Tensions Build between Nurses Union and Northwell’s Staten Island Hospital Over Workplace Health and Safety
Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) threatened to arrest New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) representatives if they continue conducting environmental testing without hospital permission, according to a September 24 letter from the hospital to the union’s legal director.
“While SIUH respects NYSNA performing its representational duties, the hospital will not yield its countervailing property rights,” the letter read. “Moreover, SIUH will post its property and reserves the right to seek law enforcement intervention against any such trespassers.”
The letter follows a year-long struggle over safety conditions between hospital, owned by Northwell Health, and the nurses union. In the past year, more than 60 staff at the maternity ward and neighboring units filed over 270 environmental exposure incident reports after experiencing acute symptoms of physical illness at work.
Reported symptoms include lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea, GI issues, and eye, throat and nose irritation, which are consistent with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) list of side effects from exposure to mold and anesthetic gases.
The trespassing threat came after a health and safety inspection of the maternity ward and several other wards that came back positive for mold, according to Maddalena Spero, NYSNA President for Staten Island.
NYSNA went a step beyond the initial parameters of the testing and sent their representative, David Pratt, and two contracted industry hygienists to test at least 6 additional areas of the hospital for mold. These were locations that staff and union members repeatedly cited as having odors, or where they experienced symptoms.
The hospital claimed the additional testing disrupted patient care and caused unspecified property damage.
“Besides causing property damage and depriving SIUH of the opportunity to conduct simultaneous testing, the testing these industrial hygienist conducted is of questionable validity,” the hospital’s letter read.
The nurses dispute this and have asked for copies of property damage reports.
NYSNA and staff are not only concerned with mold. They are also worried about the trace amounts of anesthetic and hydraulic gases detected in a December air test of the maternity ward by SIUH.
The hospital contends that the presence of gases is within recommended guidelines. “The tests detected trace concentrations of the anesthetic gases sevoflurane and nitrous oxide, which are routinely used during surgical procedures,” Christian Preston, a hospital spokesman, said in a statement. “The concentrations observed were significantly below the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s recommended exposure limits.”
Per the CDC, anesthetic gases are not to be utilized in maternity units because they can lead to miscarriages and pose reproductive health risks. The nursery in 4D has been remediated for mold damage but current levels of anesthetic and hydraulic gases in the unit are unknown.
Arbitration between the two sides over workplace safety grievances is scheduled for October 15.
