Demolition ‘on hold’

Press, 13 July 1988, Page 9

Demolition ‘on hold’

Demolition work at a Riccarton factory where asbestos was discovered recently is still on hold, according to the Labour Department’s safety inspectors. The department’s assistant supervising construction safety inspector, Mr Graham Stewart, said yesterday that demolition work on the building, formerly Fletcher Industries’ asbestos board factory, would not resume until disposal of the dangerous substance had

been organised. “Demolition is still on hold. The site workers are at present unsure how the asbestos will be removed,” he said. The asbestos was discovered in the ceiling of the Mandeville Street factory. The sections where the asbestos was exposed during demolition have been sealed from the public. Other parts of the building have been painted to seal the substance from

the air. When a decision on who will remove the asbestos is made, the building will be sealed in polythene and 1 workers using face masks will clear the asbestos. It will be sealed in plastic bags and dumped underground. Departmental inspectors visit the site daily. Mr Stewart said the danger areas in the Bank of New Zealand building in Cathedral Square had also been sealed off.