Peninsula Community Access Edition 305
News Phone 4325 7369 Fax 4321 0940
26 November 2012
Life savers teach beach safety Eight Ocean Beach Surf Life Saving Club life savers participated in an education program with Surf Lifesaving NSW called Beach to Bush from Monday, November 5, to Friday, November 9. The aim of the program was to promote safety to people who visited beaches. Statistics showed that people who live 50km or more away from the Coast account for half of all drownings and that 80 per cent of problems are caused by rips, according to Ocean Beach club publicity officer Ms Louise Lambeth. Beach to Bush teaches primary school children in an interactive and fun way how to recognise
dangers at the beach and how to stay safe. The Central Coast teams, which included Ocean Beach Surf Life Saving Club members Richard and Mary Grimmond, Peter and Louise Lambeth and their 12-yearold daughter Isobel and Toni and Anthony Jones, went as far away as Griffith, ACT and the Blue Mountains where they gave 13 presentations in the week. The children learnt about sun safety, safe places to swim, to swim with a friend, how to signal for help, what makes waves, rips, rescue methods, the creatures of the sea and how to treat injuries and where to go to seek help. Online submission, 17 Nov 2012 Louise Lambeth, Ocean Beach Surf Life Saving Club
Peter Louise and Isobel Lambeth from Ocean Beach Surf Lifesaving Club
Council issues asbestos notice Gosford Council has issued a notice to a Umina property owner to clean up an asbestos hazard after receiving complaints about renovations from a tenant occupying the house. A council environmental health officer attended the site to investigate and issued a direction to the owner to ensure all damaged and exposed asbestos was covered or sealed and to have a licensed asbestos contractor remove all loose, damaged and exposed asbestos. The tenant’s mother, Ms Genevieve Rose, told Peninsula News that her brother, a builder, had found asbestos scattered around the house during the renovations. She said: “There were no safety precautions taken, no safety wear or ventilation mask, no safety gloves and no warning to anyone who entered the property.” She said that she called the real estate agent to warn them. The council’s environmental health co-ordinator Mr Shannon McKiernan said: “If the owner doesn’t comply with the notice of intent, an order will be served
requiring them to do the work. “If they still don’t comply, Council will undertake the works at the owner’s expense.” He said the council also had the option to proceed with court action. The notice gave the owner seven days to secure the site and to engage an appropriately licensed contractor. It allowed additional time for the contractor to complete the work. Mr McKiernan said a person could only do their own renovating work where the area of asbestos was under 10 square metres. As a result of the incident, the council has announced it will partner with the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute as part of a week-long national campaign to highlight the dangers of asbestos related diseases caused by inhaling asbestos fibres while renovating or maintaining homes. “Don’t play Renovation Roulette” is the message that Gosford Council, the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute and the Asbestos Education Committee is sending to residents and ratepayers during national Asbestos Awareness Week which runs from November 26 to 30.
Gosford mayor Cr Lawrie McKinna said Australia has one of the highest rates of asbestosrelated diseases in the world. This was because Australia has been ranked among the top consumers of asbestos cement products per capita. “With almost every home built or renovated before the mid 1980s likely to contain asbestos in one form or another; the third wave of people affected by mesothelioma, one of the asbestos-related diseases, has recently become evident and will continue to rise unless we all start taking seriously the dangers of asbestos when renovating or maintaining our homes,” said mayor Cr McKinna. In the past, those affected by asbestos related diseases were exposed to raw fibres in the mining and manufacturing process (first wave), followed by workers who used asbestos products in the workplace (second wave). The third wave of asbestosrelated diseases predominantly affect people exposed to fibres during home renovations and maintenance specifically handymen and DIYers as well as family members present at the time.
“With the number of people diagnosed with mesothelioma as a direct result of exposure to asbestos during home renovations continuing to rise, it’s vital that residents take the warnings seriously to protect themselves and their families,” mayor Cr McKinna said. The national campaign, supported by the Asbestos Education Committee, aims to change the way Australian’s think about how they manage asbestos in and around the home. Asbestos Education Committee chair Mr Peter Dunphy said whether a home is constructed of brick, fibro and weatherboard or has exterior cladding, asbestos can be found almost everywhere in and around homes built or renovated before the mid 80s. “Most people can’t tell whether building materials contain asbestos just by looking at them. “Asbestos can be under floor coverings such as carpets, linoleum and vinyl tiles, behind wall and floor tiles, in cement floors, internal and external walls, ceilings, eaves, garages, around hot water pipes, fences, extensions to homes, outdoor toilets and backyard sheds, it could be anywhere.
“Before commencing any home maintenance or renovation work, homeowners and renovators, particularly young couples and first home buyers excited about renovating their homes, need to learn about where they might find asbestos in the home and how best to manage it so they can protect themselves and their families from asbestos fibres. “We want them to start thinking smart and safe by visiting asbestosawareness.com.au for information on managing asbestos in and around the home because it’s not worth the risk,” Mr Dunphy said. During Asbestos Awareness Week, Australians are also invited to hold a Blue Lamington Drive to help raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos when renovating and vital funds to support the Asbestos Diseases Research Foundation and the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia. Media Release, 19 Nov 2012 Lawrie McKinna, Gosford Council Media Statement, 15 Nov 2012 Shannon McKiernan, Gosford Council
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