We've got an issue at work.
I work on a big University campus and the building next door to us (approx 12 stories high) is currently in the process of being demolished.
The contractors have installed a huge fixed crane literally right outside our office windows and its powered by a diesel generator.
Below is a pic of what we can see from our office, which is about 30ft away in real terms, despite us being on the ground floor...
...the major issue we've got in the office is the diesel fumes from the generator. The way the campus has been built, the generator is in the equivalent of a wind tunnel and the fumes are coming through our windows.
We dont have air con in this building, so closing windows isnt an option in the hot weather.
The Uni Estates Manager and Director of H&S have been looking into the issue and have been working with the contractors to resolve the issue.
We've been told that they attempted to fit a different exhaust but it kept blowing off...and now in a final attempt, they've moved the generator as far as they can away from the windows, which is in fact where the yellow skip stands in the pic above, which is about a max 10 yards further away from the windows, yet we're still subjected to the fumes.
Does anyone know what else I can do? We've got a number of people complaining of nausea and headaches in the office as a result of this and its a joke that we have to put up with this.
Are there any H&S regulations which cover this sort of thing? (a search on google didnt really throw up much information tbh).
Any advice gratefully received :-)
Comments
Ultimately they will tell you to close the windows.
As I understand it there is no legislation around how hot an office can be only how cold.
Had an issue re: temp in our office touching 98 during the summer, union and H&S reps persued it but it went nowhere. We told to get desk fans!
Problem is, even when we've had the windows closed, we can still smell the fumes through the ventilation system.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/index.htm
Ultimately the local authority will come down quite heavy on this sort of thing.
It's not quite on the same scale but we had an issue in a Nottingham flat over Xmas. The owners downstairs had open fires in a common chimney that was breached causing unpleasant and dangerous fumes to come through the floorboards of our flat. Despite their platitudes they continued to have the fires regardless of any of our considerations.
We had no option but to contact Nottingham City Council (both Environmental Health and Pollution Control) who acted very quickly and gave an official warning. The people downstairs stopped having fires after this but, if they had carried on, the council was empowered to impose sanctions.
So, my advice is - if reason doesn't work and there is no 'relationship' to protect with the offenders then contact your local authority and register a complaint.
When a member of staff becomes sick or faints with heat, you have a point of reference.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (initialisms: HSWA, HASWA or HASAWA) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that as of 2011[update] defines the fundamental structure and authority for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare within the United Kingdom.
The Act defines general duties on employers, employees, contractors,
suppliers of goods and substances for use at work, persons in control
of work premises, and those who manage and maintain them, and persons in
general. The Act enables a broad regime of regulation by government ministers through Statutory Instrument which has, in the years since 1974,
generated an extensive system of specific provisions for various
industries, disciplines and risks. It established a system of public
supervision through aids the creation of the Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive, since merged, and bestows extensive enforcement powers, ultimately backed by criminal sanctions extending to unlimited fines and imprisonment for up to two years. Further, the Act provides a critical interface with the law of the European Union on workplace health and safety.
Good luck, JohnBoy
God help us if we have to take it through the local authority...Tower Hamlets lol.
Definitely tell HSE and local authority - they can't run the risk of letting it continue
Ask to see their CDM (Construction Design Management) plan within it there has to be a H+S plan. This should have identifified the risks and the mitigations of risks. Thats pre project start---during and finish.They must have one its the law,easy to check via the HSE web site -- look for the F10 document, this should also be displayed in a publice place so walk round the outside of the site.
Are there any party wall issues? If there are then you shouldhave been consulted fully and issues like the gen would have been flagged. You need to check this, if there where (and there should have been) pre project start up meetings and your people were involved if they didnt flag concerns at that stage it will be more difficult for you to apply pressure.
It might not be fuly resolveable if they can show reasonable attempts to assist with your complaints then you may be stuck with windows closed. say they resite the Gen along way from you but the wind is in the direction that still blows fumes towards you?
Dont go for turning the AC off is a Building Reg that you have to have a certain amount of fresh air changes my 24hr period.
The other thing from the Facilities Management side dont assume that you are helping the issue by bypassing the Estates /FM team -------- how do you know they havnt actually taken the HSE route ? or been working the issue ? 101 other people geting involved dosnt get it resolved any quicker
I take it you are at Queen Mary College;
on your problem there is no legislated limit for air quality in a roomdue to external enviromental conditions. Yes for factories using poisonous and noxious materials there are discharge limits but they do not apply here. What probably does is an employers general care for the wellbeing of their employees. If as you say people are feeling sick and suffering headaches the the college must do some thing so just have to nag them.
Apparently, contrary to what the Director told us previously, the contractors never went down the route of changing the exhaust flue of the generator. He doesnt know why. He says he has spoken to the contractor and indicated that a new exhaust is fitted ASAP to direct the fumes in the opposite direction and the other side of our building where we have no outward facing windows. Apparently its a quite common complaint and is easily fixed. He said he'd pop back in to the office once it was done to check we're ok.
So at last something seems to be happening, just frustrating that its coming up to two weeks now now. Yep. On the Mile End Road.
What GH says.
There is a piece of kit for generator exhausts that prevents posinous fumes being emitted. We have used these on many an occasion within the confines of LU works.
Insist on reading their H&S pre-works file.