Retail and Physical Support Service Minutes - January 15, 2015

OLD Business:

A) Ursula also requested that Physical Plant have a look at a sidewalk which leads from UC/CB side door to Lot 5. There is a section of the sidewalk by the canon that floods each spring/fall. Grounds places wooden planks in the area as pedestrians are unable to cross due to water and ice. The sidewalk has been like this for many years and it really should be fixed.

B) The Ryan building stairway, closest to the library is very cold. Mostly the area from the 1st floor down. The housekeeping employee advised that once she washed the stairs ice formed on the stairs. She had to take a rag and physically wipe the stairs to prevent it from icing up. Alex will put a work order in to check on the heater and see what can be
done about this problem.

• Dec.18, 2014 -Ursula will check with housekeeping in January when the real cold weather returns

May 29, 2014 – Since it is summer now and last winter was especially harsh, this concern will be revisited in the fall/winter. Should the same condition occur the only option will be to install a heater over the stairs?

Jan. 15, 2015 -Ursula spoke with housekeeping and they advised that it may not be the heater or lack of heat in that area but rather the fact that the doors (from the outside) don't close properly, especially if there is an accumulation of snow. Steve Gervin said that he will put a work order in to have the doors checked.

C) Physical Plant projects;

A hot yoga studio is planned for the Fieldhouse renovating the old squash court into the studio
Prettie Residence conversion is on hold due to minimal funding available
Work on replacing some of the heating lines will continue with the focus on public spaces and mechanical rooms

D) A small fibrous material was discovered recently in a CB 4th floor faculty office. Testing of the material confirmed that it contain asbestos. Air quality testing was immediately completed. The testing was conducted in the office and an additional office was tested as requested by the occupant. The results came back negative. There were no elevated levels of asbestos in the air. The air quality report is readily available in the office of Human Resources for anyone who wishes to obtain a copy. It appears that the asbestos containing material may have been disturbed by birds, which have recently been flying in certain sections of the CB.

The University has taken the following measures to address these concerns;

• two spots on the outside of CB were repaired (a possible entry route for the birds)
• two more spots on the other side of CB were identified and will be fixed but this will require the assistance of a boom truck
• regular inspections of the 4th floor offices will continue with specific focus on ceilings
• asbestos awareness training and education campaign to take place in the new year
• random air quality testing throughout the CB maybe undertaken during the year as a precautionary measure

2. The T.Bay District health unit has directed Lakehead University to take immediate action in regards to mould in the male shower rooms, ceiling and walls, the sauna area, handrails and ceiling leading to the pool area. The University has to comply by February 2015. The University is already taken action and many steps are in the process of being implemented. Ursula will advise at the next meeting of what those are.

3. The cleaning staff at both the Residence and the main campus will now have to be prepared for cleaning in the unlikely event a suspect or confirmed case of Ebola. The University will be purchasing proper PPE's and arranging for training in the New Year. Both residence and main campus housekeeping depts. have been very co-operative in this regard and we will be working on this further in January 2015.
• Jan.15, 2015 due to lack of proper trainers in Tbay the University is now looking at finding an alternate source/team for cleaning spaces in the event that there is a diagnosis of Ebola at Lakehead. Ursula will also check with other universities to see how they are preparing for this.

4. During Asbestos Awareness training it was identified that as per Reg.278/05 –asbestos 12(4).3 the following is a type 3 operation; "Cleaning or removing air handling equipment, including ridged ducting but not including filters, in a building that has sprayed fireproofing that is asbestos-containing material." This would apply to air handling equipment in RB, SN, UC and CB. Physical Plant has began discussions on creating a procedure to meet the Regs. The plan is to create a modified procedure that would allow inspections and minor maintenance (such as belt change) as a simple type 2 operation. Cleaning or removal of fan or drive motor or extensive repair work, would be considered type 3. This procedure would need to be approved by the JHSC. In addition, it was identified that the mechanical rooms in RB and SN are actually the air mixing chambers that makes the room actually a part of the air handler. We will have to find a way to work around that.

Injury Report;

No injuries this period.

Near Misses:
A mechanic slipped and landed on right side and shoulder when he stepped out in the south apt parking lot. Grounds sanded the spot immediately.

New Business:

No new business

Inspections Outstanding;

• CNFER (Barb & Stan)
• 859 Oliver Rd (Dept. of Psych. building Barb & Stan)
• CB
• Ryan Building (Steve, Matt and Rob)

Meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

NEXT MEETING: Thursday, February 19, 2015 in Avila – Physical Plant meeting room at 9:00 a.m.