Health NZ Te Waipounamu deputy chief executive Martin Keogh said so far 84 staff had come forward with concerns they may have been exposed to smoke. This figure was up from 55 staff last month.

Keogh said investigations into the cause of the problem and how it was managed to date are ongoing.

“We are establishing an ongoing health monitoring program for affected staff and our appointed specialist doctor will provide advice and clinical assessments to staff who choose to accept this offer.

“It is very important to me that we ensure that affected staff have the resources and support they need to assess their risk of exposure and provide the treatment needed to help them recover,” he said.

The fumes were believed to be hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI).

Health NZ has engaged an external independent investigator to conduct a full investigation.

Keogh said some construction work had resumed on the Christchurch Hospital campus after all activities were suspended.

“We are working on an assurance process to get low-risk projects for smoke generation back up and running, and two projects are back up and running: the switchboard replacement at Christchurch Women’s Hospital and the ambulatory care center project.

“Any projects that may create hazardous fumes will not be restarted until we are confident that the root cause of this issue has been identified and mitigation measures have been taken to ensure a safe working environment for our employees and the patients we are charged with caring for.” in question.

The APEX union, which represents allied, scientific and technical workers in New Zealand, believed the smoke leak began in February.

Lawyer Omar Hamed told RNZ hospital management’s response in the first half of this year was inadequate.

“We understand that the reports our members enter into the risk management incident reporting system have essentially gone unanswered,” Hamed said.

RNZ has obtained a memo sent to staff by Keogh last month saying the fumes could be caused by spray-painting fire-retardant paint products applied to the steel structure of the Tower 3 site.

“A number of radiology staff members, including one staff member admitted to the intensive care unit, developed symptoms that included a range of respiratory and/or skin/rash symptoms ranging in severity from very mild to very severe,” the statement said. .

It was stated that Te Whatu Ora is working intensively to identify staff or patients who may have been exposed to the virus.

He talked about HDI, what the substance actually is and what the health risks are. The note said it was used as a thickener and hardener for two-coat paints. It may cause respiratory irritation, dizziness, irritation and headache. There may be long-term immunological reactions that can cause adult-onset asthma, skin reactions, and nausea.

It was also stated that there is no risk of HDI being teratogenic (causes changes in unborn children) or carcinogenic (may cause cancer) for pregnant staff.

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