Aibu - gross working conditions

[itsasecret1]

Hello all,

I am 31 weeks pregnant. I work in a small clinic (talking therapy) I'm the sole receptionist and secretary for 2 bosses.

We had rats outside the building and inside the walls/floor (its an old building) about a month ago and poison was put down for them. They all died and the smell was awful for weeks, enduring 8 hours a day in dead rat smell did not make me very happy.

Now the smell has faded thankfully but yesterday the whole of my reception room was filled with big gross flies, talking at least 20-30 of them throughout the day. I went out and bought fly spray because it was making me feel very uneasy and they kept landing near my water and on me while I was working.

Have since had to keep spraying fly spray every 1-2 hours to kill all the flies. Have no idea how they're getting in and I have blocked any holes around cables etc. Now I'm worried about the effects of the fly spray in an unventilated room (too cold to have the window open) I'm just fed up with this working environment.

V. tempted to go sick til my maternity leave starts in 3 weeks time. I'm exhausted and stressed and now this. AIBU?

[justilou1]

Can you not report them to the bloody health department? Nobody needs to work in those conditions - it certainly can't be good for you in your condition!

[Benedikte2]

OP do you have any sick leave/annual leave owing? If you don't intend to return after maternity leave then use it up now. Even a week off will help with your stress levels. Careful not to take sick leave up until you go on maternity leave. I'm no expert but from something I read here on MN I think a poster said that triggered her maternity leave earlier than she intended.
If you've been using ordinary fly spray from the supermarket then it won't d you or your your baby any harm but you shouldn't have to work in those conditions. Contact the LA and tell them the place is a health hazard and needs inspecting. I personally would not want to undertake any kind of therapy from such unethical professionals as your stingey bosses.

[Seeingadistance]

A friend of mine, a farmer, was on a course today and had to sit an exam to be certified to use rat bait. As a pp has suggested, they are breaking the law.

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

What's ops age got to with anything.
No one should be expected to work in those conditions. Certainly not a pregnant women.
Surely this goes against all safe guarding procedures.

[QueenArseClangers]

Baking OP is only 31 weeks pregnant now so if she went off sick the ML wouldn't be triggered.
That only applies if off sick 3 weeks before EDD.

[FruitCider]

Blueberry no, not unless it’s a special club for people sent there by the courts for punishment and rehabilitation?

[Autumnchill]

I'm surprised they've put down rat poison themselves. Our regular pest control has had to stop putting it down round our yard at work due to new legislation. Can't recall what it is as its on my list of things to look into but as we haven't had rat activity for quite some time (reports every month that bait traps are untouched) it's low on my list of priorities.

I would definitely ring the EHO and report. Those conditions sound awful for this day and age.

[BlueberryIce]

“I work in a large Victorian building that often has rats, cockroaches etc inside the building, I have no heating in my office and I have to inhale the fumes from illicit drugs all day every day.”

Do you work in a club PP?

[BlueberryIce]

how can your employers think that’s ok!? Mat leave it is then!!

[bakingaddict]

You wouldn't get signed off for the last 3 weeks of pregnancy, your ML would be started early instead. Any illness in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy starts ML

[KarmaStar]

You should not have to put up with this.ask your employers to deal with the problem.

[FruitCider]

You are probably right. Spent years working in hostels and I often fantasise about cleaning vomit off the stairwell instead of the nonsense I work in these days! I guess it isn’t a race to the bottom

[OnionShite]

I think you've probably been desensitised if your threshold for terrible is that low. Incidentally, we in the UK aren't lucky. Rather, people elsewhere in much worse conditions are unlucky.

[FruitCider]

Onion I would think the working conditions were terrible if her employer wasn’t trying to do anything about it. I empathise as the stench when pest control put down an additional 80 rat poison boxes in the summer was vile. It literally started within a day of the boxes going down and continued until the bodies had decayed/boxes were collected (not sure which one). Anyway my point was we are bloody lucky in this country if this is the worst we have to worry about, having seen the conditions of workers in other countries where H+S isn’t so stringent.

[treeofhearts]

I had this same issue where I worked. They were literally swarming, the air was thick with them I emptied half a can of fly spray in there, shut the door and fucked off for breakfast. Came back in half hour and used the rest of the can on the survivors. Then hoovered. A lot. Left the door open for an hour afterwards and it aired out.

[OnionShite]

Why do you think your working conditions being worse mean OPs aren't awful fruitcider?

[QuestionableMouse]

It's rank and not normal. I worked on a farm and didn't have to deal with dead rats and masses of flies from decomposing bodies so I don't see why you should have to in an office.

Report them on they way out of the door and don't give them a second thought.

[Slimthistime]

Yanbu
They can't be bothered to sort it, they deserve to pay someone going on sick leave
I can't believe how many people won't stand up against this. I understand if you're worried you'll lose your job but sometimes I think people actually want the bosses to crap on them.

[60sname]

This sounds horrific. I can't believe people are calling you precious.

Decomposing bodies are a known environmental health hazard.

I second calling the council anonymously.

[FruitCider]

Your working conditions are not that terrible. I work in a large Victorian building that often has rats, cockroaches etc inside the building, I have no heating in my office and I have to inhale the fumes from illicit drugs all day every day. If flies are the least of your problems indoors I would say you are doing rather well. I honestly don’t think breathing in the fly spray will be harmful to your baby, but maybe sit in a different room until you go on maternity leave?

[theEagleIsLost]

I'm leaving for mat leave in 3 weeks and don't intend on returning so I'm just trying to figure out the best way to get though it to be honest.

Then I'd go on ML now.

I also don't think it's a normal situation and I've work in many workplaces.

[RhiannonOHara]

"...fairly normal situation like that

Seriously ,do some of you work in the 14th century?

Report them anonymously to Environmental Health. They sound like shysters.

[Namow]

Oh and I'd 100% go off sick, especially as I now read you're not planning on going back. Seriously, what are you sticking around for. You could even just start your maternity leave early. Makes no odds if you're not going back.

[Namow]

Are you absolutely sure the smell was the rats? I just ask because I was under the impression that the way poison normally works nowadays is by dehydrating the rat's bodies so that they don't smell, for precisely this reason.

[OnionShite]

If you don't intend to return OP then stop going in now. Personally I'd go for early ML start simply because I think that can actually be better for you mentally than going on the sick. Gives finality, and you don't have to worry about the place. Also means they shouldn't ring and pester you about anything, and if they do you'll feel more justified in fucking them off. I was ill during one of my pregnancies and tried carrying on past 29 weeks, but I'd just end up being too ill to go into work in bits and bobs and in the end it was the best thing all round for me to go early.