❓ Mr. Abetz raises concerns about asbestos remediation at Hakea Prison, and the Minister for Corrective Services provides an update on planned works, costs, and safety measures being implemented.
AnsweredQoN 300Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
HAKEA
PRISON — ASBESTOS
300. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for Corrective Services:
Hakea Prison is in my electorate. Could the minister please
update the house on any remediation work being undertaken at that prison or at
any other state prison on the asbestos issue?
PRISON — ASBESTOS
300. Mr P. ABETZ to the Minister for Corrective Services:
Hakea Prison is in my electorate. Could the minister please
update the house on any remediation work being undertaken at that prison or at
any other state prison on the asbestos issue?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Southern River for his question. The member
is right; Hakea Prison is in his electorate, and I am aware that the member
also has a lot of constituents who are involved in the prison community there,
many of them prison officers who work there. So this is a very important issue.
I want to inform members that the Department of Corrective
Services and this government take the issue of asbestos safety very seriously.
It is an extremely serious issue when it comes to looking after people who work
in public buildings. There are a number of buildings, both publicly and
privately owned, across the state—in fact, all over the world—that
are facing issues with asbestos, both stable and unstable.
In relation to block 7 at Hakea Prison, I can inform the
member for Southern River that WorkSafe has issued an improvement notice to the
Department of Corrective Services requiring rectification work to be completed
by 14 January 2014. In the meantime, monitoring of the airspace—the
space above the ceiling—has taken place and has come back with a zero
result, and all interim control measures are in place to stabilise the material
at Hakea.
I am pleased to advise that a preferred tenderer has been
identified to conduct the works at Hakea. The cost of the contract is
approximately $2.09 million, and that contract has been awarded to Hazworx. The
contractor is meeting with the leadership team at Hakea Prison this week to
discuss work schedules and contractor access, and to ensure that staff and
prisoners are safely isolated from the area while the remedial works are taking
place.
I finalise by saying that this government is committed to
addressing the issue of asbestos as it becomes —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the first time. Wait your turn and
ask a question.
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The works that will be conducted at
Hakea will be above and beyond the standard that is required by WorkSafe. We
take the issue very seriously.
Mr
W.J. Johnston : Mr Speaker, I want to ask a supplementary question.
The
SPEAKER : No. That is your next question. The member for Girrawheen.
is right; Hakea Prison is in his electorate, and I am aware that the member
also has a lot of constituents who are involved in the prison community there,
many of them prison officers who work there. So this is a very important issue.
I want to inform members that the Department of Corrective
Services and this government take the issue of asbestos safety very seriously.
It is an extremely serious issue when it comes to looking after people who work
in public buildings. There are a number of buildings, both publicly and
privately owned, across the state—in fact, all over the world—that
are facing issues with asbestos, both stable and unstable.
In relation to block 7 at Hakea Prison, I can inform the
member for Southern River that WorkSafe has issued an improvement notice to the
Department of Corrective Services requiring rectification work to be completed
by 14 January 2014. In the meantime, monitoring of the airspace—the
space above the ceiling—has taken place and has come back with a zero
result, and all interim control measures are in place to stabilise the material
at Hakea.
I am pleased to advise that a preferred tenderer has been
identified to conduct the works at Hakea. The cost of the contract is
approximately $2.09 million, and that contract has been awarded to Hazworx. The
contractor is meeting with the leadership team at Hakea Prison this week to
discuss work schedules and contractor access, and to ensure that staff and
prisoners are safely isolated from the area while the remedial works are taking
place.
I finalise by saying that this government is committed to
addressing the issue of asbestos as it becomes —
Mr P. Papalia interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Warnbro, I call you to order for the first time. Wait your turn and
ask a question.
Mr
J.M. FRANCIS : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The works that will be conducted at
Hakea will be above and beyond the standard that is required by WorkSafe. We
take the issue very seriously.
Mr
W.J. Johnston : Mr Speaker, I want to ask a supplementary question.
The
SPEAKER : No. That is your next question. The member for Girrawheen.
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