| Air quality good, back to normal at hospital |
 |
 |
 |
| Local Content - Local News |
| Written by publisher |
| Thursday, 04 March 2010 16:01 |
|
By Allison Werbowetsky The Maple Creek Hospital was reopened to patients at 7 p.m. on Mar. 1 after a precautionary evacuation was ordered late in the day on Feb. 25. Potentially hazardous traces of exposed asbestos found in a maintenance room were the cause of concern. A clean-up crew from Bersch & Associates, an asbestos abatement company from Regina, was still in the process of gathering all the hazardous materials until late afternoon Mar. 2. The asbestos concern was first raised following a regular occupational health and safety (OH&S) committee meeting in Maple Creek on Feb. 18. By Feb. 27, a Bersch & Associates crew was in the hospital to locate the asbestos and determine the severity of the situation. Air samples were taken from a number of locations throughout the building such as the main lobby, children’s ward and boiler room. Official results sent to the health region the next day stated that fiber levels in those areas were well below what OH&S deems safe — 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter — which requires no respiratory protection (face or gas masks) to breathe. Levels found in the hospital ranged from 0.0002 fibers/cc and 0.0012 fibers/cc. A tape-lift dust test, which uses a piece of sticky material to locate fibers on any surfaces, was also done in the hospital that day. Results given to the health region on Mar. 1 showed that no asbestos was found on any of the 10 surfaces tested. Floors, counters, tables, desks and ceiling grids were all tested. Like most buildings constructed pre-1980, the hospital has asbestos insulation. The asbestos in question was used to insulate pipes in a self-contained fan room outside the hospital walls. The problem, however, is that the air intake system which circulates air throughout the hospital is located in that room. The asbestos insulation was wrapped around the pipe to insulate and protect it, and canvas or tape was wrapped around it like a sealant to contain it. These pipes are perfectly safe as long as the insulation is undisturbed, said Beth Vachon, executive director of community health services for the Cypress Health Region. However, when pipe repairs were done more than a year ago, the asbestos was removed and was not covered back up properly. This left part of the insulation exposed and fibers were likely transferred into the air. “It’s just like cutting a piece of wood, if you will,” said Bryce Martin, director of communications for Cypress. “You’re always going to have wood splinters on the floor, so if you cut through a piece of insulation that has asbestos or even just fibreglass insulation you’re going to have those particles that fall on the floor, in the air, etc. and that’s part of the issue.” As for how much asbestos is in question, neither Vachon nor Martin would speak to a more precise amount. However, Martin did state that this “by no means, is a large amount of asbestos.” “When we’re talking about a relatively small amount, it wasn’t all the pipes, it was one pipe repair,” Vachon added. “I can’t speak to that with enough certainty ... but no, it’s not a garbage bag.” That information will likely be released if or when the health region receives a specific amount from the abatement company. “One thing we want to emphasize though is whether it’s a small amount or whether it’s a larger amount, it still presented a safety risk to clients and staff alike. It’s not the size that matters, in this case it’s the risk it presents because of the exposure,” Martin said. Patients and hospital staff were allowed back in the building while the abatement crew was still in the middle of removing the asbestos. However, this posed no risk as asbestos removal operates under a tight list of protocols set by the OH&S to ensure no harmful amount of dust or loose particles are released into the air. “We ensured we could move people back in before the abatement started to happen. These abatement companies are often working while businesses continue to operate, so we were very careful about checking to make sure we weren’t moving back in prematurely,” Vachon said. The crew created a negative air pressure in the room where the removal was being done, “which means that no air from that room will circulate anywhere through the building while it’s being handled. They will take the material out and they will clean that room before they turn the positive pressure back on to bring air back into the hospital,” she added. |
More Story Headlines
| Conversations that cause nightmares Sometime last week during our afternoon coffee break the general topic of the 15 minute rest period [ ... ] |
| Distracted driving continues to be a problem Distracted driving continues to be a major problem for Saskatchewan law enforcement. |
| No clear connection found between radon levels and cancer Living in a province with one of the highest amounts of uranium in the world may have an adverse eff [ ... ] |
| Hospital schematic design approved A new milestone has been made in the progress towards a new integrated health care facility for the [ ... ] |