Hundreds of employees who are laboring on a barge off Australia’s Pilbara Coast,  including many immigrant workers from the Philippines, have been removed from the vessel after tests confirmed the presence of blue asbestos on board.

According to a story reported by the Australian Broadcasting Company, 350 people were evacuated yesterday from the barge, which is owned by McDermott Industries. The head of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), Steve McCartney, reports that the evacuation was prompted after tests showed traces of blue asbestos in the elevators on the barge. “Blue” or crocidolite asbestos is the most dangerous form of the toxic mineral.

Mr. McCartney stated that two thirds of the workers evacuated were AMWU members and the union wants the company to pay for medical tests for those individuals.

“I’ve talked to some of the workers on board,” he said. “As you would imagine those workers on board are very concerned, because when we’re talking about blue asbestos; we know the dangers that lurk behind blue asbestos.”

McDermott Industries is already under investigation by the Australian Workplace Ombudsman in regards to alleged exploitation of foreign workers. It is likely that this latest incidence will add to the concerns about the company, which has come under fire for paying unfair wages to Filipino workers.

A spokesman for McDermott refused to comment at this time.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 7:31 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.