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2003-08-20 - 4:04 p.m. Finance Department August 20, 2003 Mr. InChargeofSafety Dear Mr. InChargeofSafety: On the advice of OSHA, the undersigned are formally requesting that the safety office investigate the working conditions in the areas affected by the water main break and ensuing flood on June 6, 2003. We believe that there now exist levels of mold great enough to be toxic and endanger the health of the employees in the area. In the finance department, the carpeting was saturated, and fans were brought in to help dry the carpeting, but the carpets were not removed and to our knowledge, no bleaching solution was used to prevent or counteract mold growth. In the basement, the water levels rose to nearly 3 feet, submerging parts of the air conditioning unit in the process and saturating the walls. If the mold is in the air conditioning filter, the coils or the pan of the air conditioning unit, the mold is potentially airborne, and spewing out of the ducts into our lungs. If the mold is in the walls, it is still potentially dangerous and may eventually present structural issues if left unchecked. Since one of the proposed solutions to the mold problem is to run the air conditioners around the clock, it behooves us all to make sure that the air conditioners are not part of the problem first. The finance department stinks of mold and has for the past two months. This has gotten worse, not better over time. Employees have complained of headache and breathing difficulties, irritability and more recently, many have had what seem like symptoms of the common cold: nasal congestion, sneezing, headache, persistent cough, sore throat, itchy eyes, fatigue. Many of us have taken sick days because of this, but even with rest, we are not back to 100%. We are requesting that samples be taken and processed from the air conditioning unit – filter, pan and coils. Air quality samples from the basement and in the finance department, carpet samples from the areas that were wet, and samples from inside the walls of the basement, specifically looking for toxic mold. We request that the results of thee samples be made available to us so that we can take whatever steps necessary to preserve our health and thus our productivity. We understand that Q Manufacturing is dedicated to providing its employees with a safe working environment, and it is with confidence that we present this issue, knowing it will be properly addressed. Sincerely, signed by the majority of the non-management in the area Drafted by your truly. Damn I'm good! Just call me Ms. Diplomacy. They're finally testing the air quality tomorrow bringing in people to disinfect the basement (which, incidentally, is infested with black mold). And they're sending all of those that signed the letter to an independent doctor for assessment. Meanwhile, they're moving us to a different area so we don't continue to be affected by the potential toxins. Gotta love helping people to do the right thing.
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