Union calls for immediate closure of Ironton SSA

[Guest guest]

[Comment: How ironic. While they work to deny disability claims based on mold

and chemical related illness, they're getting ill themselves.]

Union calls for immediate closure of Ironton SSA

http://www.irontont ribune.com/ 2010/11/16/ union-calls- for-immediate-

closure-of- ironton-ssa/

The national union representing employees at the Social Security

Administration’s Ironton office is demanding the facility be closed due to

black

mold problems, a request the government agency is denying at this time.

“I’ve asked and demanded they close the office. The employees are

experiencing

respiratory problems and headaches among other symptoms because of the repeated

exposure to the mold,†Sheagley, president of American Federation of

Government Employees Local 3448, said in prepared statement released last week.

“Around 100 people are in and out of that office every day – retirees, the

disabled – and they are being exposed to black mold. This is a dire public

safety issue.â€

The union, which represents about a dozen employees in the Ironton office,

claims in the release that the mold was first observed in the summer of 2009

and has since spread under and onto the seams of the vinyl wallpaper in the

office, with clear plastic tape covering it.

The union also says the mold has made nine of the office’s 11 workers ill at

one time or another and that all of those have filed workers’ compensation

claims.

Doug Nguyen, deputy regional communications director for the SSA, said the

agency has taken steps to address the issue but that it will remain open.

“We have no plans to close the office,†he said.

He also said that the GSA conducted another environmental inspection of the

building on Nov. 2, and the results have not come back as of yet.

“As soon as we get the final report, we’ll go from there,†Nguyen said.

The Ironton SSA is currently in the process of building a new office on the

corner of Seventh and Vernon streets but it will not be completed until mid

2011. In September, local and national SSA officials said the reason for

building a new office was due to an expired lease.

Wilkinson of the General Services Administration — the agency that

manages facility construction and acquisition for the SSA — said in an e-mail

last month that in January 2009, the SSA submitted a request for a larger

space.

That floor layout follows a new standard configuration that SSA has adopted for

field offices.

Wilkinson said the agency was aware of the mold but that it was not a factor in

the decision to move.

“GSA is not privy to communications between SSA and the union. We are aware,

however, that SSA has had the Federal Occupational Health Service conduct

environmental inspections of the Third Street office in response to complaints

of mold,†he said.

“It is our understanding that SSA routinely sends copies of such reports to

the

union’s national office, which in turn distributes copies to local offices of

the union.â€

The first of the inspections was made about a year ago Sept. 15, 2009.

Wilkinson went on to say that a more recent inspection made four

recommendations, which the GSA then addressed.

He explained the recommendations as “continue to seal areas of wallpaper

where

suspect mold is visible; determine the extent of suspect mold contamination

within the office both beneath the perimeter wall wallpaper and within

perimeter wall cavities. Assure that recommendations made in the Sept. 2009

report are addressed. Assure that the relative humidity in the computer room

comply with SSA specifications. GSA will continue to monitor the room’s

humidity levels and see that necessary corrections are made.â€

As a result of the inspections, Wilkinson said that the GSA determined that the

mold situation was not serious enough to warn or inform the public.

The union representative disagrees, calling this a “ threat to the hundreds

of

people who go in and out of the contaminated office every week.â€

“There’s no enforceable standard when it comes to mold and air quality,â€

said

Sheagley.

Sheagley does say that what is defined as a “hazard†is unclear. He cites

Article 9, Section 4 of their 2005 contract as saying that an abatement plan

will be made if there is a hazard. “Both the Centers for Disease Control

(CDC)

and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have agreed that the mold is

unsafe and unhealthy but the hazard has yet to be confirmed, meaning no

abatement plan. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

(NIOSH) is working with the Federal Occupational Health (FOH) agency to do

abatement,†the release stated.

[Guest guest]

Wow so the GOVERNMENT is denying it.  I guess they know what office to use to

file for disability.   I guess they will also have to wait to be approved. 

The

worm Turns.  Shoes on the other foot.  Deny deny deny.  

  

God Bless !!

dragonflymcs

Mayleen

________________________________

From: Pati Tomsits <patito12@...>

< >

Sent: Thu, November 18, 2010 3:34:45 PM

Subject: [] Union calls for immediate closure of Ironton SSA

 

[Comment: How ironic. While they work to deny disability claims based on mold

and chemical related illness, they're getting ill themselves.]

Union calls for immediate closure of Ironton SSA

http://www.irontont ribune.com/ 2010/11/16/ union-calls- for-immediate-

closure-of- ironton-ssa/

The national union representing employees at the Social Security

Administration’s Ironton office is demanding the facility be closed due to

black

mold problems, a request the government agency is denying at this time.

“I’ve asked and demanded they close the office. The employees are

experiencing

respiratory problems and headaches among other symptoms because of the repeated

[Guest guest]

I got sick in a government facility. Deny cover up and put me out on

disability

In a message dated 11/18/2010 10:19:46 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

dragonflymcs@... writes:

Wow so the GOVERNMENT is denying it. I guess they know what office to use

to

file for disability. I guess they will also have to wait to be approved.

The

worm Turns. Shoes on the other foot. Deny deny deny.

God Bless !!

dragonflymcs

Mayleen