UVic says there is no risk to residents
Photo via UVic.ca.
On Jan. 14, residents of the Richard Wilson residence building at UVic were notified by one of their community leaders (CLs) of a burst pipe on the third floor. The incident flooded the women’s bathroom and surrounding hallway, resulting in the closure of all three floors of women’s bathrooms.
In the meantime, residents were told by their CLs to use the second-floor boys bathroom. Four days later, the first and second floor women’s washrooms were opened, and the residents were notified.
“There was some overlap that I know was not pleasant for many people, including myself,” Hana Helms-Shore, who lives in the building, told the Martlet. She explained that there was miscommunication about who was supposed to be using the washroom. This led to a sharing of the washroom that was an uncomfortable experience for her. At this point residents had only heard updates from CLs rather than from UVic Residence Services.
On Jan. 19, four days after the burst pipe incident, residents found the third-floor washroom taped off with a sign warning of a danger of asbestos. According to Helms-Shore, this led to unease and confusion among residents about why they were doing reconstruction of the walls and the safety measures in regards to the possible exposure to the dangerous material.
Later that evening, residents received an update from Residence Services. It stated, “The signage is to ensure contractors wear their appropriate protective equipment and follow worksite protocols while working in the space. There is no danger to you or others in the building.”
“It did put me at ease a bit because I knew what was happening,” said Helms-Shore.
“When we have urgent incidents such as the one within Richard Wilson, the university engages outside expertise to immediately attend to advise on appropriate precautions and engage in clean up and repair,” a UVic spokesperson said in an email to the Martlet. “Due to the age of the building and out of an abundance of caution this space was immediately closed. Testing indicated that some areas impacted by the water leak did contain [asbestos-containing materials].”
Several days later, a resident posted a Snapchat story depicting many garbage bags labeled “asbestos” that had supposedly been removed from the bathroom.
“Some limited material was removed with work being completed above WorkSafe safety standards,” said the spokesperson, explaining that due to the amount of water damage it was not possible to dry the bathroom walls, ceiling, and floor in situ.
“I’d rather not be inhaling asbestos, if it is there. I [didn’t] know because [UVic] didn’t say anything,” said Helms-Shore. “I would have rather had some communication,” she added, explaining that more information about the safety measures would have eased her anxiety about the risks.
According to a UVic spokesperson, “Repair work is well underway with work expected to be complete the week of Feb. 19.”
