Frustration over the problems with the laboratories in the Feringa Building has become so severe that some researchers are being ‘verbally aggressive’ towards installers and safety staff.
‘This may be understandable, but it is not acceptable’, writes the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) board to its staff. ‘The people you encounter in the labs are not responsible for the situation.’
Gerard Roelfes, director of the Stratingh Institute, confirms that staff members are frustrated. ‘People are trying to extract information from everywhere’, he says. ‘That includes the technicians working in their labs. But they don’t have the full picture either.’
Technicians have therefore been instructed not to provide information about the current situation to staff members, as this only leads to misunderstandings and rumors.
Progress
Meanwhile, there seems to be progress in resolving the issues with the air management system. ‘Now that the faculty board and the Health and Safety and Environmental Service are taking the lead, things are improving’, says Roelfes. ‘They understand the urgency of the problems. It seems like there’s now serious movement on this.’
In sections 5616 and 5615, the air management system is now functioning properly. However, the alarm systems still need to be improved before the labs can be released. The follow-up on reports also needs to be enhanced. In the other sections, work is still ongoing to adjust the ventilation and exhaust systems.
According to the faculty board, the new approach, where the board meets every other day with the involved parties to discuss progress, is working well.
Functioning properly
On Wednesday, the faculty board announced that the air management system is now functioning properly in all parts of the building. The programming of the building management system, which monitors the performance of the installations so that interventions can be made, is not yet complete. Additionally, the testing of gas lines has not been fully finalized.
However, the faculty board hopes that the first laboratories can be put back into use during the week of October 7 or 14.
It has also been decided to keep the Feringa Building open for a longer period around Christmas and New Year’s. Instead of closing for two full weeks, the faculty board plans to close the building only between December 25 and January 1.