Chinese company whose products have been found to contain asbestos has supplied many construction sites across the country.
Yuanda, the Chinese company linked to the discovery of deadly asbestos at the $1.2 billion Perth children’s hospital and a Brisbane office tower earlier this week, has supplied materials to almost 70 construction sites across Australia.
The Australian newspaper obtained a list compiled by the company which shows it has supplied products to both private and public developments across the country. These include ANZ Bank’s headquarters in Melbourne, Lend Lease’s Barangaroo development in Sydney, James Packer’s new Crown Towers in Perth, the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, the Gold Coast University Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, the Perth Stadium and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
"There is no suggestion that Yuanda’s materials used in those projects were contaminated with asbestos or that building workers or others were ever put at risk, but the construction union said last night it wanted a full investigation into the company’s role in all of the projects and an urgent assessment of the risks," the paper reported today.
This week, West Australian Health Minister John Day said traces of banned white asbestos had been found in roof panels supplied by Yuanda at the $1.2 billion Perth Children’s Hospital, which is being headed by John Holland. Day said tests had shown asbestos in four of seven samples of roof panels.
1 William Street tower in Brisbane, a building that will become the Queensland government’s new executive building, was found to have asbestos-tainted gaskets.
The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union has called for builders to stop using Yuanda's products. "The government has been aware that this is a serious issue for more than a year. Border Force has a role to play; they need to do more inspections," said CFMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor.
Yuanda Australia is a subsidiary of Yuanda China Holdings limited, one of the world's largest manufacturers and installers of primary construction-related products. Formed in 1993, it is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a net asset value of $622 million (RMB 3.1b) and has 11 Chinese subsidiary companies and 18 international. Its projects include the Bird’s Nest stadium at the Beijing Olympics, Japan’s Cocoon Tower and the Trident Pentominium Tower in Dubai.
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