QEH laboratory staff stage walkout over ‘health hazards’

taff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital laboratory staged a walkout on Friday in protest against severe health hazards in their working environment.

The action follows years of complaints about perilous and unacceptable conditions that have persisted despite repeated appeals for improvement.

“The laboratory staff has been extremely patient and long-suffering,” Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW)

Wayne Walrond told Barbados TODAY. “For several years, the staff . . . have been plagued with environmental problems.”

He said these issues have led to serious health complications among the staff, including acute respiratory ailments.

“Some workers would have experienced coughing with blood, and workers have been extremely distressed by the discomfort caused by the presence of mould,” the union official disclosed.

The QEH laboratory is not just an ageing facility but one that has become increasingly unfit for purpose, Walrond declared.

While management has made attempts to address the situation through interim measures such as cleaning, these efforts have proven insufficient. “The cleaning will have to be even more frequent if staff are to continue to function in the interim,” he stressed.

Walrond has called for the fast-tracking of a new facility, a project that has been in discussion for several years but has yet to materialise.

“It’s a matter of the situation with the lab and having to have proper accommodation,” he stated. “This must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.”

The NUPW official emphasised that the current state of the laboratory is untenable, and it is critical for the health and safety of the staff that a new, suitable facility be built as soon as possible.

A meeting with QEH management has been scheduled to discuss the matter further.

“The union will lend support to staff in any representation that would be required and will make itself available for the meeting,” Walrond said.

He pointed out that the issues faced by the QEH laboratory are part of a larger problem affecting many buildings, both old and new, across the island. Walrond called for a comprehensive discussion with various stakeholders, including builders, environmentalists, health professionals, and labour representatives, to focus on the design and construction of buildings in Barbados.

The NUPW deputy general secretary further called for a more proactive approach to safety and health.

Walrond stressed the need for comprehensive safety and health policies across both the public and private sectors and advocated for safety and health practices to be integrated into personal lives.

“Safety and health are our business on the job and off the job,” he said, urging a more holistic approach to living a safe and healthy life.