Officials of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) who work in the facilities located in Edificio Plaza Rofas are at risk in the event of earthquakes or fires.
That is one of the complaints pointed out in several reports by the Commission on Occupational Health MEP-Rofas, created to analyze the condition of the structure to take action before a possible contract renewal with the Centroamericana S.A.
Safety regulations in emergency exits are not respected and there is an inability to evacuate staff in the event of earthquakes.
As for fires, emergency stairs do not have a mechanical pressurizing system to counteract possible risks. Nor are there enough fire extinguishers installed, according to the requirements established by the Fire Department of Costa Rica.
To make matters worse, 3 elevators suffer lateral movements and security officers have reported cases of trapped people.
In addition, the MEP does not have an exclusive load elevator, so in occasions it must be shared with clients of the food court of the building.
The report highlights problems of ventilation, lighting and odors in the canteens of several of the occupied floors.
Gerardo Azofeifa, MEP’s senior official, explained that the contract with the real estate company expires next year and these analyzes will serve to take measures, which will be taken by the company, not by the ministry.
The MEP’s condition for renewing the contract is subject to the necessary improvements pointed out by the occupational health commission.