A WORKSAFE inspector says a suspicious piece of debris swept into a pile outside a central Ballarat home appears to be asbestos.
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Tracy Tebb feared the worst when she found the debris among the leaves, acorns and rubble she had swept out into a pile in front of her Sussex Street house.
She showed her husband Peter Livitsanis and they called the council offices.
The Worksafe inspector arrived at Ms Tebb’s home yesterday afternoon while she was being interviewed by The Courier.
When The Courier arrived, the piece of debris was already in a sealed plastic bag.
Although the inspector did not wish to be named and said the material would need to be tested to confirm what it was, he admitted it appeared to be asbestos.
He said Worksafe’s hygiene unit would meet with Telstra on Tuesday, along with any contractors who may have been exposed to the material.
Yesterday, the City of Ballarat sent out an inspector to collect and test a sample of the potentially deadly material, and ordered the couple to seal a rubbish bin with more of the debris.
The bin has since been removed.
Tracey Tebb holds the suspicious material. PICTURE: KATE HEALY
Contractors had been cleaning out a Telstra pit along their street without safety equipment or protective clothing ahead of the laying of the National Broadband Network.
Ms Tebb said she had heard of reports of asbestos being dumped in Ballarat on Monday and was immediately concerned.
“I spoke with the council and told them I might have put some in the bin,” Ms Tebb said.
“That they could have rubbish that was contaminated.
“The material does look like it has fibres in it like asbestos.
"The workers were not using protective clothing or masks and there were no signs."
“I’ve been a scientist for 20 years, not specifically in that field, but I have seen asbestos before.
“The workers were not using protective clothing or masks and there were no signs.
“I am certain they were NBN people because, after doing the pit in front of our house, they moved up to another pit.
“I asked one of the workers and he said it was for the network.
“My other concern is, they were using jackhammers.
“It was a breezy day and they could have had the stuff flying around everywhere.”
Telstra has set up a 1800 phone number for anyone who has concerns about work in their area.
The number is 1800 067 225.
gavin.mcgrath@fairfaxmedia.com.au
