PBS is said to have regularly bypassed the fire alarm system and monitoring service at the Richard B. Russell building in Atlanta. Image: GSA
By: FEDweek StaffThe inspector general’s office at the GSA has highlighted findings of health and safety risks to federal employees and other persons in federal buildings as among its most significant work in a recent six-month period.
They included findings that the Public Building Service:
* “had grossly mismanaged the battery systems at the Glenn M. Anderson Federal Building [in Long Beach, Calif.] and the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse [in Santa Ana, Calif.] resulting in health and safety issues, including a battery explosion, hazardous material leaks, an injury, and a battery fire.”
* “is not consistently complying with OSHA and GSA requirements to protect GSA employees and contractors from roof fall hazards. Specifically, PBS is not providing adequate oversight of O&M contractors’ safety plans, lacks sufficient fall protection systems and protective equipment, and is not ensuring that PBS facility managers receive safety training . . . these deficiencies increase the risk of fall-related injury or death.”
* regularly bypassed the fire alarm system and monitoring service at the Richard B. Russell building in Atlanta, “disabling both audible and visual notifications” and that it “has not repaired a nonfunctioning gas leak detection sensor in the building’s chiller room. Taken together, these deficiencies place building occupants and visitors at risk of fire hazards or toxic exposure.”
* “did not fully comply with applicable laws, regulations, and PBS policies governing fire protection, worker safety, and accessibility” at the Jacob K. Javits building in New York City, and “did not notify building occupants of identified environmental, health, safety, and fire protection risks in a timely manner, in violation of PBS policies.”
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