The employees are concerned that the smell is not only unpleasant, but may also be dangerous and result in an explosion.
By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY
Employees in Haifa's customs office are being forced to dash outside for fresh air because of an unbearable stench of sulphur in their building, reports Yediot Haifa. And the employees are concerned that the smell is not only unpleasant, but may also be dangerous and result in an explosion.
According to the report, the employees' committee has asked the central Histadrut trade union organization to declare a workplace conflict over the odors, which were first noticed back in 2003. The city and the Ministry for Environmental Protection were notified at the time, and an examination found that the gases were coming from a drain in the car park and were wafting into the building through the windows. The smells have waxed and waned over time, but last week disturbed employees to the point that they turned to the Histadrut, saying they feared the concentration of sulphuric gases could cause an explosion.
A Histadrut official said the matter was being examined, and it was not possible that a situation in which workers were being forced to suffer from such odors could continue.