Page 1427 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 9 May 2017
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In addition to the electrical main switchboard replacement works, the upgrading and maintaining ACT Health assets agenda includes a variety of infrastructure and building services projects including facade upgrades, hydraulic upgrades, heating ventilation and air-conditioning upgrades and lift upgrades.
Initial planning for the electrical main switchboard replacement project commenced in the first quarter of 2016, with the appointment of a design consultant to develop a comprehensive replacement solution for the existing buildings 2 and 12 electrical main switchboard facilities and to provide business continuity advice for the management of the two main electrical switchboard facilities.
Subject to vital design and technical input as well as planning to ensure minimal service disruption, the building 2 electrical main switchboard replacement project is due for completion by June 2018, and the building 12 switchboard replacement project is due to be completed in February 2019. ACT Health’s replacement project team are working closely with the appointed contractor’s electrical technical experts to ensure active risk mitigation is in place to provide effective and safe continuity of service during all replacement works.
In parallel with the process to appoint a head contractor to undertake the replacement main electrical switchboard works, health infrastructure’s facilities management team have continuously monitored the performance of buildings 2 and 12 main electrical switchboard facilities. As a direct consequence of this monitoring, contingency plans, improved documentation and backup switchboards and equipment were available to the facilities team to quickly address the issues that arose as a result of the building 2 electrical main switchboard fire.
Madam Speaker, as health minister, the safety and quality of care is my top priority. I acknowledge that it may be unsettling to be an inpatient within a hospital during an incident such as this, and all necessary care was taken by staff to minimise disruption to patients and to provide continuity of care in accordance with clinical care needs and in accordance with the expectations of the ACT community.
I want to assure members of this Assembly and the community that the integrity of our infrastructure is a priority for this government. I wish to correct recent reporting about ACT Health’s work to upgrade infrastructure at Canberra Hospital. An article in the Canberra Times on 25 April 2017 stated incorrectly that funds to upgrade the main electrical switchboard were allocated in the 2014-15 ACT budget and that this work had been “delayed”.
In the 2014-15 budget, $5.64 million was allocated to the Canberra Hospital essential works, infrastructure and engineering project. This project was established to replace and prepare essential infrastructure to support health infrastructure program works. The scope of this project included upgrades to fire safety systems, lift services, mechanical services and electrical distribution boards. The electrical component of this project related specifically to compliance and safety upgrades to electrical distribution boards only. These are localised switchboards that divide the power
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