Mould-free court air hits snags

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Mould-free court air hits snags

ChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada

By MONICA GRAHAM

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/834700.html

NEW GLASGOW — It's taking longer to clear the air at a New Glasgow

courthouse than anticipated, says a union safety official.

After meeting with management and workers this week, Nova Scotia

Government and General Employees Union health and safety officer

Jeff Brett said it appears the delay in eliminating mould under the

Bridgeview Square facility has to do with jurisdictional issues.

He said Wednesday that discussions are underway to see who is

responsible for doing the work — the landlord or the tenants.

An environmental report to the Justice Department in January

recommended replacing carpets and walls damaged in a sewage backup

last fall, taking measures to prevent prisoners from stuffing

objects into the cell toilets, cleaning mould in a crawl space,

keeping windows closed to assist the air system and rebalancing the

air treatment system. Only the mouldy crawl space and the damaged

flooring have not been completed, with the latter scheduled for the

Day weekend.

Meanwhile, employees who suffer headaches, breathing difficulties or

other symptoms related to air quality are entitled to refuse to work

at the site, Mr. Brett said.

" It is the employer's responsibility to provide a safe and healthy

workplace, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, " he said.

The employer also has the right to manage personnel and get other

people to work in the building. Incoming employees must be informed

of the previous staff person's refusal and that they, too, have the

right to refuse.

" We'll go to bat as a union to help people approach their employer, "

he said.

Some people are more sensitive to poor air quality than others,

making the causes difficult to pin down, Mr. Brett said.

" But it's a problem for some, so it's a problem. "

Reluctance by courthouse staff to talk publicly about the problem is

symptomatic of the department's authoritarian structure, he said.

Employees may feel intimidated by the implicit chain of command, a

situation found more often in the Justice Department than in others.

That makes the employees feel vulnerable, he said.

" People need to be empowered and feel confident in their rights, " he

said. " My observation is that they wait until they get too sick and

too angry. They tend to let it go too far, then they're too sick to

fight.

" Some of our members are not well. Their health is jeopardized. "

( mgraham@...)