Workers clearing Telstra ducts and pits in preparation for the NBN roll-out in Ballarat claim they “bagged and binned” asbestos without protective equipment.

The men, who did not wish to be named, contacted The Courier yesterday after it was revealed another rubbish skip was found containing up to 60 white bags marked as containing asbestos unsecured in Sebastopol.

One of the workers said that when he asked about protective clothing, he was told by a supervisor that some suits were available, but he had to “use them sparingly because they cost $12 each”.

Another worker claimed no protective gear was used by many workers clearing pits in Ballarat throughout January, February and part of March this year.

The men worked for Davcom, a group sub-contracted to undertake remediation of Telstra ducts and pits in Ballarat by Visionstream Australia, which won a $90 million contract with Telstra in January to complete the works.

One of the workers told The Courier their practice was to use a shovel to dig around the pits, use a crowbar to break apart the asbestos and then place the broken pieces into approved bags.

“We tried not to break them up too much, but you had to break it up to put it in the bag,” the worker said.

“We had to double-bag the asbestos, but often we didn’t have enough bags and we were always chasing them.”

The men say they’re now concerned about their health and plan to sign up to an asbestos register.

Davcom director Scott Davison said he would issue a statement today.

Visionstream spokes-woman Louisa Graham said Davcom was sub-contracted to carry out work in the Ballarat area.

“Visionstream takes the management of asbestos very seriously,” she said.

“We have specific requirements that our sub-contractors must follow, including training and compliance with regulations and we monitor this carefully.”

Ms Graham said the asbestos bin in Hertford Street complied with “all guidelines for the disposal of asbestos”.

“We remain confident in our asbestos management procedures and audit them regularly,” she said.

The workers said they understood their work with Davcom to be under the purview of Visionstream and another company called ABC Civil.

ABC Civil general manager Damien Cook said the company was completing NBN work in Ballarat but denied any link to Davcom.

“We do not have a relationship with Davcom at all,” Mr Cook said.

Telstra chief David Thodey yesterday said Telstra was responsible for remediation work,  but dismissed suggestions that corners had been cut for the NBN project.

jordan.oliver@fairfaxmedia.com.au