Workplace Hazzards + Occupational safety links

pickledpepperRN · Jul 4, 2005

Wow! Valuable resources.

Thank you, Karen.

SUE BUTTERMORE · Aug 5, 2005

Going to NIOSH for safety and health issues in your workplace has been marginally effective at best for our RN's. Even before the hurricanes hit there were substantial mold and air quality issues in one of the buildings due to a persisitently leaking roof that the hosptial adminstration kept patching when the building needed a new roof. (money was the reason the kept patching it) Several RN's continued to report respiratory symptoms and one RN grew MRSA and MOLD in her sinuses! Patients and management were also experincing symptoms. Finally one of the MD's found a mushroom growing out of the baseboard in his office! Despite filing grievances over this issue, management insisited the air quality was decent. We asked NIOSH to intervene. At first they just sent recommendations to the hospital, and the hospital said it followed them, but the repiratory symptoms of RN's, other staff, and patients continued. They attempted to remedy the problem by replacing wall paper,cleaning vent covers, replacing some carpet and repainting but the black mold kept growing thru it. Finally NIOSH Rep came down, yet the hospital refused to let him inspect. seeing as how he was not from a regulatory agency, they did not have to let him inspect. After haggling by Lawyers over this, NIOSH was allowed to inspect. Lo and behold they have verbally reported they felt the air quality was okay. (We have yet to see the written report) Hmmmm, sounds really fishy, since the RN's are continuing to report respiratory problems and more mushrooms growing from baseboards! There are many MD's who refuse to enter this building because it is a sick building and even the Workman's Comp Representative has told two of the RN's that they are aware that this is a sick building. The reality is all government agencies are now controlled by a federal government that consistently puts corporate interests over the interests of the people they are supposed to represent. Mushrooms growing out of baseboards! And NIOSH did not come down hard on this company! Something is very wrong. Good luck in trying to get any support from these agencies!