By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
November 2, 2005
The state has cited the Greenwich Police Department for failing to provide required annual safety training for handling hazardous materials and blood-borne pathogens and ordered that it be provided soon, police said.
A written citation from the state Department of Labor's Occupational Health & Safety Administration is expected to follow within two weeks, stipulating the training be done within 30 days, said Lt. Daniel Allen, a spokesman for the department. OSHA officials could not be reached for comment.
In a vote of no confidence last month, the police union cited the lack of the safety training as an example of poor leadership by Chief James Walters. Walters was not available for comment yesterday.
"I think it's unfortunate that it has to come to them forcing the town to give us required training," said Sgt. James Bonney, president of the Silver Shield Association. "They should do it not only because it is required by OSHA, but to protect the officers on blood-borne pathogen and Haz-Mat calls."
According to Allen, an OSHA inspector visited Monday and told Walters and police administrators that department training did not meet OSHA requirements.
"They said our training needs to be orientated toward the procedures of handling things instead of generic discussions of hazardous material and blood-borne pathogens," Allen said.
Hazardous-material training includes procedures for responding to accidents in which chemicals and other materials have been spilled, assessing which hazardous materials have been released or if biological or chemical weapons are involved. It also involves assisting fire and other emergency personnel by setting up a perimeter around a Haz-Mat site.
Blood-borne pathogen training includes the handling of bodily fluids and procedures for those times when officers are possibly exposed to disease from blood, urine or other materials, Allen said.
Not included in the citation, according to Allen, is the department's bioterrorism training, which includes the proper use of gas masks and chemical protection suits.
Last month, police union officials complained -- and made it part of their no-confidence vote -- that the town had yet to train officers to use the suits, and failed to take advantage of federal grants to pay overtime to free up officers for the training.
Town officials said they were waiting for final authorization of a $400,000 Homeland Security grant to pay for the training, and would not pay for it out of town funds.
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