Audit of hospital pipes launched

Engineers overseeing a Christchurch hospital have launched an audit into issues with stainless steel piping, which could end with some of it removed from the overdue project.

Consulting engineers Beca have issued a non conformity notice to Australian contractor CPB after discovering two stainless steel pipe products in use in the acute services building, a Ministry of Health spokeswoman said.

The ministry-led project, which is about $40 million over its original $445m budget, was meant to be finished in July but is now expected to be handed to the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) next June.

The Press revealed last week that senior CDHB clinicians had raised concerns about the persistence of errors and omissions being discovered in design documentation for the building.

The ministry spokeswoman said Beca had approved two types of stainless steel pipes for use on the project, one submitted by CPB and the other by the plumbing subcontractor, PHP.

Beca required that only one type of system be installed.

A plumbing industry source told The Press that if brands are mixed together, the manufacturer has no obligation to honour their warranty.

‘‘It nulls and voids the warranty, because you’re introducing something into the system that it hasn’t said.

When Beca noticed two products in use, it issued contractor CPB with the non conformity notice. A ministry spokeswoman said this included a request to remove pipework but noted a final decision was yet to be made.

‘‘The non conformity requires the contractor to remedy the issues which can be achieved in a number of ways including acceptance as is, replacement or acceptance as an alternative solution,’’ she said. ‘‘This is a normal practice and happens many times on a build and is used to ensure quality is maintained.’’

Construction industry sources suggested products not approved by Beca had also been installed. CPB and Beca declined to comment, while a PHP staff member said all products met the Building been designed for,’’ he Code, before referring questions to CPB.

The ministry spokeswoman said it was too early to say if other stainless steel systems had been installed in the building. The Beca audit was still under way and would look at the extent of the issue, she said.

‘‘There will be no issues with warranties, nor will it be a cost to the project as this is a contractor, sub-contractor issue.’’

The main contractor, CPB, had overall responsibility for the provision of the warranty, the spokeswoman said. The stainless steel pipes were for the hot water system, she said.

Plumbing contractor PHP NZ was registered in New Zealand in 2014. An affiliated Australian company, PHP Contractors, was placed in liquidation last February. further