WORK site safety is the major focus for new Bendigo Hospital project foreman Paul Pipkorn.

Mr Pipkorn has been with Bendigo Health for four years, the last three being spent with the new hospital project.

He said his involvement had been enjoyable on many levels, especially in enhancing his career.

“It’s been a good chance to further myself,” Mr Pipkorn said.

“I started out as a minor works supervisor and then came over to the Bendigo Hospital project.

“Since moving over here I have become the safety officer for our site.”

Horsham born, Mr Pipkorn has called Bendigo home for the last 35 years.

He said he would likely spend the rest of his life here as the city offered everything his family, including wife Kylie and twin 16 year-old boys, needed.

That includes - should the need arise -  a newly developed, $360 million state-of-the-art hospital.

The new Bendigo Hospital project will deliver 372 beds and 10 operating theatres, an integrated cancer centre and mental health unit and a helipad connected by bridge link to the main hospital. 

It will also provide 75 mental health beds, including a 35-bed adult psychiatric unit, a 20-bed aged psychiatric unit, and a 20-bed secure extended care unit. 

“It will definitely be state-of-the art when it’s finished,” Mr Pipkorn said.

“It will be well and truly overdue, but will serve us for decades to come.

“The hospital project has created lots of jobs – it’s been good all round.”

Mr Pipkorn praised the co-operation of contractors working on the development.

“From a safety aspect we have had no issues on-site,” he said.

“All the staff and contractors have been easy to work with.

“It’s a good environment to work in – they’re a good bunch of guys.”

Much of Mr Pipkorn’s said his recent focus had been on satisfying heritage requirements.

“We have a number of old buildings that need attention,” he said.

"The heritage people have been good to work with."

Construction of the new hospital, which started in mid-2013, is slightly ahead of schedule, according to the state's Health Minister David Davis.

Mr Davis told the Bendigo Advertiser the new hospital would become an important regional health facility and medical training hub.

The hospital will operate under a public-private partnership model.

The project is being delivered by Exemplar Health.

The government says more than 770 jobs are expected to be created during the three-year construction process.

BENDIGO HOSPITAL PROJECT PROFILES

To read more profiles of people helping to build the new Bendigo Hospital, click here