Roasting in Rosenberg: Library Temperatures Uncomfortably High
By Rachel Berning
rachelo.berning@gmail.com
Students and faculty have been dealing with ongoing heat issues on the 5th floor of Rosenberg Library for over three months.
Temperatures coming from the vents have reached an alarming 107 degrees, leaving patrons sweating and hot while trying to accomplish their work. “We have been suffering and enduring extreme temperatures in the Rosenberg library 5th for more than 3 months now,” said IT Operations Support Administrator Alexandre Videvial.
According to Videvial, members of the library’s IT Department have put in 11 tickets to the Buildings and Grounds Department since September of last year. “Me and other employees have contacted the Buildings and Grounds department via tickets and phone for more than 3 months,” Vildevial said.
Vildevial wrote in one of the tickets, “The temperature on the Rosenberg Library 5th floor reached F102 on Tuesday, Dec. 8th. It was even hotter on Monday the 9th but the temperature was not documented. The current temperature right now is F86 with the library being closed to no employees. The new semester starts on Monday 13th and these temperatures are expected to increase with more bodies at these locations.” This was ticketed on Jan. 8.
Vildevial also wrote in an older ticket, filed on Dec. 16, 2019, “It is still 80f+ degrees in the Rosenberg library’s 5th floor. Please address this unhealthy working environment. This temperature issue is also affecting the servers and machines that we work on a daily basis with.”
In response, Vildevial has received emails back from the Buildings and Grounds Department that say, “We have requested your concerns and will be working on it right away. Sorry for the delay, we are always concerned when we receive complaints. During this time of year, we receive a great deal of complaints related to heat adjustments and lack of heat. The engineers are working with a heating and ventilation controls service provider to address your concerns.”
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act, employers have a duty to protect workers from recognized serious hazards in the workplace, including heat-related hazards. The people who are working in the library are at a high-risk level compared to the OSHA Act.