Deteriorated buildings, aged electrical wiring and a lack of a safety and health policy were some of the many breaches unearthed at several departments of City Hall by inspections conducted by the Ministry of Social Protection’s Department of Labour.
A report on the inspections, done by Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officers Roydon Croal and Latoya John and which was handed over to Town Clerk Royston King on July 1, said the Ministry was acting on complaints that were highlighted at the Solid Waste Department, Municipal Stores, Municipal Abattoir and Concert Hall of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
The report said that the conditions seen “somewhat pose a detriment to a safe working environment and serious threat to life and limb,” and it therefore outlined several recommendations for urgent attention by management. It was expected that the breaches identified would be corrected on or before July 29. A follow up inspection was to be conducted yesterday.
But up to last week, a visit by this newspaper revealed that a number of deficiencies were yet to be corrected, and a source at the municipality has said that the financially strapped institution would not be able to do the works. “What the council should have done instead is write to the Ministry for an extension to have these breaches fully remedied,” the source said.
However, Town Clerk Royston King, when contacted last week, told this newspaper that the M&CC has done a lot to correct the deficiencies that were highlighted. “We have read and studied the recommendations and we have acted on the recommendations,” the Town Clerk said.
The objectives of the inspections were to, among other things, to encourage the adoption of best practices and to share ideas for improvement, to reduce the possible number of workplace accidents and fatalities and to highlight the concerns of workers to ensure that their rights were not trampled upon.
According to the report, at the Solid Waste Department, it was found that the building had deteriorated “to the point where all wooden walls had rotten and more resemble parchment paper rather than wood.”
The report also found that not only was training not done on a regular basis with the workers in relation to occupational safety and health, but there was no safety and health policy in place. The building that housed employees was also said to be in a deplorable state and the upper part was cited as an occupational hazard “since it can collapse at any time.”
The officers also reported that prior to their visit, it was highlighted that no occupational safety and health inspections were ever conducted.
In relation to the Municipal Abattoir, the report said that urgent repairs needed to be effected and it was also revealed that like the Solid Waste Department, no safety and health policy was in place.
It was noted that untrained workers service machines in the slaughtering chambers and that no protective equipment was provided, thereby compromising their wellbeing and health. In particular, it was stated that their general health and safety could be at risk to certain diseases, such as tuberculosis. The report said that officer Croal may have been exposed to tuberculosis while carrying out inspections in the slaughtering chambers. “He was only informed by Mr. Arjune, Officer in charge three quarter way through the inspection,” the report stated.
To this end, the report recommended that regular medical examinations be conducted on all workers.
Given the numerous breaches found, the report recommended, among other things, that a written safety and health policy needs to be prepared and reviewed annually and should also be place at a conspicuous location in the workplace. A visit to the departments last week revealed that this breach has still not been remedied.
It was also recommended that in keeping with the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the necessary action should be taken by the council to provide and maintain a safe and secure working environment for its employees.
Meanwhile, the report also stated that given the temporary closure of the M&CC’s Concert Hall, it would not be feasible to conduct an inspection. Not only was the hall found to be in a deplorable state, it was also stated that employees’ health was at risk due to the diseases associated with pigeons. “An assessment should be done before entering the building. The pigeon is a health hazard and would pose a challenge for them to work under those conditions,” it said.
It was also found that while the hall was not in use by the public for the past ten years, it was neither maintained nor repaired. “Management recognizes that the upper flat of the concert hall had deteriorated over the years,” the report added.
