The second of three new fibreglass cooling towers for Dunedin Hospital's ward block was placed successfully yesterday, with no hint of the drama which accompanied the June installation.
Minutes after the top of the first tower was installed in mid-June, the Dunedin Crane Hire crane being used toppled on to Frederick St, narrowly missing a bus full of children.
Otago District Health Board construction manager Andy Syme said he was relieved at the end of yesterday.
All had gone without a hitch, with the last of the three sections of the second tower in position slightly ahead of schedule.
There had been an early worry that wind might be a factor, but it was decided to proceed because the wind levels were consistent rather than buffeting.
The $460,000 installation of the new towers will be completed when the third one is positioned in about a month.
The old towers, which had been on the block since it was built in 1980, needed replacement because they were beyond their useful life.
There were difficulties with cleaning the wood-slatted towers due to their age and asbestos content.
The towers are used to dump excess heat generated by clinical machines and kitchen cool rooms.
The lift yesterday was carried out by Daniel Smith Industries, of Canterbury, as Dunedin Crane Hire did not have a suitably-sized crane, Mr Syme said.
The Labour Department is yet to complete its investigation into the matter, but Mr Syme said before the second installation the board had carried out a peer review of its plans to check it was taking all precautions necessary.
