UN closely follows asbestos incident at Suva Civic Centre

The United Nations in the Pacific has been closely following the asbestos incident at the Suva Civic Centre, given proximity of some of its office locations to the site.

The United Nations Department of Safety and Security conducted a site visit on Thursday and held several meetings with local authorities.

Yesterday the United Nations issued advisory to staff that is consistent with the public information released by the Ministry for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations.

All UN premises in Suva remain open and operate at full capacity.

Information has also emerged from UN documents on the asbestos issue at the Suva Civic Centre where it says that it is worth noting that there has been a lot of hype on social media unfortunately instigated by a junior staff member of an organization who released poor and incorrect information.

The UN assessment states that this poor and incorrect information has been shared and retweeted by several bodies and groups causing undue concern in Suva.

Meanwhile, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Jone Usamate says the Suva Civic Centre has been properly sealed off and building material containing asbestos that was removed has been safely stored.

He says it is highly unlikely that any member of the public was affected by this incident and the likelihood of any air contamination remains slim to none. 

Usamate says with the exception of the Suva Civic Centre and the immediate vicinity of the Town Hall Road entrance to the Centre, there is no restriction of movement in place. There is no directive for the closure of any schools, business houses or any other public buildings.