Warning to Australian construction industry

Master Builders Australia (MBA), the country’s major building and construction
industry association, has in a media release warned the industry to be wary of imported Chinese building products “laced with asbestos”.

MBA says that Australian border security officials have admitted to a limited capacity to stop contaminated goods entering the country, and that the Abbott government has conceded that it is unable to guarantee that imports from China are free of asbestos, amid some evidence of its use in the car, mining and building industries.

The MBA release also reported that unions were “alarmed at the potential harm to consumers and workers” on the back of asbestos findings in imported Chinese
plasterboard and also in low-cost cars from China in 2012.

Australian Customs officials said that existing legislation made illegal the introduction of asbestos in goods, and its efforts to stop them were “proportionate to the level of  risk”.
They said: “We may consider prosecution against importers found to have imported goods containing asbestos, with penalties of up to $170,000 for individuals, $850,000 for companies, or three times the value of  the goods, whichever is greater.”

MBA’s chief executive Wilhelm Harnisch said the issue of asbestos-laced products from China was “critical” for the industry, particularly with the rising levels of foreign trade. He considered this as an opportunity to nip the growing problem in the bud.”

Incidentally, China is the second-largest producer of asbestos (behind Russia) and also Australia’s highest overseas import source.