CONSTRUCTION bosses are placing employees in danger, exposing them to a host of health and safety risks, an electrician fired four months ago for his forthright comments on industry practice, has claimed.According to Ross White, he and other workers involved in the remodelling of guest rooms at the Fairmont Southampton Princess were unknowingly exposed to asbestos which their employers, P&M Electrical, failed to properly secure.

An industry veteran and vice-president of the Construction Division for the Bermuda Industrial Union, it is also his contention that P&M Electrical would have kept him ignorant of the health risk were it not for the unexpected arrival of an inspector.

As stated in a letter to Government Health & Safety Officer Roger Mello (pictured below)<$>, Mr. White began work at the resort on Wednesday, January 24 and was told to install and wire bathroom lights in the guest bathrooms.

He continued the task the following day, but “after watching the plumbers core-drilling holes in the bathroom above me, I started to be worried about the ceiling above and the material on it”.

The electrician said he put a sample in a double bag so it could be tested later.

“I thought the material could contain asbestos in it but was not sure since no one said anything about it.”

It was only at work the following day that his suspicions were confirmed. As described by Mr. White: “I was working in the bathroom when Robert Bergsma, the site supervisor for Greymane, the general contractor for the project, was calling for electricians.”

Mr. White said he was told to stay out of the bathrooms or else the company risked “heavy fines” because of the asbestos. He said that Mr. Bergsma told him he was safe from risk “as long as he (didn’t) bother any material” as it was in a contained area.

“(But) I never worked within a contained area,” stated Mr. White. “All the ceiling was exposed to the public and myself. I was never provided with any protection such as a mask, protected clothing or information that the hazard existed. After talking with Robert Bergsma, Vernon Trott (the site supervisor for P&M Electrical), came back to the job site and I engaged him about the asbestos danger — he was surprised about the contained area requirement. He knew about the floors being abated and thought they were safe. So he suggested that I use a dust mask and go back into the area and work.”

It was only because he pointed out the uselessness of such protection that he was assigned to another area, Mr. White insisted. Later in the day he discovered two young boys had been sent in to finish off his job.

“The site supervisor said if they followed all the procedures they wouldn’t get the work done on time,” he said. “So there’s some shortcuts allowed — which I understand — but the asbestos was all over the place. They’re supposed to vacuum it up, and when they’re done, spray it and capsulate it so it can’t be airborne.

“(This incident took place) on the day when the Causeway was closed down because of the wind, the tiler had opened the sliding door — there was no way it couldn’t have been airborne and, by looking at it, I could tell they never cleaned it.

“So basically they endanger people’s lives and when you complain, nothing happens. I was called in the following Monday and fired.

“So is safety a concern or just a word? You decide. For now I understand why there are problems with the food and the air in the hotel. I know I would never stay in those units that they are working on since safety is not a concern.

“I wonder if the public knows about this problem or the potential for problems in the future?”