Christchurch Hospital staff exposed to toxic fumes through air conditioning system

Christchurch Hospital staff were exposed to toxic fumes, with one needing treatment in intensive care, after an industrial chemical was reportedly circulated by the air conditioning system.

Staff members suffered a range of symptoms including swollen airways, rashes, headaches and breathing problems, their union says. One staff member was placed in ICU due to exposure.

Te Whatu Ora South Island deputy chief executive Martin Keogh said he is “deeply concerned” that staff have reported becoming ill after exposure to fumes from a construction site.

Christchurch Hospital. Photo / File

The fumes are believed to be Hexamethylene Di-Isocyanate (HDI), which was being used in painting work nearby.

Keogh said all construction activity on the Christchurch Hospital Campus is paused until they have established the exact cause.

“It will not start again until I am sure that we are providing a safe environment for everyone,” said Keogh.

There were no reports of patients being affected. However, Keogh did confirm one staff member had been hospitalised.

“I understand the severity of the situation and am deeply concerned about the impact it has had on our staff. All staff have access to appropriate support - this includes the appointment of a specialist doctor who is undertaking clinical assessments of those affected.”

According to the APEX employee union, the problem has been ongoing since the start of the year.

APEX union advocate Omar Hamed said staff have potentially been exposed for months due to failures within both the supervision of the construction work and the relationship between the hospital health and safety team.

He said radiography staff reported the smell back in February.

“By our estimate, at least 30 to 40 staff have been negatively impacted but it could be a lot more.”

Hamed said there are concerns about the long-term impacts the chemicals will have on staff. They have respiratory and organic chemical specialists working with those affected.

Hamed claimed the systems they have in place for health and safety incident reports are outdated.

He said there’s a possibility problems like these get flagged up by staff and don’t get addressed for months. This undermines staff confidence in reporting hazards or faults in the system, he said.

“What we really want is an easy to use, accessible... nationally consistent reporting system for staff to report health and safety concerns.”

WorkSafe said it was notified on August 30.

“This incident was assigned to our kaimahi hauora [work-related health] team who have carried out inquiries to understand the issue. We are working with Health New Zealand while it carries out an investigation, before determining any next steps,” said a WorkSafe spokesperson.

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