Melbourne wall collapse building 'contaminated' with asbestos: CFMEU
A Melbourne building, which crashed down and narrowly missed a pedestrian, has been deemed contaminated by asbestos.
A woman was narrowly missed when a building wall crashed over a footpath about 8.30am Wednesday at a demolition site the CFMEU shut down 24 hours earlier due to safety concerns.
Independent tests conducted at the demolition site of the old Royal Park Hotel on the corner of Howard and Queensbury streets in North Melbourne later confirmed asbestos was present.
The union has revealed the independent test results contradict statements made by both WorkSafe and the demolition company, Sustainable Demolition.
Police confirmed nobody was injured in the wall collapse, on the corner of Queensberry and Howard streets, and the matter was now with WorkSafe Victoria for investigation.
Building has collapsed all over the footpath in Nth Melbourne... #7NewsMelb https://t.co/EUTEpXQPKy
— Kristy Mayr (@KristyMayr7) April 20, 2016
This site shut yesterday by CFMEU & opened by Worksafe! Incredible no one was killed. Avoid North Melbourne! #auspol pic.twitter.com/giqYzu56mh
— John Setka (@CFMEUJohnSetka) April 19, 2016
It is believed the CFMEU shut the site down Tuesday due to safety concerns, before WorkSafe reopened it the following morning.
A CFMEU spokesman told News Corp a woman pushing a pram nearby was almost hit by falling bricks as the wall crashed down.
The union is concerned the remaining structure might collapse and said no asbestos checks were done prior to the demolition.
It's understood a City of Melbourne building surveyor also had reservations about the wall, prompting the council to issue an emergency order for all work to be stopped.
