Laundry staff and contractors exposed to asbestos at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Laundry staff at a hospital are being supported following an ‘isolated asbestos incident.‘
NHS Grampian which runs Aberdeen Royal Infirmary said a ‘small number of staff’ were in the unit when a beam was knocked during the installation of a new hydraulic press on July 7.
Chief executive Caroline Hiscox said it could be two weeks before laundry is fully operational again.
To minimise disruption health contingency plans are in place, the health board announced.
Staff are being asked to use paper to clean spills instead of towels in an effort to prevent laundry shortages.
They are required to wear scrubs only when appropriate and to only change beds when needed within a seven-day window.
Ms Hiscox thanked staff for keeping the laundry service running, despite the ‘hurdles’, in a video message posted to Youtube.
A spokesperson from NHS Grampian said: ‘As part of the installation of a new hydraulic press in the laundry, a beam was inadvertently disturbed which produced an isolated asbestos incident.
‘A small number of staff and contractors were in the unit at the time and have been identified and supported.
‘Contingency plans are currently in place with support from other boards. Our laundry team has worked tirelessly to keep the service running smoothly until everything is fully safe and operational in the next few weeks.’
No procedures have been cancelled as a result of the incident and monitoring of the risk is continuing and the room has been isolated.
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