Students and staff complain LT Gay problems persist

It appears that environmental issues at the Lawrence T. Gay Memorial Primary School have not gone away.

Students and staff there have complained that the odour which kept them from the physical plant for prolonged periods has resurfaced.

On Thursday president of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell told Barbados TODAY that he continues to get complaints and was concerned that the health and safety aspects of the school environment were not receiving enough attention from the Ministry of Education.

“There are ongoing safety and health concerns at Lawrence. T. Gay Primary where we are still receiving complaints about the strong odour,” Lovell said in a statement. He further disclosed that there have also been concerns raised by the staff at a secondary school in St. Michael regarding structural issues including cracks in concrete ceilings and floors and water seepage through concrete roofs.

“All have the potential to affect the industrial relations climate if not adequately addressed.”

The union said it has written to the permanent secretary and the Board of Management of the secondary school without a response.

“Some of our members are deeply concerned for their safety and health and we are sure our employer is aware of the Safety and Health at Work (SHaW) Act, especially, the general duties of an occupier or employer (6) part (5), which states that ‘it shall be the duty of every occupier to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees’.”

Lovell said he was also worried that the union was still unable to access schools’ environmental reports from the ministry.

“While we will do everything possible in the interest of

the teaching and learning process, we have no intention of jeopardising the safety and health of any school occupant,” the statement said.

The union said it has had challenges acquiring environmental reports carried out on school compounds.

“Again, I wish to remind those in authority that the SHaW Act section 104 part (5) (c) states

that ‘the employees’ representatives shall be granted access to information relating to all workplace hazards and all reports relating to the workplace environment’.”

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the Environmental Health Department, carried out an investigation to find out the source of the odour at the Lawrence T. Gay school. Several air quality tests and investigations were also conducted in 2020 but none of the findings was published.

The Spooner’s Hill, St Michael school was closed on multiple occasions throughout the years due to environmental issues.

Students and staff, especially those based on the Carlisle Clarke Block, which houses class 2, 3 and 4 students, complained of a pungent gaseous smell that was causing them headaches, a burning sensation in the throat, burning eyes and/or itchy skin.

The school closed in 2016 and 2019 and in January, just before the March 2020 outbreak of COVID-19 in Barbados, the students were relocated to various churches.

Classes were also disrupted in May and the school was closed on more than one occasion.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb