Page 857 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 13 March 1991
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Motor Vehicle Servicing
MR CONNOLLY: My question is to Mr Humphries as Minister for Health. What is the Government's policy on the servicing of department of health vehicles - that is, the SES vehicles, health surveillance, community nursing services, et cetera - and does the Government plan to change the procedures for servicing of these vehicles?
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I do not know and I will find out.
Akuna House
MS FOLLETT: My question is to Mr Kaine and it relates to his responsibilities for the ACT Government Service. Mr Kaine, are you aware that many staff from your department who occupy Akuna House are absent from work with medical certificates relating to the poor conditions in that building? Are you aware that fibreglass particles are loose in the building and have been removed from an officer's eye and legs by a doctor? What do you intend to do to ensure that the safety and health of workers in that building is ensured?
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, I am not the manager of government property and I do not know of the assertions that the Leader of the Opposition has made. I suggest that she should address her question to the responsible Minister, who is Mr Duby, the Minister for Urban Services.
MR DUBY: I seek leave to provide an answer. Actually, it is a timely question, Ms Follett. The issue is, of course, that the second floor of Akuna House has been evacuated and some 41 staff have been involved. Thirteen members of that staff are on sick leave with skin complaints, and they have medical certificates to certify that they are suffering from a rash of some kind or a skin complaint. The staff working on the second floor of Akuna House have been evacuated from the offices, and plans are now in hand to urgently relocate them to Allara House as an interim measure.
As I said, 13 members of the staff are on sick leave with skin complaints on advice from their doctors. It is not clear at this stage what has caused the medical complaints. However, the problem at first hand appears to have been caused by a combination of the residue from pest extermination spraying using roach bombs, that was arranged by the staff to get rid of cockroaches in the office, and glass fibres from the ceiling tiles, a number of which were disturbed recently in regular maintenance. The health surveillance officer and Public Works engineers have carried out preliminary tests on the airconditioning system and on airborne fibres, and these were found to be all clear. Testing of ozone layers, radiation from computers, fluoro lights and photocopiers and the like - - -
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