Corrective Actions in Place Following Glenmary School Closure
Posted: December 13, 2017
Following the Glenmary School closure in the afternoon of Monday December 11th, the Holy Family Catholic Regional Division (HFCRD) is pleased to report that the corrective actions outlined by Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) have been put in place in order for construction to resume.
On Monday December 11th, a piece of construction machinery expelled diesel exhaust fumes through air vents in the school. After repeated attempts to contain the fumes by the contractor, Superintendent Betty Turpin determined that closing the school was in the best interests of student and staff safety. All parents were notified, and all students and staff exited the school safely. Two students experienced respiratory concerns and were treated by medical professionals. Fire alarms did not go off because no smoke was expelled. Further, the Peace River Fire Department did not detect any carbon monoxide in the air.
This unexpected situation was taken very seriously by HFCRD and by contractor Jen-Col Construction. The Safety Manager of Jen-Col Construction Scott Duncan and a representative from OH&S investigated the situation all day on Tuesday December 12th and performed a thorough inspection and created a plan moving forward. OH&S outlined a number of corrective actions that needed to be put in place before construction could resume. Jen-Col Construction has confirmed that all corrective actions have been completed as of 3:00 p.m on December 12th.
The corrective actions in place include:
- Increased air quality monitoring for O2, H2S and CO,
- Installation of a four foot diameter fan in the construction area that will push construction air outdoors, and suck air from the school into the construction area,
- All work scopes inside the building which involve combustion engines will be carried out after school operation hours.
All current construction work requiring combustible engines has been completed as of last evening.
“Student and staff safety will always be our highest priority. We are very grateful for the many supports we received. We are confident that the corrective actions now in place will greatly reduce air quality concerns moving forward,” said Superintendent Betty Turpin. “A very special thank you to the Glenmary School staff who displayed incredible professionalism in these unusual circumstances, and to the emergency responders, contractor, subcontractors, and OH&S for their continued support to ensure our students and staff remain safe.”
