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Local 580 email to members august 2021
Hello DCYF members,
We have been experiencing increased complaints of workers experiencing sickness they believe to be related to the 101 Friendship St. building. This was brought to management's attention on 7/29/21 and there has been no response.
This building was a jewelry building retrofitted into an office building.
There have been 3 federal reports completed on this building due to complaints of sickness by workers.
The most recent from the Center for Disease Control in 2018 (see 1st link). The following 2 CDC reports are from the early 1990's.
Click on 1st link to access 2018 report and see page 18, recommendation #7:
Establish an individualized management plan to relocate employees (such as at home or a remote site) who are still suffering from health implications even after response actions have been taken.
Please reach out to Local 580 if you believe you are experiencing health symptoms related to the building. Please bring the 2018 report to your physician to obtain documentation to support implementation of the CDC recommendation above.
2018 report:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2018-0046-3346.pdf
1993 report:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/1993-0511-2391.pdf
1992 report
https://files.constantcontact.com/9db8c38a501/f8a27616-bd2c-40be-ba31-a6118b089947.pdf
Findings from the 82 person survey in May 2020 of workers at 101 Friendship St.:
See piecharts here:
https://files.constantcontact.com/9db8c38a501/04e90df2-787f-4fe4-9f73-b466d991e880.pdf
What kind of symptoms or discomforts are you experiencing that you feel are related to the work environment?
Allergies
Coughing, watery eyes
Runny nose/sneezing
Headaches, sinus infection symptoms, congestion
Too cold! I run a heater and have to keep a blanket
Lack of air flow, temperature control
Coughing, stuffy nose, dry eyes, dry throat
Migraines. Frequent colds.
Runny or stuffy nose.
Fatigue, sneezing, coughing, dry eyes, sinus congestion, difficulty sleeping ,increased Colitis/Crohn’s symptoms
Congested
Since I have been home I have had no problems.
Coughing tightness in the chest unable to catch my breath
The temperature fluctuation is uncomfortable
when the air blows out causes sneezing
Sneezing, stuffy nose, fatigue, lack of good air circulation
Nose , eyes, ears, and headaches
Constant sneezing, non stop coughing, watery/itchy eyes, low energy, headaches
Allergies
Debris in the form of dust and red brick pieces constantly falls on my work space from ceiling/walls
Increased allergies and asthma symptoms. On office days my allergies are awful.
The air vents are dusty, I have to clean my desk and area once a week as it gets so dusty and I'm constantly sneezing. The air vent above my desk blows dust in the air. This causes me to sneeze, cough, itchy throat and watery eyes... very uncomfortable to work in day to day. Request was made by my supervisor and nothing was done about cleaning the vent.
Headaches, sore throat, ear aches
Coughing and nasal irritation from air circulation.
Stuffiness/ air is thick in the office
throat closing, eyes water, headache, sneezing, stuffy nose due to dust and mold, auto-immune disorder joint pain exasperated by freezing temperatures all year long, fatigue
severe sinus congestion sneezing and coughing
no
Sinus infections and general congestion, itchy watery eyes, dry eyes
Sneezing, allergies
Dry eyes, very cold year round
Sneezing and wheezing.
Headaches, itchy eyes, sneezing, cough
I sat in an area that has constant cold air blowing into my office. My hands ache and my eyes are always dry at work. I have to use a space heater and wear sweaters year round. I often have headaches and sinus congestion that I have not experienced for one day since teleworking!
the headaches
Allergic reaction to dust
Constant cough in office
Hard to see Headaches stuffy
Coughing ,dryness, dry eyes from lighting,
Eyes wster snd choke headsches
Humid, sweating, stuffy nose, sneezing
Nose running and stuffy , throat dry and soar
Headaches, burning eyes, fatigue, sneezing
coughing and sneezing allergie symptoms
My eyes itch whenever I am in the building, and stop about 20 mins after I leave. The windows I sit in front of are drafty, so in the winter I have to wear gloves and a scarf, and run a heater to keep warm enough. I have frequent migraines from the lights and odors of the building, and have not experienced them since working from home.
Hives, headaches, sinus pressure and pain, debilitating nose bleeds, WORKING WITH NO FRESH AIR WHATSOEVER IN A BUILDING THAT IS A FIRE HAZARD BECAUSE WINDOWS DO NOT OPEN
Headaches
None, have been working from home since March
Headaches; migraines; dry eyes
Allergies , cough
Allergy symptoms, Runny nose, headaches, extreme temperatures discomfort,
Eye irritation, cough. Breathing issues sinus issues
Headaches from lighting, congested sinuses from dust, poor air circulation.
Eyes burn from time to time
Difficulty breathing, sinus inflammation
Anxiety. But that’s the field not this office
Stuffy nose and abdominal pain
sneezing, runny nose
All of the above symptoms are related to the unhealthy air environmental conditions of the building.
Respiratory
headaches, cold/flu, runny nose, sneezing
I have a vent that blows directly on me I'm constantly cold I feel like I have sinus issues, feel very cloudy
Can you offer any other recommendations or observations concerning your office environment? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOU TIME AND FEEDBACK!
Inconsistent temperature in the building, often too hot or too cold
Continue Daily Cleaning
Dust everywhere, dirt dust on vents, dust and dirt on my desk almost daily
no
Visiting rooms are disgusting to have children crawling and playing around in.
They need to be cleaned more thoroughly daily!
Need better maintenance
The ability to open the windows, better temperature control and updated building’s
Allow those who are sick with the common cold to work from home
Remove carpet, clean dust buildup
Better health since being remote. Office had a terrible odor on the 3rd floor before the remote happened. Issue with the bathrooms on the 3rd floor.
The work environment is toxic in every way.
I have been able to concentrate better on my work as I feel better working from home.
We need more air flow
None at this time
Hate going into the building for any period of time because then my symptoms just come back very uncomfortable
Clean the dust in the air ventilation
I am aware that many colleagues have eye irritations, sinus problem, and other allergy related conditions. I have gotten many upper respiratory infections since beginning my work at DCYF. Previously this did not happen to me. I also have skin problems which i feel is related to the dryness in the building.
Vent caps or filter where air blows out
Find ways to clean the air in the office like an air purifier.
Rodents
See report of evaluation done within the last two years.
Rodents
It is a massive issue and we should not have to work under these conditions!
Please clean air ducts and vents, it would help clear the air and help me work comfortably without having to double or triple my medication intake due to the amount of allergy symptoms the dust vents give.
The building is very old and probably is full of mold
The building has been sick for years. Prior to DCYF moving in the Department for Labor and Training moved out as the federal government would not approve the air environment. I spent many hours in the building and it wasn't until I retired that my cough and runny nose completely went away.
More space is needed
We should not be in a building full of mold and heavy metals- it is irresponsible for the state to have us located in a building that the state already deemed unsuitable for working conditions. Since teleworking all of my symptoms have gone away and have known since the moment I started working in that building, it was a sick building. On my scheduled office day each week, I must remain in office for my entire shift. These days were so physically unbearable, by the end of the day I would be so physically sore from the freezing temperatures (while wearing gloves and blankets) and nearly unable to breathe or think. I cleaned repeatedly to attempt to minimize effects, but was ineffective. I have watched the ceiling leak, destroying documents, the mold forming on the ceiling tiles, to eventually be swapped for a new one, when our complaining became too annoying, although the issue not fixed. I see stairways that have never been dusted, elevators that have had expired certificates, mold on a wall under my new desk, which was quickly washed and told "it was fine now", again not addressing the cause of the mold. I physically can watch the effects of the building form in hives on my coworkers neck and face as she spends time in the building. I believed I had seasonal allergies onset around the time of my employment with the Department, my Dr. assured me this could happen as an adult, although no prior history. This Spring, with onset of COVID-19 teleworking protocol, I have had one symptom of seasonal allergies. On ONE occasion, I had to return to the Friendship St. building due to removal of a child and immediately felt those "seasonal allergy" symptoms return.
it seems to be a unhealthy building because many people on my floor have sinus problems that they never had
Building tested position for heavy metals. Please rest the entire building for heavy metals, allergens, dust, mold and determine if the building is healthy
address the mold and mildew smell that is very noticable in the building
Kitchen on 5th is terrible!
It is either freezing cold or extremely hot. Temp fluctuates drastically back and forth throughout the day
The air circulation system needs to be fixed so cold air is not blowing directly on people. It’s visibly broken on the 5th floor but we have asked, begged and complained a million times and they say there’s nothing they can do
better air quality
Staff safety
Very noticeable persistent cough when in office. My allergy season is September to the first frost and this happens at any season in the office. Noticeable air quality difference and smell especially on upper floors.
There are droppings on my desk and layers of black film
Rugs are fairly new but have never been cleaned. Carpets should steam cleaned twice a year given the work we do going into homes and other places.
Test for lead an d other yocins
Please vacuum the carpet/floors daily
None that any administration cares to hear about..
3rd and 2 floors have had excessive evidence of rodents (droppings and dead mice ) in the areas in which I've sat and this is a health hazard
The temperature is almost always too hot or too cold. I was never provided with an acceptable chair despite multiple requests, so I bought my own and brought it in.
MOLD, mice, NO WINDOWS AKA A FIRE HAZARD
There’s mice and other critters often.
No concerns
Office needs to be dusted- all surface areas; random items that are not needed in the office need to be discarded as they are only collecting dust and causing clutter. The lightning needs to be fixed
Very unhealthy environment to be working in all day! Hopefully working remotely will be considered! If not able to move! Clean the building, vents ughhh so dirty!
Dirty, dusty, poor air quality, old building in poor condition
Ability to open a window
It struck me that symptoms decreased since working at home IN THE SPRING!
Mice are present in the office and the windows leak when it rains.
Unhealthy is an understatement
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