Blumenthal: VA received complaints ahead of fatal explosion
WEST HAVEN — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs received warnings about potentially unsafe conditions before a steam explosion claimed two lives at the VA medical center in West Haven in November, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday.
Euel Sims, 60, and Joe O’Donnell, 36, were killed when a steam pipe exploded in a building on the hospital’s campus Nov. 13.
Blumenthal said two whistleblowers had stepped forward to share documents, dating back to 2018, illustrating that VA management had been warned prior to the incident about potential safety concerns regarding the hospital’s infrastructure, including by Sims.
Concerns were shared about the steam pipes at the hospital, among more general issues with the working conditions there, Blumenthal said.
“I am so deeply troubled by these documents and the whistleblower reports of the VA’s failure to respond to these complaints,” said Blumenthal. “They provide powerful evidence that complaints of unsafe conditions were either disregarded or dismissed by some of the top VA management.”
He said he had asked the Office of the Inspector General, an independent body within the VA, to investigate the complaints illustrated in the documents, as well as potential retaliation by the VA against those that shared their concerns. An employee had alleged he was demoted because he spoke up about potential hazards, Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal declined to immediately release the documents in question to the press. He said he would be willing to do so, but would prefer to let the Office of the Inspector General review them first.
Blumenthal said the complaints illustrated the general state of disrepair and age of the infrastructure at the VA hospital, and called for greater investment there.
“Our prayers are with the families of the victims of this explosion,” Pamela R. Redmond, with Public Affairs for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, said. “Due to an ongoing investigation, we are unable to comment on this matter.
“We are cooperating fully with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is leading this investigation, and remain committed to ensuring we provide a safe environment for our staff and patients,” Redmond said.
David Cann, director of field services and education with the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents workers at the hospital, said Monday that concerns about the facility had been raised ahead of the explosion, including whether its maintenance was appropriate and whether management had the proper certifications to appropriately judge the safety of work requests.
“Those concerns were swept under the rug,” Cann alleged.
Cann said the union is striving to get the Veterans Affairs Administration to certify that the building where the incident took place, listed as Building 22 at the hospital, was safe for workers to enter after the explosion.
According to a request for information sent to the VA by the union, union employees are working out of the first floor of the building at this time. The building initially had been closed entirely after the explosion, according to the request for information.
The VA has not yet responded, Cann said, prompting the union to file a complaint with the Federal Labor Relations Authority.