Safety at work at the construction site of the Technical Faculties is lacking

The Ministry of Public Works does not have all the necessary documentation, nor does it have control coordinators when it comes to occupational safety during the reconstruction of the building of the Technical Faculties of the University of Montenegro (UCG), according to the minutes of the Occupational Safety Inspection from May 25th.

According to that document, which "Vijesti" had access to, the acting inspector left the department Majde Adžović The Ministry has 15 days to correct the irregularities found. The Ministry did not respond to the editorial office's inquiry yesterday.

"Vijesti" recently reported that the renovation of the Faculty of Engineering building has raised concerns among some in the academic community about possible health risks to students and employees, especially due to dust, smoke, and the condition of the installations in the building. However, the University of Montenegro, the Ecological Inspection, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Public Works Department claimed that no irregularities had been registered and that there was no evidence of the presence of hazardous substances.

The minutes also state that the employer, the University of Montenegro (UCG), does not have a report on the inspections and tests of work equipment.

"Inspections and tests of electrical installations on the construction site that were given to employees for use, with the assessment that the prescribed occupational health and safety measures were provided, which is not in accordance with Art. 18, paragraph 2 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act," the minutes state.

Professor at the Faculty of Science (FSc) Vladimir Jacimovic, told "Vijesti" yesterday that he called on the Ministry of Public Works to reconsider its positions expressed in the aforementioned media reports in light of new information. Jaćimović also asked the department to "inform the public about this as soon as possible."

The professor told "Vijesti" about ten days ago that he believes there is a "high probability of the extensive presence of substances that later proved to be dangerous and even carcinogenic."

"The building's plumbing and insulation are in very poor condition. This is a consequence of decades of neglect. The building's construction is an additional problem, as most classrooms are not ventilated - they have very small windows that are mostly sealed. Therefore, the air quality in classrooms depends almost entirely on ventilation," said Jaćimović.

The Environmental Inspection previously told the editorial staff that on May 13, supervision was carried out over the works on the Technical Faculty building, but that no irregularities within the jurisdiction of the Directorate for Environmental Inspection were found.

The EPA also confirmed that there were no exceedances of the prescribed limit values ​​of the measured parameters at the stationary air quality monitoring station.

"During April, there were no exceedances of the prescribed limit values ​​of any measured parameter at this measuring point. Monitoring indoor air quality is not within the competence of the Agency."

The University also said that if, during the work, even the slightest suspicion of a danger or risk to human health arose, air quality measurements would be immediately initiated.

"At this moment, there is no need for this, especially considering that the environmental inspection, during its supervision, did not find any facts that would indicate the existence of harmful substances or an increased presence of dust during the work," they stated.