Business pledge on dust health risk

Hedland’s business community has pledged to take the lead in seeking answers about the ramifications from the State Government’s recent report into health risks posed by dust.

Released earlier this month, the Department of Health’s Port Hedland Dust Health Risk Assessment found long-term dust exposure could adversely affect the health of residents, particularly those in the West End.

It recommended limiting the number of people living close to Port Hedland Port in the West End.

But Port Hedland Chamber of Commerce managing secretary Arnold Carter said locals wanted more answers.

He questioned what the report meant for West End businesses, such as the local medical clinic and The Esplanade Hotel, which accommodated 15 staff onsite, and wondered if these health risks would now drive insurance premiums higher.

“We want to know what effects this could have on small business and their obligations to staff safety,” he said.

“So we are taking a lead on this … and we have invited the Director of Health to come to a meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and address the concerns we have.”

Mr Carter’s comments come as long-term West End residents also expressed concern they could be forced to move out of their homes in the town’s historic district.

Minister Kim Hames’ office did not directly answerTelegraph questions about when the State Government would send a representative to town to discuss the report’s findings.

Instead his office pointed to an interview on ABC radio in which Mr Hames seemed to indicate it was business as normal in the West End, despite the report’s strongly-worded release.

“Nobody is chucking anybody out of the West End of town, the mitigation controls are in fact already in place” he said.

“There is an amendment 22 that local government already have on their books to encourage redevelopment of the West End and make it more people that are workers and transient people living in that end.”

He said dust exposure close to Port Hedland Port could be managed through land-use planning and capping the number of permanent residents to their current levels.

Mayor Kelly Howlett said the Town of Port Hedland would discuss its next steps with the Port Hedland Dust Management Taskforce in mid-March.

She said she would like key stakeholders to work together to create greenbelts in the community to help reduce dust levels.

Shire of East Pilbara chief executive Allen Cooper hopes to see a similar health study conducted in Newman.

“I would encourage the Health Department to also consider … if there is a potential of any issues within the town sites in the Pilbara that have mine sites in close proximity,” he said.

Minister Hames did respond to a question about whether his department planned a study into dust exposure in Newman or not.