Holsworthy Training Facility Update

Last updated: 01 November 2006

Background

• In March 2006, NSW Health was notified by NSW Fire Brigades that asbestos had been found at the Holsworthy site in late 2005, but it was unclear whether asbestos was there at the time of the 'Explorer' exercise in May 2004, as clean fill was supplied from time to time and stockpiles were regularly reconfigured to suit operational needs.
  
  
• NSW Fire Brigade set up a free call information line to operate as the central notification service for potential exposures for all people who worked at or visited the Holsworthy site. All NSW Health staff possibly affected were notified by the relevant Health Services and asked to register.
  
  
• The Fire Brigade had secured the Holsworthy site and commissioned a series of independent scientific assessments of the site by New Environment (13/9/05), JBS Environmental (November 2005), New Environment (6/3/06), MPL (31/3/06) and Pickford Rhyder Consulting Pty Ltd (10/4/06).
  
  
• The general risk of people at the site being exposed to airborne asbestos fibres was considered to be moderate. The risk of such exposures leading to an asbestos induced illness was generally considered to be low.

Final Report

• In September 2006, Heggies Australia Pty Ltd was engaged by the NSW Fire Brigade to undertake an independent asbestos fibre exposure assessment during site remediation. They conducted a series of controlled studies re-enacting the various critical training activities previously undertaken at Holsworthy by site preparation staff, course instructors, course participants and mock victims. A range of activities was undertaken on different days and under different weather conditions on areas of the stockpile that had been previously determined to contain asbestos containing material. Exposure was measured using personal air monitors and air monitors were also placed around the boundary of the site.
  
  
• Potential risk was calculated using maximum exposure concentrations and found to be at least five times lower than the Australian occupational standard.
  
  
• The Heggies Report stated that "personnel at the site were exposed to negligible levels of airborne asbestos thus risks to human health were correspondingly low and below the standards recognised by Australian and US authorities." The report concluded "potential short and long term asbestos-related health impacts during training and other activities at the site are negligible."