More post office employees fall ill; government lab report recommends changes
More employees at the General Post Office in St Kitts are falling ill and are on sick leave due to a longstanding mold issue, months after a report from the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards (SKNBS) recommended some sweeping changes.
The Parcel Post Section of the General Post Office on the Bay Road should have been relocated since early May, but according to several sources, ministry officials have failed to follow through on that promise.
Recent reports have indicated that a number of employees, including a very senior official were on medical leave from the Basseterre Post Office because of lingering unhealthy conditions.
At that time some four persons were said to be affected but that number has since risen to almost 10 by the end of May, a source disclosed.
“It is recommended that the Post Office area physical structure undergo some changes,” the Laboratory Report from the SKNBS, dated March 25 states.
“It is also recommended that steps be taken to remove any moss/ mold like materials from the walls and ceiling,” the report continued.
“All areas had some level of mold but the parcel post room is the only area that had elevated levels,” the report specified.
There have been repeated calls from citizens to curb the issue of poor maintenance of government structures as the belief is the problem is not just one of ethics but safety and health of employees.