MBTA security officers weren’t instantly notified of a choice to close down a piece web site Saturday contained in the Red Line’s Ashmont Tunnel due to air high quality issues, a state of affairs that one worker described as “embarrassing,” based on inside emails obtained by the Herald.
The work stoppage on the Ashmont Tunnel comes solely days right into a two-week partial shutdown of the Red Line for crews to make monitor repairs to get rid of gradual zones. But a string of Sunday emails despatched between MTBA security officers reveals the venture is already operating into potential communication points.
In one e mail, MBTA Safety Engineering Deputy Director John Murray mentioned he attends two replace calls daily that require him to boost and report any points or issues the company’s security division could have with the Red Line venture.
He mentioned he realized of the Ashmont Tunnel state of affairs on a 7 a.m. name Sunday, based on the e-mail.
“There was an incident last night in the Ashmont Tunnel where a decision was made to shut down the work zone because of reported elevated carbon monoxide levels. Unfortunately, this issue was not reported to the (operations control center) or our department, an embarrassing situation that I had no knowledge of for today’s 7 a.m. meeting,” Murray mentioned in a mass e mail to the MBTA’s security division.
Murray mentioned, “safety must be notified of any and all occurrences” irrespective of how minor so security officers “can determine the level of our involvement and work to mitigate any harm to the safety and well-being of everyone who is working on the surge projects.”
In one other e mail, MBTA Deputy Chief Safety Officer Dennis Lytton mentioned low oxygen or excessive carbon monoxide ranges “can get dangerous very quickly.”
“The absence of notification to safety of a dangerous environmental condition can’t be repeated going forward. Also, the lack of accounting for ventilation needs by Middlesex for work inside the Ashmont Tunnel, a well-known ‘legacy’ issue in this tunnel with no mechanical ventilation system, is very concerning to me,” Lytton mentioned in an e mail to different T officers, referencing the contractor on the venture, Middlesex Corporation.
MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston mentioned because the state of affairs unfolded contained in the Ashmont Tunnel, work was instantly suspended.
“Top MBTA managers, including the chief of infrastructure, were in the field at the time, and they were addressing the matter in real-time,” Battiston mentioned in a press release. “During the 16-day project, daily information is shared at three conference calls each day involving multiple MBTA departments, including the safety department and the control center.”
Middlesex Corporation started heavy building within the Ashmont Tunnel with a number of items of diesel powered gear just like ones in different areas the place exhaust followers are in place, based on the MBTA.
But this part of the Ashmont Tunnel didn’t have exhaust followers and further air flow gear is required for work to proceed safely, the company mentioned.
Battiston mentioned air high quality screens have been positioned throughout the Red Line tunnel earlier than work started. After a number of hours of labor Saturday, an “air quality concern” was reported associated to heavy building throughout the Ashmont Tunnel and the work crew was relocated, Battiston mentioned.
“At that time, the MBTA’s safety team temporarily suspended the work taking place in this area until a full assessment of the air quality could be conducted, that the air quality was normal, and that it was safe to resume work,” Battiston mentioned in a press release. “The contractor is working with the safety department to address the air quality issues within the tunnel and provide a ventilation plan in order to optimize the construction efforts.”
Occupational Health and Safety Deputy Director James Marcello mentioned in a single Sunday e mail that the MBTA talked “during the last major surge” with Middlesex Corporation concerning the want to usher in transportable air flow to maintain carbon monoxide ranges low.
“Middlesex is an experienced contractor and has dealt with this issue in the past while working in the tunnels. There really is no excuse for this to be happening again. They have their own safety people that monitor their work activity,” Marcello mentioned in an e mail.
Middlesex Corporation didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark despatched to a normal e mail handle listed on their web site. Calls to their workplace went unanswered.
Battiston mentioned crews have continued working within the space with battery-operated instruments, “which has allowed the work to safely continue while the permanent ventilation plan is developed.”
Murray, in one other e mail Sunday morning, mentioned Middlesex would cease work on the Ashmont Tunnel “until the ventilation situation is resolved.”
“I will recommend that (occupational health and safety) pay a visit to the tunnel to evaluate air quality in general and get a reading on O2 and CO levels before any fans are turned on. This is important because even after the surge, there will undoubtedly be night work happening in the tunnel in the future,” Murray mentioned in a Sunday e mail.
Battiston mentioned the transit company anticipated “all deliberate building work being completed on schedule.
“Because the work inside the tunnel was suspended, the MBTA shifted the personnel and resources to other locations along the line where work was scheduled for later in the 16-day shutdown,” Battiston mentioned.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”