Alerts and closures

Coloured sand recall update

The ACCC has issued an urgent recall of several children’s coloured sand products that have been found to contain naturally occurring asbestos. The current advice from the Commonwealth Department of Health is that the health risk is low and that respirable asbestos fibres have not been detected in any samples.

The Department for Education Children and Young People has undertaken an urgent audit of all government school, Child and Family Learning Centres (CFLC), and libraries, to determine the use of the sand throughout these sites.

No government school or CFLC sites are closed at this stage, however the situation is being closely monitored and that may change, depending on each school and CFLC’s risk assessment. The Department is also liaising with the childcare sector in Tasmania to ensure that it has up to date information and support.

The Department is taking all necessary actions to quantify the risks that may exist, with all work informed by a qualified professional and overseen by an incident management team within DECYP.

The Department is serious about any concerns that could affect the safety of the children, their families and our staff. It is monitoring this situation carefully and working closely with all schools, CFLCs and Work Safe Tasmania.

If you have these products at home you are advised to:

• Stop using them immediately.
• Seal the sand in a heavy-duty plastic bag and double-tape the opening.
• Keep the sealed bag out of children’s reach.
• Do not dispose of the product in general waste. Contact your local council for asbestos-safe disposal advice.
• Visit the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency website.

TasALERT App

The TasALERT App provides real-time information about emergencies in Tasmania. You can receive notifications to your device about incidents or warnings in your area.

Visit the TasALERT website to download the app or use the QR code.