensive
bitumen
roads.
Mr
Clayton said
the company
expected
similar results
with works
starting soon
on Bushwara and
9 Mile Block
Settlement
roads, and had
commenced
discussion with
the PNG Ports
Corporation on
dust
suppression
solutions.We
have been very
grateful for
the foresight
of Governor
Powes Parkop,
who recognised
the poor state
of these roads
was a health
and safety risk
in the local
community, and
decided it
needed to be
fixed, while
also allowing
for future
infrastructure
to be
delivered.
Global
Road Technology
Managing
Director Troy
Adams said the
resurgence of
so-called
‘black lung
disease’ in
Australia had
heightened
concern about
the health
effects of
airborne
dust.It is
worrying that a
lack of
attention to
this issue in
Australia may
have led to
more cases of a
disease we
thought had
been
eliminated, and
that is the
last thing we
want to
see.
The
legal, health
and social
costs could be
enormous,
extending well
beyond the
medical
treatment costs
for local
hospitals, and
including the
compensation
expected to be
paid to
affected
individuals and
communities.
Global
Road Technology
has been
working in
communities
across the
world,
including
undertaking a
number of
projects in
Asia and the
South Pacific,
where residents
are concerned
not only about
the safety of
their roads for
travelling, but
the impact of
dust from cars
and trucks
passing by
their
homes.We are
proud to have
been chosen to
partner with
the National
Capital
District, and
recognise the
leadership of
Governor Parkop
in addressing
this important
issue as part
of the
Settlement
Upgrade
project.
Our
technology will
help to
rehabilitate
the roads of
Papua New
Guinea, while
making the 155
settlements in
the NCD safer
for families
and
children.