Report from the Health & Safety Office


City of Philadelphia Indoor Air Quality Projects Update

Poor indoor air quality continues to plague members in quite a
few workplaces around the City, and it continues to be the leading 
healthand safety complaint reported to this office. Usually complaints 
are of temperature extremes, inadequate ventilation and/or persistent 
symptoms such as chronic coughs and headaches, frequent colds and 
sinus infections, or dry skin, eyes and throats. Sometimes these 
problems can be corrected through relatively simple and inexpensive 
adjustments and maintenance to the building's ventilation system. 
Other problems require systemic changes and remediation can be quite 
expensive and time-consuming. Here's a brief summary of air quality 
projects that we are currently working on with the staff of the City's 
Health and Safety office within Risk Management.

Members of the Board of Revision of Taxes and the Courts at 
34 S. 11th Street have long complained about their air quality. For the past
two years, we have worked with the City, the landlord and an outside
contractor to determine the nature and extent of the problems and the
best way to fix them. We are finally in agreement that the ventilation
system needs massive improvements in order to deliver sufficient fresh
air to all work areas. Now the City's Legal Department is haggling 
with the landlord about who has what financial and repair 
responsibilities. The City has, however, appropriated funds to fix the 
problems. We hope that work will begin by next Spring. 

Another longstanding project involves microfilm in the City
Archives, which release acetic acid fumes in a file room. Although a
special ventilation system was installed in their new facility, some of
the file cabinets which hold the films are broken and the fumes are
overwhelming the system. Appropriate new cabinets have been found, 
but there is now a purchasing snafu. We hope to have this cleared up 
soon and then we will finally be able to determine whether the new 
ventilation system is truly adequate.

Complaints of poor air quality and insect infestation have been
made by members at the OMH/MR hot line at 123 S. Broad Street. 
Finally, we have gotten the landlord to make some repairs to the 
Ventilation system, which was not functioning properly. They 
instructed employees about how to make daily adjustments as needed. 
A meeting is scheduled with Risk Management, the landlord and the 
maintenance people to work through the rest of the employees' concerns.

Just recently, we began a new project at PICC. Rick Kostelny
initiated complaints on behalf of members, and arranged for a 
factfinding inspection of the facility by Risk Management and this 
office. We spent an entire morning in the prison, interviewing 
employees and documenting concerns. A preliminary report will be 
issued by Risk Management and we will soon schedule a return visit to 
take air samples, and carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity 
readings.

Unfortunately, Risk Management's air testing equipment has 
Been out of commission for several months, which has held up 
progress on the PICC project and several others. Projects are stalled at 
the Central Library, 105 S. 7th Street, Cargo City at the Airport, the 
ARA building, among others, until we can do testing. The equipment 
is expected back by November 1, and we hope to quickly schedule 
follow-up testing at these and other locations.

Significant air quality improvements have been made at other
worksites, including the Air Management Lab and OESS. If you have 
air quality complaints or you are experiencing any of the symptoms 
mentioned above, please call Kathy Black at 893-3770. 

Legislative Update

Thanks to the outpouring of protest from union members and
leaders, public health advocates, and Senators Wellstone, Durbin and
Schumer, Senator Bond and other anti-worker senators were blocked in
their efforts to attach an anti-ergonomics OSHA standard measure to 
the Labor-HHS funding bill. However, Senator Lott has warned that he 
will try to bring up this measure again before the end of this 
Congressional session (in the next couple weeks). Senator Rick 
Santorum needs to hear from you. Call his office through the Capitol 
Switchboard at 1-800-985-8762, and ask him to vote no on any 
measure that stalls the ergonomics standard setting process.

Meanwhile, the Office of Management and Budget should 
Have completed its review of the proposed Ergonomics Standard by 
October 1 but has extended its time line. Unless they release the 
standard soon, the public hearings and comment period will be delayed 
so that we will not have time to complete the process during this 
Administration. Action: Please write to Jacob Lew, Director, 
Executive Office of the President, OMB, Washington, D.C. 20503. 
Tell him to quickly complete their review and that the standard needs to 
be as strong as possible in order to protect workers.

Representative Buxton of the Harrisburg area has proposed a
public sector OSHA bill in the state legislature, which would cover all
public workers in Pennsylvania with the same standards, protections 
and rights that are taken for granted by the nation's private sector 
workers. Dave Wilderman, the Pa. AFL-CIO Legislative Director, will 
coordinate the campaign to support this Bill. We will be calling on you 
soon to do your part to insure passage of this vital legislation. A 
national bill that would provide public sector OSHA protection 
nationwide has also been introduced by Senator Paul Wellstone (D-
Minnesota).

The Pennsylvania Safety & Justice Act, S.B. 1025, is, 
According to Dave Wilderman, 
" . . . the most important legislative step for workers and consumers in
the history of the State's Liability laws.". Introduced by Senator Alan
Kukovich (D-Westmoreland), a true friend of labor, this omnibus Bill
includes critical protections for consumers, workers and the 
environment, including giving workers the right to sue their employers 
when they have been injured on the job as a result of "willful, wanton 
and reckless" behavior by the boss. DC 47 is a partner in the coalition 
of workers', consumers' and environmental rights groups supporting 
this Bill. Kathy Black gave testimony before the Senate Judiciary 
Committee on October 13. For more information on this Bill, or if you 
have an example of willful, wanton and reckless conduct by your 
employer that has led to injury, call Kathy at 893-3770. The text of 
Kathy's testimony is also available on this website.