More than fifty workers have been affected by safety issues after potentially inhaling asbestos at the Sydney Opera House, the Electrical Trades Union says.
Dozens of workers, employed as part of a $200 million renovation of the Sydney Opera House, met outside the site on Thursday morning to discuss concerns after being potentially exposed to asbestos on the job for almost a week.
The Electrical Trades Union says safety concerns have escalated after management walked away from an agreement for an independent industrial hygienist to oversee asbestos testing and training.
"No one is surprised that a building of the Opera House's age would contain asbestos, but what has been absolutely shocking is that despite this risk being completely foreseeable, management failed to put proper safety precautions in place to protect the health of the workforce," ETU NSW assistant secretary Justin Page said in a statement.
The union is angry it wasn't notified after the seriousness of the asbestos issue was discovered on July 24.
Mr Page told AAP an agreement between the union and building management was made on Wednesday for an independent hygienist to inspect the site, and for a separate meeting for workers to discuss their concerns.
However, the independent hygienist was refused access to the site on Thursday by the building company Laing O'Rourke.
Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency has called for an urgent program to remove high-risk asbestos from the nation's buildings.
The union says renovations won't resume until an independent hygienist is given access to the site.
Comment has been sought from Laing O'Rourke and the Opera House.
