Brattleboro State Office Closed Due To “Condensation Issues.” Employees Concerned About Mold

Here is an excerpt from an email sent by a DOH manager to employees earlier today:

“I just received word that the Brattleboro building will be closed for the next week due to condensation issues related to the window replacement. We are asking all staff to work from home if at all possible. If you do need to go in we can go into the building quickly but otherwise we can go into 41 Spring Street. I hope to put out some more information tomorrow after…surveys the building and the space at 41 Spring St.

If you have any appointments at the building, please call and reschedule. I have reached out to the lab about the water samples and seeing if we can discontinue for 1 week.

Here is part of what one Brattleboro VSEA member sent to VSEA, after learning about the building’s closure:

I work out of the Brattleboro office and our building has been under construction to replace windows. We have complained a few times about the workers and how the work was being done while we were occupying the building; the humidity being so high the tile floors and carpet was wet. One BPS was shut in an office while a construction worker spray foamed windows. The smell was terrible all down the hall, and he shut her in there. We had to get fans to blow it down the hall so she didn’t pass out from the fumes.

We voiced concerns about mold and were brushed off and told it was just dust, all the whole continuing to work through it and suffering symptoms of mold such as headaches, coughing, insomnia and more.

Note: VSEA will be bringing this issue to the statewide Safety & Health Labor Management Committee