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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has given the Department of Health the green light to resume normal business hours on Monday following a two-and-a-half day closure last week to conduct air-quality testing.
Health Commissioner Julia Sheen, who met with OSHA officials as late as Sunday afternoon, said that OSHA found that the root cause of an odor that employees complained about last week, was the malfunctioning of the air conditioning system.
“OSHA found that the air quality was sufficient to resume operations, though they will continue to monitor the situation, “ Sheen said. “Their investigation showed that the AC system, which was not working properly was the root cause of the problem. They also commended our workers for the extraordinary effort in getting this building ready to reopen on Monday.”
Sheen said that the air conditioning system has since been repaired and that in addition to the air-quality testing, a cleaning company also worked through the weekend to get the building ready for employees as well as clients.
Employees who were sent home last week are to report to work on Monday, Sheen said.
“I want to publicly thank them for their patience as we worked to rectify the problem,” she said. “I also want to thank those employees who came in to work, even while we were closed to the public, to accommodate clients who needed prescriptions filled.”
The Office of the Health Commissioner remained open during the nearly three-day closure, fielding calls from the public and ensuring that clients with emergencies received assistance.
“I was pleased to see the commitment of our nurses, doctors and regular staff, who showed up to work when they could have taken the time off,” Sheen said.
Sheen and Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls, who has been working closely with the Department to provide mechanical engineering assistance, were guests on a radio show over the weekend to provide updates to the community.
Smalls said that long-term, the AC unit which cools the 99,000 square-foot building will have to be maintained more frequently to alleviate any future problems like what was experienced following a power outage over the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.
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