The firm which audited the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) last year said that some of its buildings are in a dire state and its head office should be closed temporarily for repairs.
The audit report was released by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday.
The audit report by Ramesh Seebaran said:
“During our visits to the Head Office and some branches, we noted that the buildings were in dire need of repairs. The Head Office is in such a state, it should be closed temporarily for extensive repairs and maintenance. Currently, the state of the building poses a health risk to employees and have affected equipment, furniture, records etc. Whenever it rains, employees, equipment, furniture, records have to be relocated/shifted to prevent further damage because of the leaking roof and the flooding of the compound and surrounding area.
“Our audit started during the May-June rainy season and we observed first hand at the Camp Street and Brickdam locations, the leaking roofs and the soaking of furniture as well as records.
“In some cases, buckets were placed to collect the water from spreading further into the buildings which had to be emptied every fifteen minutes. According to management this was a norm whenever it rains…
“Further, we witnessed how the pension files stored at Brickdam were being soaked by flood water as it rain water seeped through the roof and by sewage water rising from the ground. In some cases the records/files were damaged to such an extent that it required employees to wear masks and gloves to protect their health before handling them.
“It could also be dangerous if the water gets into contact with electricity cables and outlets, putting the building and employees at risk of electric shock.
“This situation is also prevalent at the branch offices in New Amsterdam, Port Mourant and Fort Wellington. It addition, the branch in Melanie encounters some of the aforementioned effects to a smaller extent, as the front yard floods whenever it rains.”
