HARTFORD — A federal investigation released Monday of a hot steam accident that killed two workers conducting maintenance on a boiler system at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Connecticut substantiates a whistleblower's allegations that employees did not follow proper protocols to control hazardous energy or receive adequate training, among other violations.
The report, released by the Office of Special Counsel, includes 18 recommendations for corrective action, including a comprehensive safety training program. However, a letter accompanying the new report indicates the whistleblower and Special Counsel Henry Kerner remain concerned that safety hazards at the VA hospital in West Haven have still not been addressed — two years after the deadly incident.
“I too am distressed by the continued failure to ensure the facility is safe for employees and veterans,” Kerner wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden. “It is unacceptable that life-threatening safety hazards remain in place at the West Haven VA despite numerous calls for the agency to correct them.”
Kerner wrote that he intends to follow up with the hospital in 60 days to make sure the recommendations are fully implemented.
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