Unsafe asbestos handling, client dust exposure, shoddy workmanship, unreliable
We're human and we all make mistakes. I'm not writing this complaint because I expect the work of Durban aluminium gutter company Gutterflow to be perfect, but I do expect them to give me reasonable quality.
I expect them to follow industry safety standards to protect me and their staff from harm from toxic substances. I expect them to follow through on their promises to fix things that have been done shoddily. I expect good communication.
Since they failed to do all of these, I write this to help future potential customers be aware of what I experienced as substandard and unsatisfactory levels of quality and service in my interactions with Adam Robinson, who quoted on the job and was my most senior contact at the company throughout.
I think I've given him the benefit of the doubt from early October to today, 20 December, approximately 10 weeks. I've been overly patient and courteous, but enough is enough.
I feel it's time to take this from the private domain to the public.
If safety for you and your family is of concern, you will want to pay special attention to the asbestos dust exposure incident I have to tell, and then decide whether Gutterflow is the company to handle your project.
My dissatisfaction with Adam Robinson's team is on several points:
Incorrect material supply The team delivered and fitted the wrong colour roof sheeting, with a dark green colour on top, meaning the roof would heat up. I had specified I wanted white, and it was included in the quote description. These panels were replaced, but it took several days, so my verandah and the still-curing wooden beams were left exposed to heavy rain in those days.
Taking short-cuts They placed the incorrect IBR roof sheeting mentioned above on white enamel paint that was still busy curing. I saw the enamel paint smeared onto the underside of the metal panels they'd slid over the wooden beams, and then on the boots of the team standing on top of the uncured beams. They obviously thought it was acceptable that they were lifting the paint and exposing the wood underneath it, but I did not, so asked them to stop until it had dried, and to overcoat the enamel once it had dried.
Poor safety concern Two sharp metal nails that secure a second aluminium gutter to a fibre cement fascia board are still protruding at head level through the fascia board. I asked the team to cut it off, then reminded Adam again when he came to inspect. It has still not been done. This is above a doorway (poor design from the previous house owner who modified it, not Gutterflow), but it is still a danger and should have been prioritised the first time I asked. Is safety for customers a concern for Gutterflow's staff? I think not.
Poor attention to detail I had to point out several times that parts of the timber that Adam had said would be overpainted were still just coated in pink undercoat on top of the beams. It would have been quietly hidden by the metal roof panels, but I was around to ensure it was done properly. Cutting wooden support braces after undercoating, prior to placing, but not painting them with undercoating again prior to fixing, meaning the ends were now unpainted. The same app**** to the cross-beams which were not painted to their ends under the roof overhang and there was undercoat still visible. This was only painted after I requested it be done.
Unacceptable delay to finish Adam had said it would take 2-3 days to complete the job. His team started on Tuesday 2 October and finished on Thursday 8 November - a total of 37 calendar days.
Unreliability There was a consistent failure to follow through on promises. Examples: I SMSed Adam on 4 October to show him the above areas of concern. He said he'd see me on 5 October. He didn't arrive, nor did he make his apologies, so I SMSed him again on Monday 8 October, and he said he'd see me on Tuesday 9 October. Weather conditions prevented painting that day. We did eventually meet, but it was always a major process of remind, remind, remind, to get him to honour his meeting commitments.
Reneging on guarantee promises Once the work was done, he said "Anything you're not happy with, anything at all, let me know. We guarantee our work for a year." On 14 November 2018, I emailed his ********** address to make him aware that I had discovered that the IBR roof sheets had started rusting. This was because his team had done cutting of the panels with an angle-grinder, showering the already fitted panels with sparks that melted pieces of metal into them. Response from Adam: None. They say give someone a long rope. Sometimes observation is the best way to see someone's true colours. I waited eight days, until Thursday 22 November, when I SMSed him a courteous reminder: "Hi Adam, I hope you're well. Just following up my email to you last week. Have you seen it? Cheers, D". No response. On 7 December I sent a similar courteous followup, then called his office. His assistant said he had gone home to rest as he was feeling unwell. On 10 December, I got an SMS from Adam: "Back at work today, will come when it's not raining." It didn't rain that afternoon, but he didn't show, nor send me a message to say he wouldn't. On 11 December, I messaged him at 9:55am to say I was in the office all day. He didn't reply, so I followed up at 11:35am to ask again. No reply. On 12 December, I asked whether he was coming through that day. I got a thumbs-up emoticon, which I assumed was a Yes. I asked what time. "After lunch 2:00" was his reply. I have not heard back from him since.
Unsafe asbestos handling. This happened on 12 October (details below). I sent a detailed email to Adam before 7am on the Monday morning following the Friday incident (see full email below). He called back soon after 8am and was not in an apologetic mood, nor did he ask for more details of the sanding of an asbestos fascia board prior to painting it, exposing me to the dust when I went out onto the verandah. Ever the journalist, I asked him to repeat, and then wrote down his most telling statement verbatim when I asked whether he had a safety document for working with asbestos, a dangerous substance when it creates dust. He said: "If you wanted better safety, you should have requested a safety document." I asked him to put all he'd said into writing and email. He refused. He then proceeded to say that the job would have cost more with this, and it was my responsibility to ask for it. In other words, the unsafe actions of his employee were my fault?! I found this totally unacceptable, because he'd not mentioned he didn't have a safety plan, nor that his team were not fully versed in the dangers of asbestos. The pernicious effects are becoming clearer, as this article on the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center's website reveals: "Asbestos fibers are invisible to the human eye and can easily spread through the air. Even a little damage to a minimal amount of asbestos material can result in hundreds of fibers making for more concentrated asbestos in the air. Whether high levels or low levels of asbestos, research has shown there is no safe level of exposure. Without any protective equipment, it’s impossible to avoid exposure. Because the fibers are microscopic, most people don’t even realize they were exposed until being diagnosed years later." "Even if only a little asbestos-containing material is present and its debris thrown out quickly in the project, the fibers may linger in the air and can be easily inhaled or ingested by anyone in the home. A one-time exposure like this may seem insignificant, but even low levels of asbestos can have a severe impact on the body over time." While some asbestos exposures are really dose dependent like when its present in water, meaning the impact of exposure depends on the amount of fibers and length of time exposed, sometimes all it takes is one brief inhalation of fibers to lead to mesothelioma years later." https://www.maacenter.org/blog/one-off-exposure-to-asbestos-how-to-stay-safe/
I think that Adam is either not fully aware of the dangers of asbestos, or he doesn't care. None of his team wore dust masks at any stage, nor did they bag the asbestos gutters, which were very old, and which dropped fragments of blue asbestos, the most dangerous form, onto the roof. Made aware of how long fibres can be airborne, and blown by the wind, I went up there several days later (wearing a dust mask!) and collected samples, which I still have. They had been left there to be blown and washed down the gutters, into my water tanks, which use for domestic and drinking use. Due to asbestos fibres also being a carcinogen in the digestive tract, I'm going to have to have a 10,000 litre tank professionally cleaned and filtered to prevent ingestion of fibres. I know that this is all in violation of Department of Labour regulations, and I am going to report the incident. Two days later, on Wednesday 24 October, he sent me an SMS: "Good morning, apologies for my erratic behavior last time." He did not discuss the asbestos topic again. When he visited the work site to check on the progress, he didn't check the fascia board for its construction material (as you'd expect someone who cares would do when there's been a complaint of asbestos exposure). Strange, don't you think?
EMAIL TO ADAM ROBINSON From: Deon B Subject: Asbestos incident Gutterflow Friday 12 October 2018 and questions Date: 15 October 2018 at 6:42:49 AM SAST To: Adam Robinson ********** Cc: Deon B
Hello Adam and team
This is to let you know of a possible asbestos contamination incident at my home office located at (details removed) on Friday 12 October 2018.
It happened just before your gutter fitment team fitted the L-shaped gutter above the verandah. Your reference: 808 original quote (price later amended, but job details remained the same).
I was sitting at my desk and looked out the glass sliding door that leads to the verandah. To my dismay, I saw one of your team (I think he was the youngest of the trio), lying on top of the roof and sanding the fascia board furthest from me. Clouds of dust were billowing in all directions in the wind. He was not wearing a dust mask. Neither were the other two members (who were at that stage standing/sitting on the roof watching him prepare the fascia board).
I saw him do another arc of the fascia board and then he changed position to get to the next section. In that moment I decided I needed to stop him and ask him whether the fascia board was made of plaster board or asbestos.
I got up, slid open the glass door and stood on the verandah, about 5m away from him. In the hurry to stop him, I hadn't gone into the kitchen to fit my white face mask.
I asked him "What are you doing? Is that fascia board rhino board or asbestos?" Someone out of sight (one of the two other men) said "Asbestos". I said "You can't sand asbestos - it's incredibly dangerous!" I then said I would bring the young man sugar soap in water to wash the dirt off the fascia board. This exchange took about 30 seconds. There was not visible dust, but the wind was blowing this way and that. My research reveals that the most dangerous asbestos particles are totally invisible. How the particles cause long-term and incurable harm is here https://youtu.be/cWQeQW1z9qA On returning into the office on the other side of the sliding door, I saw that Heloise had put on her paper dust mask and realised I hadn't worn a face mask. In the heat of the moment, I also hadn't closed the door behind me when I had gone outside.
A few minutes later, I saw that my bedroom window on the far side of the house was also open, and it was just 3m away from where he was sanding.
I think I started feeling tight-chested on Friday evening, but it might have started on Saturday morning. In my worry, I didn't write this down, but definitely had a sense of mental distress on Friday and struggled to fall asleep for several hours as I worried about this possible contamination of my house, my office, and me and my staff member X.
I have since researched it more thoroughly, and found that the minute fibres of asbestos can remain suspended in still interior air for up to 48 hours, so we could have been breathing in fibres inside the house well after the sanding.
On Sunday I had several intermittent episodes of feeling like I had a weight on mainly the right side of my chest. When I inhaled deeply, it felt like I couldn't get a full lung of air. I also felt a scratchy dry throat and thirst, which may or may not be related. It could be the stress too.
I am still feeling the tight chest and difficulty in breathing.
I cannot tell you how much this puts angst into my heart and mind. I have been an athlete since the age of 15, and have been so diligent in keeping myself healthy in every way.
In just one moment, one thoughtless action by a poorly trained member of your team has potentially put me at risk of life-long lung damage.
My father died of laryngeal cancer caused by smoking, so air contamination is a huge theme in my life.
My questions to you are: 1. The job involved removing asbestos gutters. I'm assuming you are asbestos compliant? 2. Could you email me your Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) document please? 3. Could you also email me the specific job document you are required to send to the Department of Labour 14 days ahead of commencing any job that involves handling asbestos? 4. Who was your Safety Officer (SO) at the time of the incident? 5. Why was I not told by your SO that what we must assume is asbestos would be sanded or at least handled? This would have given us time to react, and even if not sanded, at least to close all windows to prevent any fibres getting into the house. 6. We will be taking dust samples from the carpet in my room today. This may require analysis by a laboratory to determine whether it contains asbestos fibres and not fibreboard, the type of asbestos, its potential harmfulness, and how much potentially drifted into that room. Would you be willing the cover the costs of this analysis, for my piece of mind? Ditto the type of asbestos from a sample on the fascia board. 7. Should I be affected (I realise this may take a long time to become life-threatening), what are your public liability procedures? 8. Have you ever had workers affected by dust inhalation (asbestos or otherwise)?
I look forward to hearing from you urgently regarding this matter.
Note: Gutterflow appears to be a subsidiary of Flowcrete.