Corporate Services
3 June 2021
Anthony Jordan
FYI Website
[email address] Dear Anthony
YOUR OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACT (1982) REQUEST HBDHB REF: OIA2021053
I refer to your Official Information Act request dated 11 May 2021 where you requested information from
Hawke’s Bay District Health Board (HBDHB). Your questions and HBDHB’s response is provided below:
All pertaining to Wairoa Hospital - Kitchener Street, Wairoa - Hawkes Bay
1. Past buildings that were found to have any level of Asbestos
2. Areas of those buildings that contained asbestos
3. Areas of those buildings that were accessible to Nursing Staff, Maintenance Staff and General
Public
4. Any other information that would indicate an initiative by current and/or past DHB's (or the
like), to identify those likely exposed and level of risk to their health
5. Current Buildings and areas of those buildings at Wairoa Hospital that have confirmed
asbestos remaining
6. Current buildings and areas of those buildings that may have any likelihood of Asbestos
Please note, HBDHB complies with the current requirements of the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos)
Regulations 2016. Wairoa Hospital is one of HBDHB’s facilities and is therefore included as part of this
compliance.
In response to question 1 and 2, past buildings found to have any level of asbestos were; Storage Shed 1,
Storage Shed 2, Engineering Workshop, Paint Workshop, Welding Bay, Laundry & Carpentry Workshop,
Water Tower, Harvey Ward, Boiler House, Francis Kimbell Hostel, D Block, C Block, Kitchen Block, Ground
trenches, Swimming Pool Changing Rooms, Bike Shed, St Johns Ambulance Office Building.
Asbestos is commonly found in soffits, wall linings and lagging in pipes. All these identified buildings listed
above are disused buildings, they are generally located at the rear of Wairoa Hospital and all are
inaccessible and not in use.
C H I E F E X E C U T I V E ’ S O F F I C E
Hawke’s Bay District Health Board
Telephone 06 878 8109 Fax 06 878 1648 Em
ail: [email address]; www.hawkesbay.health.nz
Corporate Office, Cnr Omahu Road and McLeod Street, Private Bag 9014, Hastings 4156, New Zealand
In response to question 3, Wairoa Hospital as a facility of HBDHB, complies with the building codes and
regulations and amendments made to legislation. HBDHB currently complies with the Health and Safety at
Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016.
Areas of now disused buildings that contain asbestos were used by Nursing and Maintenance staff before
the Regulations were enacted but this was in-line with the legislation, guidance and regulations of the
time.
In response to question 4, health monitoring began when asbestos was raised as an issue as part of the
legislative regulations. Staff identified as having been exposed to asbestos are part of an ongoing health
monitoring programme provided by HBDHB’s Occupational Health team.
In response to question 5 and 6, current buildings at Wairoa Hospital with confirmed asbestos remaining
are outlined in question 1 but are not in use.
Buildings and areas currently in use with any asbestos remaining have had all friable asbestos removed.
(Friable asbestos is asbestos that can be crushed, pulverised or reduced to powder form with hand
pressure).
Any identified asbestos remaining in current buildings, is non friable or sealed and is recorded in HBDHB’s
Asbestos register, as part of compliance with the Asbestos Regulations. It is important to note Asbestos is
still used today in bonded form (usually mixed with cement into a sheet) and is only unsafe when it is
disturbed and moves into a friable state.
I trust this information meets your needs. If you would like any further information or clarification please
phone me. If you are not satisfied with this response you may contact the Office of the Ombudsman,
phone 0800 802 602.
Please note that this response, or an edited version of this response, may be published on the Hawke’s Bay
DHB website after your receipt of this response.
Yours sincerely
Carriann Hall
Executive Director – Financial Services
cc:
Ministry of Health via email: [email address]
[Hawke's Bay District Health Board request email]
2
