Demand for action

QEH engineering staff protest amid concerns about incinerator danger, rodent problems

By Emmanuel Joseph

The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has put the country on notice of potential compromise to the island’s healthcare system if urgent action is not taken to replace the critical incinerator at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

The union’s deputy general secretary Wayne Walrond and industrial relations officer Lisa Allicock issued the warning on Friday during protest action by engineering staff of the hospital who are demanding that the decade-old matter be speedily resolved.

In fact, Walrond cautioned management that if progress is not made within a reasonable time, the union will take whatever action is necessary.

After reporting the outcome of recent “unsatisfactory” discussions with the management of the hospital to the workers, Allicock told the media that the incinerator, which is critical to eliminating all medical waste, is on the verge of collapse and poses a danger to the safety and life of the engineers.

She said the hospital had agreed, in principle, to replace the piece of equipment but, to date, the union has not been able to get management to make any movement in that direction.

Allicock said while the QEH management said they were waiting on the European International Bank (EIB) for funding, “it is at a stage where if we do not make a serious move in replacing this incinerator, it can cause serious harm to not only the staff that has to go in and service this piece of equipment, but it can cause a ripple impact on the well being of the entire health sector and the country as a whole”.

“The incinerator,” Allicock advised, “is a very, very important piece of equipment. It literally incinerates all of the medical waste. Medical waste is not something you can take off property to be incinerated. It is something that has to be incinerated here at the hospital, and it is about to shut down.”

The industrial relations officer said it had been drawn to the union’s attention that the incinerator has holes in it, which threatens the structural integrity of the vital piece of equipment.

“We are [therefore] concerned that our staff who go into the incinerator to do any mechanical servicing can fall in on them and cause serious injury or even death,” Allicock warned.

She is adamant that the management of the hospital needs to take them seriously because the two sides have been discussing this matter for several years.

Allicock also pointed out that the company which manufactured the existing incinerator no longer exists.

She also highlighted other concerns that the NUPW said need to be fixed in short order.

“There is also an issue with rodents…rodents in the vicinity of the workshop, the kitchen, the sewing room, the physiotherapy department…rodents running rampant in those areas. This is a hospital, and we are concerned that this issue can escalate and become worse. It is also posing a serious health threat for not only the staff here at the QEH but also individuals who come into the hospital to be serviced. That is a concern of ours,” the industrial relations officer said.

Allicock also reported that the restructuring of the engineering department was another source of grievance.

“The hospital recognises that the department requires restructuring but, to date, we believe that the management of the hospital has been dragging its foot and is not taking us seriously. So that is another thing that we need to get sorted out,” she stated.

Allicock said there were also serious concerns about problems procuring “simple things like nuts and bolts” which is “causing an impact on how the staff of this department can fully function and it is posing a serious issue for the staff”.

Barbados TODAY’s efforts to reach either QEH chief operations officer Dr Christine Greenidge or communications specialist Shane Sealy were unsuccessful up to the time of publication.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb