Seaton Saint Hilarion nursing home applies to remove allegedly dangerous combustible cladding
A nursing home which allegedly put more than 100 residents at risk with its combustible cladding is working to have some urgently removed.
West & Beaches
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A Seaton nursing home with more than 100 residents accused of contains combustible cladding considered a “danger to occupants”, wants it urgently removed.
Environment, Resources and Development Court documents revealed The Society of Saint Hilarion Inc had appealed a fire safety defect notice, issued by Charles Sturt Council’s building fire safety committee following an inspection
The St Hilarion Nursing Home at Kelly Ave employs 93 staff at all times, has 107 residents and has on average 65 visitors a day.
In a statement, the society said it had since submitted a building application to the council to remove a “small amount of cladding”, or 335 sqm, which did not meet regulatory requirements.
The problem cladding made up around 14 per cent of the 2330 sqm building, a spokesperson for the company clarified.
“At the time the facility was built ten years ago the cladding did meet requirements,” the statement read.
“We are expecting the application to be approved soon.
“In preparation for this, we have appointed local business Cladding and Roofing who have developed a site plan and timeline to ensure the removal of the cladding is able to be carried out as soon as the approval is granted.
“We are committed to the safety of everyone that we care for at the Society of Saint Hilarion.”
The two-storey building was inspected in August 2019 with the council committee requesting an independent evaluation two months later co-ordinated by the society, to “determine the combustibility properties”, documents lodged with the court show.
Then, BCA Engineers submitted an independent risk assessment report in July last year, before the committee issued the safety defect notice in February.
“(The committee) considers the current building, installed with combustible ACP cladding, a danger to occupants and requires replacing all the existing ACP panels with compliant product,” documents stated.
The committee required the cladding be replaced with Building Code of Australia-compliant cladding within four months to “ensure that the fire safety of the building is made adequate”.
BCA Engineers estimate it would cost $250,000 to replace the cladding.
However, the society argued BCA suggested the ACP cladding could be retained with additional measures – including the modification of evacuation procedures – that would “reduce the risk to low” in relation to the cladding.
“The existing passive fire protection measures and fire sprinklers will provide a safe evacuation for building occupants and fire brigade intervention,” documents reveal.
“The smoke detection system provides an early warning to the building occupants as well as informing the fire brigade.
“The existing automatic fire sprinkler system will control any fire spread and maintain tenability for both building occupant evacuation and fire brigade intervention.
“There are staff members on site 24/7 and we have been advised that there are at least eight staff to provide emergency response at all times.”
The matter was expected to returns to court this week.
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