SA Health employee hospitalised as pigeons overrun Community Health building at Port Pirie

At least one employee in the run-down facility has been hospitalised as 100 more are moved out, The Advertiser can reveal. See inside the building.

An SA Health employee has been admitted to hospital and is undergoing tests for respiratory issues linked to working in a rural administration building infested with pigeons.

Last week, SA Health relocated about 100 employees from the Community Health administration building at Port Pirie, after bacteria was found as a result of “contaminated dust” from pigeon droppings.

SA Health told The Advertiser that employees “may have been exposed” to the bacteria, and has now engaged independent testers to conduct further testing.

Parts of the veranda are also heavily covered in pigeon faeces. Supplied.

A photo of the veranda of the building shows it heavily covered spiderwebs, dust and is said to be structurally unsafe. Supplied.

At least one employee based at the site has been admitted to hospital and is undergoing testing for respiratory issues.

SA Health employee, Chloe*, a colleague of the person in the hospital, said workers had made “multiple complaints” to SA Health over the years, but senior management had ignored their pleas to address the issue.

“It’s affected our building for many years (and) it’s just got worse. It hasn’t been (just) six months,” Chloe said.

“They (SA Health) have been very well aware of the pigeon issues.

Port Pirie Community Health administration building has been temporarily closed after bacteria was found, as a result of a pigeon infestation. Picture Dean Martin

“The pigeons are up in the ceilings and they have nests up in the ceilings and you can hear the pigeons and babies and everything, like, they’re really loud.

“There are areas that you are not allowed to go into, you’re not allowed to go onto the verandas or anything like that because they’re just full of spiderwebs, dirt and pigeon faeces.”

Chloe said there were collapsed ceilings on the top storey, and that most of the building had been “filthy” for many years, including dead pigeons rotting away untouched.

The windows from near the veranda heavily covered in spiderwebs and dust. Supplied.

Port Pirie Health Service. Picture: Dean Martin

“There’s been so many reports put in about the conditions and nothing’s been addressed,” she said.

“We’ve had a problem with that building for the past 8-10 years, but the pigeons have been more prolific for the past 5-6 years and it’s progressively getting worse.

“In one of the offices, the ceiling started to fall a little bit and there was stuff starting to come down, so they emptied the office and closed the door and said, ‘don’t go in there’, but we’ve got other areas where several people work.”

Yorke and Northern Local Health Network (YNLHN) CEO, Roger Kirchner confirmed there had been multiple complaints from employees, but said the pigeon infestation had only been there for the past year.

“The pigeon infestation has been an increasing problem around the site for the last six to 12 months and an ongoing problem around Port Pirie for some years,” he said.

“During the last six months there has been an increase in the number of reports from staff, which led to the decision to conduct testing.

“An employee based at the Community and Allied Health administration building has reported respiratory symptoms and is undergoing tests in hospital to determine the cause.”

Originally published as SA Health employee hospitalised as pigeons overrun Community Health building at Port Pirie