❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding air conditioning safety and accessibility in state schools, prompted by a complaint at Applecross Senior High School. The government's response indicates no widespread safety concerns and no plans for a comprehensive survey.
AnsweredQoN 2385Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(b) what has been done to investigate the extent to which these same problems may exist in other schools throughout the State; (c) when will the comprehensive response to the airconditioning issues, as intimated in the reply to question on notice No. 1723, be made available; (d) which schools were identified as having safety concerns relating to the installation of their air conditioners, and what has been done to rectify those concerns at each school; (e) from the schools identified in (d), what precautions has the Government put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all schools where room air conditioners have been installed out of reach; (f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(c) when will the comprehensive response to the airconditioning issues, as intimated in the reply to question on notice No. 1723, be made available; (d) which schools were identified as having safety concerns relating to the installation of their air conditioners, and what has been done to rectify those concerns at each school; (e) from the schools identified in (d), what precautions has the Government put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all schools where room air conditioners have been installed out of reach; (f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(d) which schools were identified as having safety concerns relating to the installation of their air conditioners, and what has been done to rectify those concerns at each school; (e) from the schools identified in (d), what precautions has the Government put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all schools where room air conditioners have been installed out of reach; (f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(e) from the schools identified in (d), what precautions has the Government put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all schools where room air conditioners have been installed out of reach; (f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(c) when will the comprehensive response to the airconditioning issues, as intimated in the reply to question on notice No. 1723, be made available; (d) which schools were identified as having safety concerns relating to the installation of their air conditioners, and what has been done to rectify those concerns at each school; (e) from the schools identified in (d), what precautions has the Government put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all schools where room air conditioners have been installed out of reach; (f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(d) which schools were identified as having safety concerns relating to the installation of their air conditioners, and what has been done to rectify those concerns at each school; (e) from the schools identified in (d), what precautions has the Government put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all schools where room air conditioners have been installed out of reach; (f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(e) from the schools identified in (d), what precautions has the Government put in place to ensure the safety of staff and students at all schools where room air conditioners have been installed out of reach; (f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(f) if a comprehensive survey of all State schools has not been undertaken as promised, what has been the delay; (g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(g) if only some schools have been inspected to date, which ones have been checked, and which schools are yet to be done; (h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(h) what has been the delay, and what timeframe has been identified for all of those schools to be checked; (i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(i) what amount of money has been allocated in the 2007-2008 State Budget to complete this work; (j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(j) what progress has been made in identifying who incorrectly installed these air conditioners; and (k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
(k) what is the estimated timeframe to complete the investigative checks and the remedial work for all schools to ensure that all required safety standards have been met?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 August 2007
Responded by
Minister for Education and Training
Response time
63 days
(a) The air conditioning units at Applecross Senior High School have had their on/off controls relocated to make them more accessible. However, it should be noted that no Australian Standard or Building Code was contravened in the installation of these units. It should also be noted that the staff at the school had not expressed concerns about the controls of the units.
(b) A number of schools of differing designs have been inspected to ascertain the number of similar air conditioning units in use. Based on this information it has been determined that there is a significant number of these units in older schools. One school with 12 units was critically examined for accessibility and ease of use. Staff interviewed did not express any concerns or safety issues with the controls.
(c) A comprehensive response has been sent to the member of the public who originally complained about the air conditioning units at Applecross Senior High School. Department officers have also been in contact with this person to discuss his concerns.
(d) None of the schools inspected was identified as having safety issues with the air conditioners and staff did not raise any concerns regarding their safety or accessibility to the controls.
(e) With respect to the schools inspected, it was determined that no action was required as the air conditioner controls were found to be accessible to all staff. Notwithstanding this in any situation where a staff member cannot not reach air conditioner controls, or any other switches etc, standard work safe practices should be followed. In this context, an appropriate ladder or steps should be used, or the assistance of another staff member obtained.
(f) A comprehensive survey of all public schools is unwarranted as the Department has not received any complaints from staff regarding access to air conditioner controls. The only complaint received was in respect to Applecross Senior High School and was from a visiting member of the public, not a staff member.
(g-h) Refer to answer to 'f' above.
(i) As a comprehensive survey is not warranted, no specific funding has been identified or set aside for this purpose.
(j) No Australian Standard or Building Code has been contravened and all electrical wiring complies with Australian Standard 3000. As such, the Department does not consider that any air conditioning unit has been incorrectly installed.
(k) Any further investigations will be carried out in response to formal complaints received by the Department from school staff. If a complaint is received, the Department of Housing and Works will carry out an inspection and take any corrective action required.
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(b) A number of schools of differing designs have been inspected to ascertain the number of similar air conditioning units in use. Based on this information it has been determined that there is a significant number of these units in older schools. One school with 12 units was critically examined for accessibility and ease of use. Staff interviewed did not express any concerns or safety issues with the controls.
(c) A comprehensive response has been sent to the member of the public who originally complained about the air conditioning units at Applecross Senior High School. Department officers have also been in contact with this person to discuss his concerns.
(d) None of the schools inspected was identified as having safety issues with the air conditioners and staff did not raise any concerns regarding their safety or accessibility to the controls.
(e) With respect to the schools inspected, it was determined that no action was required as the air conditioner controls were found to be accessible to all staff. Notwithstanding this in any situation where a staff member cannot not reach air conditioner controls, or any other switches etc, standard work safe practices should be followed. In this context, an appropriate ladder or steps should be used, or the assistance of another staff member obtained.
(f) A comprehensive survey of all public schools is unwarranted as the Department has not received any complaints from staff regarding access to air conditioner controls. The only complaint received was in respect to Applecross Senior High School and was from a visiting member of the public, not a staff member.
(g-h) Refer to answer to 'f' above.
(i) As a comprehensive survey is not warranted, no specific funding has been identified or set aside for this purpose.
(j) No Australian Standard or Building Code has been contravened and all electrical wiring complies with Australian Standard 3000. As such, the Department does not consider that any air conditioning unit has been incorrectly installed.
(k) Any further investigations will be carried out in response to formal complaints received by the Department from school staff. If a complaint is received, the Department of Housing and Works will carry out an inspection and take any corrective action required.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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