Risks to employees’ health cited in BSP asbestos cleanup

The Associated Labor Unions (ALU) appealed to the labor department to intervene and save thousands of central bank employees from an ongoing removal and disposal of asbestos activity at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) building in Manila.

“This is to bring to your attention and immediate intervention  the possible exposure of asbestos disposal workers and the thousands of employees of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in Manila on the  improper removal of asbestos from the  building,” said Gerard Seno, ALU national vice president and coordinator of ALU advocacy Ban Asbestos Philippines, in his letter to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and BSP governor Amando Tetangco Jr. dated Dec. 12, 2011.

Witnesses accounts, still pictures and video of workers on-site taken during the renovation and repair work at BSP showed blatant disposal protocol violations of Safeco Environmental Services Inc., the letter said.

Some of the health and safety violations identified were:  Workers doing actual removal and disposal work were not wearing proper and sufficient personal, protective equipment to protect them from primary and secondary exposure to asbestos dust; the two sites where the abatement activities took place were devoid of enclosures and air devices that would ensure that asbestos dust was confined within;  plastic containers and vacuum cleaner used in the procedure were sub-standard and the labelling of asbestos and asbestos-containing debris was  deplorable.

Safeco should be held liable for these serious safety lapses that gravely endanger the lives of many, Seno said.