A Site for sore eyes

A construction site outside a building under construction. It is the house for many organisations’ offices.//by Nuttapone Tipvateeamorn

After years of standing up for others, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC) has a battle of its own to fight.

"We help protect other people's human rights but at the moment we can't protect our own," says an NHRC staff representative, voicing concerns about a working environment staff say is dangerous.

For months, officials have been barraged with dust, fumes and noise as their offices are constructed around them in a new government complex on Chaeng Wattana Road.

Today, they are meeting with the construction firm Dhanarak Asset Development in a desperate effort to find ways of tackling the problems.

Slew of symptoms

Staff have kept doctors busy with a range of symptoms since moving to the complex at the end of December.

"My sinuses have been stinging every day since last week - I've tried changing my respirator to deal with the dust," says Joy, who didn't want to give her full name.

"Pear" (not her real name) suffers from the same problem, but her eyes have been also been irritated for days - she has a doctor's appointment for Saturday.

"We can often smell welding fumes from the air condition¬ing vents," says "Ging", also reluctant to give her full name. "Some days the noise from the construction makes it impossible to use phone."

Apart from NHRC, around seven organisations have moved into the complex, among them the Election Commission, the Consumer Protection Board and the National Health Security Office.

Ordered to stop

Last month, construction workers were ordered to stop work in areas near offices and reduce noise and dust.

"Though the company has implemented those measures, we along with officials in other organisations still feel our health is being affected," says Ging, citing symptoms that colleagues have never suffered before.

"We want the company to provide health checkups through a mobile unit for everybody working inside the complex and more ventilation," the group said.