OH&S rounds

Beryllium the new Asbestos?

BRISBANE: Seafarers are taking class action against the Defence Department after exposure to deadly metal beryllium, used in J-guns.

Now MUA OH&S officer Eddie Seymour is asking how many MUA members have been exposed.

The Sydney Branch reports that some MUA members doing ship maintenance have used the Jasons de-rusting and de-scaling gun (also known as J-gun or Jasons pistol). Only those with copper-beryllium needles (not steel) pose a risk.

Unlike other metals, beryllium does not spark and was therefore used on tanker ships containing fuel.

It has now been proved that beryllium exposure, like asbestos exposure, can cause illness after several years. In some cases it can lead to lung cancer. It can also affect the heart. More commonly it causes beryllium disease otherwise known as chemical pneumonia.

Symptoms include coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath or in chronic cases fatigue, weight loss, chest and joint pain, blood in the sputum, fever and night sweats.

Any member who thinks they may have been exposed to beryllium or may be suffering symptoms of the disease should contact the union urgently.

For further information on Beryllium go to the Defence Department website: www.defence.gov.au

Cancer Alert

Bruce Conrad, retired waterside, was diagnosed with leukemia in April last year. When he told the doctor that he was a waterside worker from 1966-1992 before accepting redundancy, his doctor thought Bruce may have had contact with radioactive materials.

"I transferred to Fremantle in 1969 and was a forklift driver/general hand during which time I handled all kinds of cargo," he said.

Any other members who have contracted leukemia are asked to please contact Bruce Conrad at home on (08) 6278 3403 or contact the MUA, Level 2, Kwong Alley North Fremantle WA 6159.

Twistlock Progress

SYDNEY: The Branch has notched up another win for our national twistlock campaign after shipping company MISC agreed that all vessels in their fleet trading in Australian ports will replace manual twist locks with auto twist locks by March.

"This will mean that our members will no longer be putting their lives at risk by trying to release twist locks from outside the safety of a work cage on these vessels," said Sydney Deputy Branch Secretary Glen Wood.

The agreement was made at a meeting between Patrick OH&S Committee members, Patrick management, MISC NSW manager and the branch at Port Botany.

All branches have been notified of the agreement.

Asbestos alert

MELBOURNE: The Victorian Branch visited the Pacific Pioneer to gather information from the crew about the conditions on board after an alert from the Western Australian Branch in January.

Victorian Deputy Branch Secretary Dave Schleibs and Assistant Secretary Dave Cushion talked to one of the New Zealand IRs who was acting as the MUNZ delegate on board. He provided a list of the issues which was then forwarded to the Western Australian Branch.

The following day WA Branch Secretary Chris Cain and Phil Olsen from AIMPE visited the ship. A long list of problems were identified, the most serious being asbestos.

The ship had an asbestos report but no action plan. AMSA was called to inspect the engine room/thruster space. Although the vessel was scheduled to sail that evening, its departure was delayed till the problem was rectified.

The company agreed to pay a $70 allowance to each crew member backdated to January 12. The allowance shall remain in place until June 24 when it will be reviewed. This allows OMS time to fix the problems on board and further improve the living quarters of the Pacific Pioneer.

Management also agreed to contact Assistant National Secretary Mick Doleman and WA Branch Secretary Chris Cain to establish an Enterprise Agreement for the crew.

The Victorian Branch would like to thank the crew and the Western Australian Branch for their assistance in this matter.

Sunburnt Country

SYDNEY: The world's first antiskin cancer cream has been approved for prescription use in Australia.

Aldara cream is described by its manufacturer 3M pharmaceuticals as the world's first Immune Response Modifier (IRM) skin cancer treatment. It makes some skin cancer removals possible without surgery.

Maritime workers, like construction workers, are exposed to the sun for prolonged periods, on the ships deck and the wharves and suffer a high incidence of skin cancer, with "the sunburnt country" having the dubious honour of having the world's highest skin cancer rates,

Each year as many as 250,000 Australians are treated for basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer.

BCC is the most common malignancy in Australians, and its incidence is increasing worldwide.

Hardie Campaign Goes Global

The union campaign to out James Hardie for employing a devious corporate reshuffle to avoid paying compensation to asbestos victims and their families continues to have repercussions.

Not only has the company agreed to pay up in Australia, The Australian newspaper reports a surge in asbestos related claims lodged.

In January that surge spread to other countries as Hardie came under pressure to extend its $1.5 billion Australian compensation deal to thousands of asbestos victims in the Asia Pacific.

The Australian reports that in New Zealand, where James Hardie made asbestos products for 45 years, government funded compensation for victims is a mere $65 a week.

Asian victims have no idea as to the extent of asbestos disease as no testing is done. The company that took over Hardie's factory near Jakarta in 1985, PT Bakrie and Brothers, is still making asbestos. But Indonesian authorities lack the medical technology to identify asbestos lung disease, scarring or mesothelioma.

The country's use of asbestos is surging, with 20,000 tonnes imported making Indonesia a time-bomb for asbestos disease.

Malaysian unions too have recently floated legal action against Hardie. But they also lack the necessary medical screening facilities.

Reports that Hardie is at risk of being swamped by a tide of US lawsuits hit the press in February. "Thousands of American homes, schools, power stations, refineries and other buildings contain James Hardie asbestos, creating what legal experts describe as a Pandora's box for lawsuits," The Australian reported (21/2/05).

Meanwhile, Australian born Hollywood star Mel Gibson has approached Bernie Banton from the Asbestos Diseases Foundation to get the rights to make an Australian style Erin Brockovich movie about the asbestos scandal.