BUILDING cladding that coats about 13 per cent of Logan Hospital has failed initial combustion tests and will be subject to further analysis, the Queensland government has confirmed.
Housing and Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni confirmed the cladding was not up to scratch on Saturday, after Audit Taskforce assessments completed at the University of Queensland could not confirm the level of fire retardation.
"The initial results indicate that all the materials demonstrated some degree of fire retardation or capacity to self-extinguish, however, each product was capable of ignition," he said.
"Independent fire engineers have been engaged by the taskforce to analyse the initial findings and determine what measures should be taken next."
The Logan cladding will be sent for specialist testing at a laboratory in Melbourne, which is also analysing the Princess Alexandra Hospital cladding.
Assessments were expedited in the wake of the fire at Grenfell Tower that killed at least 80 people in London during June.
Low risk
Health Minister Cameron Dick reassured Queenslanders that the fire risk at health centres was "quite low" thanks to significant safety measures already in place.
With regard to Logan Hospital specifically, Mr Dick said increased fire safety initiatives had been implemented as well as extra security guards at night.
Mr Dick said a system of smoke alarms, sprinklers and training would ensure the safety of staff, patients and visitors to Logan Hospital and that the government was taking the situation "very seriously".
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services deputy commissioner Mark Roche also said double the number of fire crews would respond to any incident at the hospital after the test results.
On a brighter note, three other buildings that were under similar scrutiny have been cleared of dangerous cladding.
The buildings included a Gold Coast school, an apartment building in the Moreton Bay region, as well as a government-owned social housing property in Brisbane.
In the case of the government-owned building, the cladding was used in a decorative piece in the foyer and had met Queensland building-code standards.
This prompted Mr de Brenni to raise serious concerns regarding the state's construction regulations.
He also said the Palaszczuk Government was hoping to get new laws through Parliament to allow those responsible for the dodgy cladding to be held accountable.
Mr de Brenni said he hoped to create "a tough regime" to rectify the problems with the building cladding and hoped new laws would allow material manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and importers to be held accountable for the safety scare.
He stressed that none of the cladding on the other 42 buildings still under investigation had required further testing yet.
However, when quizzed about the locations of the remaining buildings under scrutiny, the minister said it would be "irresponsible" to name them, but added that he was "very confident there is no cause for alarm".
Trust
In response to Labor's announcement, the LNP Shadow Housing and Public Works Minister Stephen Bennett said the Palaszczuk Government simply could not be trusted.
"Why are the people of Logan only finding out about this fire risk at their hospital now?
"Just two weeks ago, Mick De Brenni was telling people our hospitals were safe. Now we hear another hospital's at risk.
"Sending extra fire engines to Logan Hospital is just a temporary measure – where is the long term plan to make those buildings and the people in them safe?
"Labor must release the full list of suspect buildings instead of covering it up. Anyone living or working in buildings clad with dodgy and potential dangerous material deserves to know about it."
- with Brisbane Times
