OSHA tests Butte Hall

On Feb. 1 an inspector from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted air tests inside Chico State’s Butte Hall.

James Craigwood said he took six “representative” air samples from different locations in the building. The tests did not include areas above the ceiling panels where asbestos fireproofing is sprayed on the steel framework. In January 2011 the area above the ceiling panels was tested by a private company and asbestos was not detected.

Concerns about health conditions inside the seven-story building were raised last summer following the lung-cancer-related deaths of two people who had worked in it. Those with concerns point to the many places holes in the ceiling panels have been patched and wonder how well they shield the space below.

Craigwood said his report should be made public within two weeks.