WA BUILDERS were warned last year not to trust overseas certifications that imported products were free of asbestos.

Last August, WA’s Department of Commerce urged builders to be vigilant and do their own testing to verify materials were safe.

It followed a warning from the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA) that a wide range of imported materials used in Australia’s building industry contained asbestos.

Roof panels at the new Perth Children’s Hospital were found to contain white asbestos, or chrysotile, on Wednesday. The panels had been certified as asbestos-free.

The Sunday Times can reveal separate laboratory tests, commissioned by the WA Government and the construction union, the CFMEU, showed asbestos concentrations at about 7.5 per cent.

Union state secretary Mick Buchan said the results “confirmed our worst fears”.

The hospital’s builder John Holland must take “full responsibility”, he said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister John Day insisted: “The safety and welfare of everyone at the Perth Children’s Hospital site is top priority. The concentration of asbestos identified in the samples of roof panel would not have affected the measures (subsequently) put in place to protect workers.”

TheSunday Times understands air sampling over a period of 48 hours by three independent testing organisations have all returned negative results for asbestos.

media_camera WA Building Commissioner Peter Gow. media_camera Health Minister John Day. Picture: Matthew Poon

The Chinese supplier of the panels, Yuanda, was embroiled in another scandal this week, with the discovery of asbestos-laden gasket material on a Brisbane building site.

On Friday, WA’s Building Commissioner Peter Gow announced an independent audit of the use of Yuanda products in the WA construction industry.

Last year’s Department of Commerce warning referred to a NSW case where certification was found to be false.

“This is not the first occasion certifications were found to be wrong,” it said.

“Builders must satisfy themselves the products they use do not contain asbestos.”

In February, Federal Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton ordered an independent review of Australia’s asbestos border control management. The review has been completed, but its report kept confidential.

On Friday, the Queensland Government urged Mr Dutton to release the report.

“The public has a right to know what measures the Federal Government intends to take to tighten current controls and ensure the ban on the importation of this deadly substance is 100 per cent effective,” Queensland’s Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace said.

The Asbestos Industry Association last year expressed concern that Australian Border Force officials were checking less than five per cent of all products coming into Australia.

media_camera Federal Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton ordered an independent review of Australia’s asbestos border control management. Picture Kym Smith

A submission by ASEA to a recent Senate inquiry stated regulations on prohibited imports allowed for fines of up to $170,000, but “such penalties have not been commonly used as a deterrent”.

Since 2009, only $64,000 in fines and costs had been collected from asbestos importation offences.

Products containing asbestos were banned in 2003.

“The agency considers that an increased willingness to enforce the penalties available under the regulations would assist in reducing the incidence of non-conforming building products being imported into Australia,” it said.

ASEA also called for: “increased surveillance and screening of imported building products, with particular attention to those products previously found to contain asbestos.”

The Senate committee released an interim inquiry report in May. It said strengthening enforcement should be a high priority for the Federal Government.

“The importation of banned materials, such as asbestos, raises very serious concerns about the capacity of Australian authorities to deal with this issue, particularly in light of our open and dynamic trade environment,” the report stated.

EASY ACCESS PUTS AMATEURS AT GREATER RISK

OWNER-builders are more vulnerable to shonky imported materials, the Master Builders Association WA says.

“In WA, owner-builders are about 10 per cent of the (house building) market,” MBA executive director Michael McLean said. “That’s a couple of thousand new homes every year. What qualifications do a lot of these owner- builders have in accessing products for their homes? At least a builder has some experience or qualifications to make some assessment in these things.

“They’re not all lilywhite I might say, but even a company of John Holland’s size is still caught out.”

In 2014, an owner-builder in NSW purchased a flat-packed shed from China via the internet. It was later confirmed to contain chrysotile asbestos.

Mr McLean said the industry and the public were in “uncharted waters” with easy access to imported products.

“Because of the internet, builders and members of the public are accessing products from all over the world,” he said.

Mr McLean said international agreements on certification, to give purchasers greater confidence, were part of the solution.

media_camera The interiors of the new Perth Children's Hospital in Nedlands. Picture: Matthew Poon

SMOKE WORRY AT HOSPITAL

THE Perth Children’s Hospital still doesn’t have a compliant smoke management system.

A series of “witness tests” due to start on Tuesday were postponed after managing contractor Advanced Fire Services advised it had not completed its own testing.

Subsequent tests planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were also cancelled.

The Treasury Department also confirmed a test carried out by Advanced Fire Services on June 30 failed.

“A series of smoke management system witness tests was scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Tuesday’s test was cancelled, as the managing contractor advised that they had not completed their testing in preparation for the witness test,” a Treasury spokesman said.

“Subsequent tests were cancelled. A reason for these cancellations was not provided, however, it may have been due to other issues on the site.”

Asked if the hospital would open on October 24, he said: “We remain hopeful the hospital is still on schedule to open before the end of the year.”

Extra costs associated with the smoke management system would not be borne by taxpayers, the Treasury said.

Advanced Fire Services and hospital builder John Holland Group declined to comment.

Originally published as Builders were warned of asbestos risk