Asbestos has been found in 14 fire doors at Edith Cowan University's soon-to-be-completed $850 million Perth CBD campus. The campus has been granted an exemption from health and safety regulations until the asbestos can be removed during teaching breaks next year.
Government minister Jackie Jarvis revealed in parliament on Thursday that the building had received an exemption from work health and safety regulations to allow it to open with asbestos-containing material inside. She said door replacement was not practicable in the medium term, and the exemption includes conditions such as the use of class A asbestos removalists and air monitoring.
An ECU spokesperson said the university was advised by builder Multiplex of a national manufacturing issue affecting fire-rated doors, with a small number at the ECU City project found to contain asbestos. The spokesperson said the material is fully encapsulated in sealed steel doors, posing no risk to human health, and that WorkSafe has approved the planned remediation.
Multiplex said it became aware of the risk in September and immediately notified WorkSafe and workers. The company stated that work to remove and replace the doors will occur in a timeframe agreed with WorkSafe and ECU. Australian Border Force advised that the fire doors were imported from China by a Victorian company.
Industrial Relations Minister Simone McGurk said the identification and action to prevent such importation is ongoing, and that the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety is satisfied Multiplex is managing risks appropriately. She noted that regulating imported materials remains a challenge, as other countries may not have guidelines as stringent as Australia's.
