'CT building absolutely not unsafe'

| Redactie

In the last few months there was much talk of the situation at Chemical Technology. The present CT-building dates from the sixties. That can be seen on the outside, a lot of steel, glass and concrete, and on the inside. The lab-halls are set up on a grand scale, and the process hall where the AKI is housed was suitable for large set-ups. In the past 35 years much has changed. Occupational Health a

In the last few months there was much talk of the situation at Chemical Technology. The present CT-building dates from the sixties. That can be seen on the outside, a lot of steel, glass and concrete, and on the inside. The lab-halls are set up on a grand scale, and the process hall where the AKI is housed was suitable for large set-ups.

In the past 35 years much has changed. Occupational Health and Safety laws have become much more strict, and there is a higher need for offices and space for project-education. The present building no longer satisfies the demands, in short it is high time something happened. The roof is leaking, the lab-halls stink, the exhaust system does not function properly, the sewer has problems and the offices for staff and students are overcrowded.

But is the building really in this bad a shape, and what about safety? It is time to talk to the company engineer, ing. R.W.J.M. van Leeuwen.

In what kind of shape is the building actually?

'The CT building is old, but absolutely not unsafe. It can be compared to an old car. It is time to replace it, but it will have to do for now. The car is still going, and passes the periodical tests for safety . It is the same for the CT-building. It is old, but still safe to work in.'

There are complaints about the exhaust system, air that is sucked out is supposedly going back in.

'That is almost impossible. The exhaust from the fume cupboards, 800 m3 per cupboard per hour, goes to the roof and is discharged there. The air is rarefied strongly both in the exhaust system and on the roof. Air is sucked back in from downstairs, the chance that something comes back in is small, and even if it happens, the air is already strongly rarefied.'

'The fume cupboards have all been checked this year, that will happen every two years. Of the 350 thirteen were not working properly and have been prepared. Asbestos measurements are done on a regular basis; asbestos is incorporated everywhere in the building. In addition, in the last few years huge investments have been made for, for example, the storage of chemicals.'

Why then the complaints about the stench?

'At a certain point large quantities of two substances were dumped and together they produced a sickening stench. The second problem is the sewers themselves, because they have subsided in a numberof places some sewage remains in the pipes. This combination of factors caused the stench. In the fourth week of January the sewers will be blown through from the lab-tables, then the problem will be solved. '

What will happen to the building?

'That is still unclear, it will mainly be a question of money. A new building as planned costs 130 million guilder. Renovation will cost seventy to eighty percent of that, but renovation has a much larger impact on the staff, because of the temporary removal of lab set-ups and offices. I expect that a decision will be taken on this before the summer.'

'Something needs to happen. CT uses approximately forty percent of the total energy used by the university. The air is blown out without any heat-reclamation. Also, it is very difficult to control the temperature because of the large spaces, seeing that the upper floor is essentially one big room.'

Is the existing building still safe to work in?

'Certainly! The building is not unsafe to work in. Otherwise we would close it immediately.'

'Finally, I would like to tell you that we do not economise on safety. And if there are questions about the safety of the building, people can always come to me or one of my colleagues.'

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