Mortymoose
Honorary Master
Well it came back to bite them in the arse!
The diamond mining company has been using asbestos since the early 50's in all forms up here in this remote corner of the Namib desert.
It's used to clad and protect the conglomerate mining plants inside the mining area, it's used for 80% of this town's reticulation and above all it's used on more than 97% of all the roofing here. That's more than 2500 properties including the roof of the local shopping center.
All these properties are/were owned by the mine and as the mining activities started to downscale, the mine decided to offload their buildings at reasonable but not cheap pricing.....
A few of the old timers mentioned about the asbestos, to be informed that it's not a problem and the sales of the old mine properties would go ahead.
Enter the newly formed town council, they did an information sharing session yesterday where the mine management was present and various other stakeholders...
The council had brought in an expert on the matter who gave a comprehensive lecture on the dangers and history of asbestos.
A question was posed to the expert, "What happens to the asbestos when the roofs of these building are pressure cleaned for repainting?" , seeing as he had just informed us that due to our notorious "East Winds" that sand blast the asbestos sheets throughout the town, he answered with a question.
"Do you have children?"
"How Long Have you lived here"
and then went on to explain that the fibers are absorbed by the water flowing off the roof and get deposited on the ground around the house..... where they stay until a hot summers day and dry out, they do not decay and your children get play in this environment...
I could feel a dull anger rising in me as he went on, Off course I like so many children here I had played under this falling water as the men had stripped and repainted our company houses....
The mine tried to deflect the explanation with typical corporate response...
The expert, "Even if you sell the properties, you will still be liable for the risk in later years, you knowingly sold asbestos roofed properties to the town's inhabitants. There will be legal action in later years......
I was even more gobsmacked when one of the mine managers sent me a message last night asking me If I had not yet submitted my letter to purchase one of the largest asbestos roofed buildings in town.......
Do these guys not get the picture here?
Anyhow, how many of you have asbestos roofs and know people that have/died from Asbestosis?
Would any of you in business even consider buying the asbestos roofed building from the mining company that you happen to be conducting your business from......?
Did you know Tigers eye, the Gemstone are brown Asbestosis ..... I was startled as I had often searched out these stones on my beach walks, often placing them in my mouth.....
Interesting times ahead....
The diamond mining company has been using asbestos since the early 50's in all forms up here in this remote corner of the Namib desert.
It's used to clad and protect the conglomerate mining plants inside the mining area, it's used for 80% of this town's reticulation and above all it's used on more than 97% of all the roofing here. That's more than 2500 properties including the roof of the local shopping center.
All these properties are/were owned by the mine and as the mining activities started to downscale, the mine decided to offload their buildings at reasonable but not cheap pricing.....
A few of the old timers mentioned about the asbestos, to be informed that it's not a problem and the sales of the old mine properties would go ahead.
Enter the newly formed town council, they did an information sharing session yesterday where the mine management was present and various other stakeholders...
The council had brought in an expert on the matter who gave a comprehensive lecture on the dangers and history of asbestos.
A question was posed to the expert, "What happens to the asbestos when the roofs of these building are pressure cleaned for repainting?" , seeing as he had just informed us that due to our notorious "East Winds" that sand blast the asbestos sheets throughout the town, he answered with a question.
"Do you have children?"
"How Long Have you lived here"
and then went on to explain that the fibers are absorbed by the water flowing off the roof and get deposited on the ground around the house..... where they stay until a hot summers day and dry out, they do not decay and your children get play in this environment...
I could feel a dull anger rising in me as he went on, Off course I like so many children here I had played under this falling water as the men had stripped and repainted our company houses....
The mine tried to deflect the explanation with typical corporate response...
The expert, "Even if you sell the properties, you will still be liable for the risk in later years, you knowingly sold asbestos roofed properties to the town's inhabitants. There will be legal action in later years......
I was even more gobsmacked when one of the mine managers sent me a message last night asking me If I had not yet submitted my letter to purchase one of the largest asbestos roofed buildings in town.......
Do these guys not get the picture here?
Anyhow, how many of you have asbestos roofs and know people that have/died from Asbestosis?
Would any of you in business even consider buying the asbestos roofed building from the mining company that you happen to be conducting your business from......?
Did you know Tigers eye, the Gemstone are brown Asbestosis ..... I was startled as I had often searched out these stones on my beach walks, often placing them in my mouth.....
Interesting times ahead....
