Royal Darwin Hospital Pathology Staff Report Nausea and Illness From Morgue Odours, Union Says

Pathology workers at Royal Darwin Hospital, among them medical scientists, do their jobs directly above the hospital's morgue. According to the Health Services Union, they share an air-conditioning system with it, and the smell of decomposing bodies travels upward on what the union calls a routine basis.

Billy Elrick, the HSU's secretary for the South Australia and Northern Territory branch, says the effect on staff has been serious. Some people feel physically sick. Some describe the experience as deeply distressing. Others cannot bring themselves to go to work at all. He says staff have reported feeling unwell, feeling nauseous, and in some cases suffering a psychosocial injury. The worst days, he says, come when bodies arrive at the mortuary already decomposing.

The union's account is that the morgue is old and overflowing. Mr Elrick described a facility that is extremely outdated and routinely holds more bodies than it was built for. He said it lacks the equipment to manage bodies, particularly decomposing ones. He also pointed to what he called standard practice across the country and elsewhere: a mortuary should have its own dedicated airflow because of the smells and other risks that come with decomposition. He said the union knows of more than a dozen staff complaints made to the Northern Territory government, and that the attempts to fix the problem so far have fallen short. In his words, the situation is unacceptable for workers and deeply undignified for grieving families. The union says staff have been offered air fresheners and masks.

A replacement was promised. The NT's former Labor government announced in 2023 that a new morgue would be built, but those plans have not come to anything.

On Wednesday, NT Health Minister Steve Edgington said he could not yet say exactly what was causing the problem, but promised a fix. He said the issue is being examined to determine whether it is an air-conditioning matter. He also noted that the May budget set aside $3 million for the morgue: $1 million for a new design and $2 million for repairs and maintenance.

The union raised a second set of complaints about mould at two other NT Health sites. At Casuarina Plaza, a building housing a number of NT Health offices, Mr Elrick said a pervasive infestation had recently been targeted for removal, but workers allege it has already returned. At Alice Springs Hospital, he described mould as widespread and long-standing despite staff repeatedly raising it. He singled out the podiatry treatment room, which sees vulnerable patients, including people who have had amputations and may be at heightened risk of infection. He said workers at both sites report dizziness, headaches and other symptoms, and argued that the pattern shows NT Health and the government are not taking proper care of their facilities.

Mr Edgington said the department is looking at alternative premises for staff at Casuarina Plaza and that deep cleans have been carried out as the mould is managed. He could not give a timeline for any move. He said he learned of the Alice Springs mould problem only the day before, and has asked the department to get to the bottom of it.

The union says it is considering an application to the Fair Work Commission if the issues are not resolved. The next signals to watch are the findings on whether the morgue's air-conditioning is the cause, and whether the budgeted money turns into a design and repairs.