DWP staff 'terrified' as another glass sheet falls from Welsh office
'Staff are terrified to go in yet are being told the building is safe'
Glass that fell from the DWP office in Treforest industrial estate
Big sheets of glass have fallen multiple floors from a UK Government office building in Wales. Some staff based at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) site in Treforest industrial estate, Rhondda Cynon Taf, are scared to go in after two occasions in recent weeks where panes plummeted onto the ground outside.
When the 133,000 sq ft building, Ty Taf, opened in 2021 it was lauded by the then-Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, as "state of the art". But the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) has now called for it to shut until an audit takes place, telling WalesOnline: "The DWP office at Ty Taf has been a disaster since it first opened. Despite PCS raising several health and safety issues over the years, the DWP has failed to remedy the problems."
Whistleblowers say the site — which is the base of some 1,600 civil servants — has been "constantly" plagued by issues including cracking of the large panes that make up the window walls. One on the fourth floor fell out during hot weather around three weeks ago and then this week, overnight on Wednesday, August 6, one fell from the third floor.
Shattered window at DWP office in Treforest industrial estate
Staff raised concerns with the DWP after the first shattering and their safety fears have only worsened after this week's incident. The building is now closed but it is due to reopen once work takes place "early next week". The DWP says a full survey will be conducted to investigate the cause of the incident, and any recommendations will be followed.
"If this was a public-facing building, would the general public be expected to dodge the potential glass fall for an appointment?" said one whistleblower. "There would be uproar, but as we are not open to the public, civil servant staff are expected to risk their lives going to work.
"Management deem this building safe and have erected tunnels and fencing to walk around the building safely should glass randomly fall from the building. No internal measures have been put in place."
We understand another window cracked around 18 months ago — though it did not fall — and staff were reassured by the DWP at the time that it was likely the result of a "bird strike".
In recent weeks some staff have been relying on Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act — which prevents workers being punished for raising health and safety concerns — to justify working from home due to not feeling safe in the building.
Shattered window at DWP office in Treforest industrial estate
A source said: "The union is pushing for the building to close until there is a structural engineer's report. A lot of members of staff are using Section 44 because they don't feel safe going in.
"The window that fell this week had cracked a few weeks ago and had been boarded from inside, with a kind of film put over the top of it. Staff were concerned at the time that this was inadequate and have been proved right.
"Over the last few years this building has been flooded twice. Toilets are constantly out of order. There are only one or two lifts working at any one time, out of four. At one time there were faulty fire detectors installed so the fire alarm kept being tripped. There's always something. It's meant to be state of the art."
Another told us: "It floods, the lifts don't work, there are tremors felt on upper floors, the windows are cracking and falling to the ground. Staff are terrified to go in yet are being told the building is safe."
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: "We urge the DWP to urgently conduct a full audit of all our reps' safety concerns and close the office until the audit is complete and the full range of remedial measures are implemented."
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A spokeswoman for the DWP said it takes safety seriously, adding: "We have since closed the building following the damage and staff were advised to work from alternative locations.
'A full survey will be conducted to investigate the cause of the incident, and any recommendations will be taken to ensure the safety of the building.'
If you would like to speak to WalesOnline about any concerns over the building, or about another story, email us at conor.gogarty@walesonline.co.uk
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