State inspects hospital odor after employee complaint
Seventeen employees sought medical attention
Vermont’s workplace safety agency inspected the Vermont Medical Center’s Fanny Allen campus after receiving a complaint of an unidentified odor that caused 17 employees to seek medical attention, according to an article on the VT Digger website.
The complaint described the hazard as “Chemical exposure two weeks ago since resolved,” and says seven staff members have symptoms consistent with long-term exposure to carbon monoxide, “Vertigo, nausea, General malaise.”
Staff reported feeling nauseous on the day of the incident, after noting “the smell of exhaust, or something that smelled like fumes.”
UVMMC temporarily closed an operating room at Fanny Allen and sent affected employees to an on-site urgent care facility “out of an abundance of caution.”
November 7, 2019
Topic Area: Safety
Recent Posts
The Evolution of Lighting in Patient Care
Lighting is a significant investment that healthcare facility managers can make to aid in healing.
HealthPartners and Essentia Health to Combine Organizations
The organizations anticipate the combination will be effective Jan. 1, 2027.
Three Oaks Hospice Reports Email Breach
The company is unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of the information involved in this incident.
Achieving Better Treatment Spaces Through Co-Design
How a 20th Century industrial building became a safe space for youth seeking mental health support.
Prisma Health to Acquire 36 Urgent Care Sites in South Carolina from Novant Health
Following the close, expected November 1, 2026, the centers will operate under Prisma Health Urgent Care.