Democrat reports on district staff air quality concerns
In a report entitled "A general air of uncertainty" compiled by Lizeth Cazares, the Daily Democrat has finally published a story about district office air quality from the staff perspective. You can click the title of this story to access the complete article.
Here are a few tasty tidbits from the report:
Tidbit Number One:
As the district received complaints and reviewed information by health and environmental agencies, officials decided to take action.
District administrators moved the entire group of employees out of 628 and 626 Cottonwood St. last month. The officies are located immediatley north of the school district office, which itself is a former hardware store, once known as PV Ranch.
Tidbit Number Two:
Jeff Pinnow, a hazardous materials specialist for the Yolo County Environmental Health Department, said the Schutze report was limited and that the levels of PCE could be higher or lower.
Whether the building is safe or not, Pinnow isn't sure.
"Based on four samples, I wouldn't say one way or another," he said.
Pinnow said the standards Schutze used to measure the safety of the building's PCE levels - The Regional Water Quality Control Board standards known as Environmental Screening Levels - are looked upon as recommendations rather than problem indicators.
These ESLs are significantly lower than the recommended EPA levels.
Tidbit Number Three
District Superintendent Jacki Cottingim said the planned move is all about the health of the district's employees.
"People can say what they want, but the fact is that this has been an environmental problem that goes back to 1992," she said.
It wasn't just the Schutze report that caused the district to move its employees, Cottingim said. The district also brought in an occupational doctor to talk to the staff, and when they asked him how safe the building was, the doctor seemed to dodge the answer, Cottingim said.
"A staff member directly asked him, 'Would you work here?' He said, 'No I wouldn't,' and that was good enough for us," she said.
For related Woodland Journal stories and commentary, visit the following:
FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2008
District finds Bay Area firms to dispute air quality report
SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2008
District's landlord responds to material breach allegations
MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2008
Attorney fees, Schutze report: $90,129.01 billed to school district
TUESDAY, APRIL 08, 2008
WEA chimes in on district staff relocation
10 comments:
Dino I like the way the county sidestep the report on the air.
Its sounds like the county is taking a part out of the school district text book on how to getting around answering the question.
Yea right, If anyone asked me if I would work there I would say the same thing, No I wouldn't. It would not be because of the "air quality" however.
By the way, what is an occupational doctor? And why would his opinion over-ride Mr. Pinnow's?
In other words, it is not dangerous to really warrant the evacuation, but not enough data to say that the district make them comfortable enough to completely denounce it as necessary.
Another case by the District of jumping the gun based on just enough information to get what they want, but no competent enough to really justify their actions.
Whatever happened to the recall?
11:49
I don't know. I've asked a couple of times. It may be contingent on the outcome of the special meeting coming up - whether the new lease- purchase is actually approved, or not.
9:44 and 9:47
The Bottom Dwellers should write a little shuffle in honor of our local government... "li'l diddy, 'bout Jacki and Jeffy..."
10:18
I think it's an insurance thing, this is from riskwise.com -
Goals of Occupational Medicine:
- Provide quality healthcare for the injured employee
- Decrease Workers’ Compensation Claim Cost
- Improve Worker health Status
- Provide medical/hazard control services to the workplace
Funny that the physician is unnamed.
Can anyone give a name of the this occupational doctor ?
Seems to me if they based their whole decision as they claim on the word of the so-called expert then they should be required to give us his name.
Someone out there must know who it was.
Hey what happen to the Grand Jury report???? Can any body give update
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