City building ‘shook’ and was evacuated — twice (Update 2)

Mystery to the cause of some form of tremor felt at Global House, which has resulted in the Church Street building being evacuated twice this morning, has been solved.

According to employees in the Government building, staff were ordered to leave the premises after ‘shaking’ was felt. They were told it was safe to return by 10am

However, within 20 minutes of their return to their desks, staff were ordered to leave the building again — only to go back inside within half an hour.

Staff from Works and Engineering have carried out an inspection of Global House following reports of the building shaking. The fault was found to be a faulty air conditioning unit on the fourth floor which has now been turned off.

Works staff have advised that the building is safe to occupy.

FRIDAY, JULY 4: Statement by Minister of Public Works Patricia Gordon-Pamplin

Mr. Speaker, I rise to today to inform this Honourable House concerning the emergency evacuation of Global House that took place yesterday morning. 

Mr. Speaker, several Government staff and clients had evacuated the Government building following reports of significant vibrations and loud knocking noises. The Ministry of Public Works technical officers and engineers were immediately on the scene in order to carry out investigations on the third and fourth floors. It was determined that the vibrations and noise originated from an air conditioning unit, housed on the northern end of the roof.

Mr. Speaker, on closer inspection of the unit, it was determined a fan blade, a part of the motor, had broken off and caused the unit to operate in an unbalanced manner.   The unit, which was subsequently shut down by the air conditioning technicians, sits on a metal frame that is bolted directly to the concrete roof deck, and consequently, the vibrations and noise transferred from the unit through to the building’s steel framing.  Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, this led to some of occupants of the building experiencing more vibrations and noises than others in the offices, and resulted in understandable anxiety.

Mr. Speaker, after the inspection, the Ministry of Public Works technical officers, the Permanent Secretary and I met and addressed the staff on the sidewalk outside of the building to apprise them of what had occurred.   

Mr. Speaker, at that briefing, concern was expressed regarding the shutting down of the air conditioning unit and its impact on the supply of fresh air delivery and exchange to the building.   Accordingly, staff was advised that only the fourth floor would be impacted as the unit in question supplies conditioned air only to that floor. The rest of the building runs on a separate plant for the main supply of conditioned air.  Staff from the fourth floor were advised to leave their office doors ajar so that the air can circulate through the floor space to help keep conditioned air at a comfortable level while the Buildings Team undertakes the repairs to the air conditioning unit.

Mr. Speaker, notwithstanding the explanations, some staff were reluctant to return to the building without having first spoken with their Union representative and receiving written notice that it was safe to enter the building.  Within short order, Mr. Ed Ball, General Secretary of the BPSU was on site.  Simultaneously, the notification, initiated by the technical officers after their assessment, was disseminated by DCI and received by staff.  These actions together helped to quell the concerns, and all staff returned to work.

Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Public Works and its Department of Public Lands and Buildings wishes to extend its sincere apologies for the incident, the inconvenience and the anxiety that were caused by this mechanical fault.  The Ministry would also like to take this opportunity convey its appreciation to Mr. Ball and the DCI for their quick response, and, in advance,  to the occupants of Global House for their understanding while work is undertaken to repair the air conditioning system as quickly as possible.

Thank you Mr. Speaker