Photo by Emma Quirk ‘25. The College informed the community in an email that a Mount Holyoke employee sustained injuries in an accident while working on Skinner Green.
By Bryn Healy ’24
Staff Writer
When students returned to campus on the weekend of Jan. 21, they were greeted by large piles of dirt and a wire fence with signs warning of danger surrounding a pit in the ground at the center of Skinner Green. Facilities Management began this excavation process due to a leak in the steam line that runs beneath the green. Throughout the day, workers were seen driving a van back and forth with supplies over pads placed on top of the Green’s muddy surface. At the end of January, the center of the excavation site contains two thin pipes, one green and one gray, overlapping a much thicker pipe and a blue rod sticking into one of the tubes.
Karla Youngblood FP ’99, Associate Vice President of Facilities Management, confirmed in an email to Mount Holyoke News that the steam line that runs across Skinner Green developed a leak on Jan. 18 at approximately 10 a.m., the move-in day for new domestic students. In order to work on the leak, Facilities Management had to submit a Dig Safe permit to the state.
The pipes under Skinner Green are part of the Central Heating Plant that heats the entire campus. According to the College’s website, the plant burns 6,500 gallons of #6 Fuel Oil daily during peak use. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the heat was turned off in Skinner Hall in order to work on the leak. Youngblood stated that during this time, Skinner was able to stay warm due to residual heat.
Early in the excavation, a Facilities Management worker sustained severe burns onsite. Per Raymond LaBarre, the Director of Public Safety and Service, Public Safety and local emergency personnel were called. According to a student worker who wished to remain anonymous, the injury occurred when a worker fell into the pit and the standing water around the pipes. The pipes are directly connected to the heating system, so the water was “nearly boiling,” according to the student. This would be an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violation under 1926.651(h)(1) which states that employees are not allowed to work in accumulated water without proper protection. According to the student, two additional workers were needed to help the burned worker out of the pit.
The College released a statement to the News in reaction to campus concern, writing that “Mount Holyoke is committed to the health and safety of all of its employees. We are fortunate that workplace accidents are rare. When an accident does occur, the College does whatever it can to assist the injured employee and take steps to prevent future accidents." They confirmed that the excavation site has been secured since the injury. The administration did not answer any further questions, citing the need to preserve the employee’s privacy.
On Jan. 30, after Mount Holyoke News began inquiring about the injuries incurred, the school sent out a statement to students. “We were recently in contact with staff and faculty to notify them that we are aware of an accident that occurred on Skinner Green a couple of weeks ago. Please know that the area has since been secured and the employee is receiving treatment and community support. In order to respect the privacy of the injured person, it is the College’s practice not to identify the individual. We want to thank everyone for their concern. As always, we encourage everyone to be mindful of your surroundings.”
The steam line was repaired on Jan. 28 and 29. The site was refilled by Feb 2.
Individual Facilities Management workers declined requests to comment.