The James Hardie Story
By the middle of the twentieth century, James Hardie had become the largest manufacturer and distributor of building products, insulation, pipes and brake linings containing asbestos.
The story of the Jamies Hardie company and its manufacturing of asbestos products is long and complex. Here are a few key moments that give an idea just how many people were suffering the ill effects from the asbestos manufacturing industries, through to construction companies and contractors who were exposed to the fibres daily.
In Australia, James Hardie operated asbestos plants in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.
In 1978 the effects of pleural abnormalities and other asbestos-related diseases were beginning to show up in the former mine workers. While other companies were involved in similar asbestos-related activities, most notably CSR, more than 50% of claims made to the Dust Diseases Tribunal of New South Wales in 2002 were brought against companies in the James Hardie group.
There were protests against the companies' operations near the small Aboriginal Australian community of Baryulgil on the NSW North Coast, with Lyall Munro Snr and the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service taking an active part in actions against the company.
James Hardie and its subsidiaries had been providing compensation for victims of its operations since the 1980s. Though some earlier claims had arisen, the proliferation of cases from the 1980s onwards forced James Hardie to acknowledge that it had known asbestos to be dangerous. James Hardie nonetheless maintained that it had done everything possible to protect workers.
In 1978 the company began putting warning labels on its products explaining that inhalation of the dust could result in cancer. In March 1987 James Hardie ceased all asbestos manufacturing activities.
As concern grew about the serious adverse health effects of asbestos, in the mid-1980s James Hardie developed an asbestos-free fibre cement technology, without the dangers associated with asbestos.
In February 2007, ASIC filed court proceedings against the James Hardie board as it “failed to act with requisite care and diligence” when they assured investors that the Medical Research and Compensation Foundation (MRCF) was full funded.
In February 2007, James Hardie shareholders overwhelmingly approve a “compensation deal for asbestos victims worth $4 billion over the next 40 years”.
If you have any questions regarding the presence of asbestos at your property, please get in touch with us on 0499 352 603 or info@northwestasbestos.com to discuss asbestos testing or removal.
This information was gained from Wikipedia.com and is a snapshot of events, but does not in any way cover the full story.