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Union and safety advocates urge requirement for carbon-monoxide detectors in public buildings
Summary
NAGE and others told the committee that carbon-monoxide detectors should be required in schools, libraries and municipal buildings to protect staff and the public, citing past occupational incidents and existing residential requirements as precedent.
Steven Puglisi, legislative representative for the National Association of Government Employees, testified in support of House Bill 2568, which would require carbon-monoxide (CO) alarms in all residential, governmental and commercial structures in the commonwealth.
Puglisi said Massachusetts has progressed on residential CO requirements but that public buildings—schools, libraries, community centers and municipal buildings—remain vulnerable. He described a union member who required a hyperbaric chamber after a workplace CO exposure and asked why public buildings would not be equipped similarly to residences: "Why we can't just have a carbon monoxide detector in public buildings is beside me."
The committee heard the testimony as part of a series of public-safety bills; no committee vote on House Bill 2568 was recorded at the hearing.
Ending: Proponents urged the committee to adopt the measure as a commonsense public-safety requirement for publicly accessible buildings.
