Narrative:

Controllers at ZME began reporting a chemical odor in the control room. Our front line manager (flm) reported it to the operations manager who cavalierly told us 'all chemicals are within safety specifications'. Wonderful. The smell increased. We specifically requested the doors to the outside be opened at the very least. Nothing. We then saw some very well paid upper management types begin walking through the control room. The FAA representative from the environmental services who has been visiting us for two weeks told controllers after they mentioned the chemical odors that his main concern was the fact that they had folding tables in between the walls and the end radar scopes.after forty five minutes of this odor increasing controllers were reporting dizziness; light-headedness; and scratchy throats. This prompted 1.5 million dollars; approximate value in salary; of managers to walk to the end of our control room and prop the door open by approximately 14 inches. At this time our flm began ordering us out of the control room on mandatory breaks as soon as anyone returned. She then paged me back after fifteen minutes. One of our controllers began dry-heaving and needed immediate release. This is when the huge industrial fans showed up and both doors to the outside opened wide. The smell was now throughout the entire building but very concentrated in and around the control room. Most controllers went outside on break to get fresh air. Most were cutting breaks very short so as to rotate controllers frequently. We worked without assists and with sectors combined while breathing in large amounts of volatile chemicals which were known to cause light-headedness in some. Management was aware of the contractors using volatile chemicals upstairs. They had done the same thing yesterday. Apparently not affecting the rest of the building. As soon as controllers reported the smell; the stand up briefing should have been postponed; and action contemplated but no; the briefing continued. It was apparent after 15 minutes that this was a serious situation and yet no doors were opened to begin to bring relief. We have been briefed and briefed on the fact that we controllers are not allowed to walk around the backside of our building because of the contractor's use of volatile chemicals and the noxious fumes that can be hazardous to us. So; outside in the wide open air chemicals are dangerous. Inside a sealed control room all chemicals are within safety specs.management should have opened doors; canceled the pre-duty briefing; and immediately consulted technicians about the situation. After fifteen minutes; my goodness the odor was so sickly sweet and strong. There should have been no hesitancy to open doors and get fans moving. It's one thing to smell these fumes and realize that if it's too much you can walk away; as did the managers. Controllers are stuck on a sector and can't leave if it becomes too much. That perspective was lost on managers.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZME Center controllers reported smelling strong chemical odors in the control room. The reporters felt ill from the fumes.

Narrative: Controllers at ZME began reporting a chemical odor in the control room. Our Front Line Manager (FLM) reported it to the Operations Manager who cavalierly told us 'all chemicals are within safety specifications'. Wonderful. The smell increased. We specifically requested the doors to the outside be opened at the very least. Nothing. We then saw some very well paid upper management types begin walking through the control room. The FAA representative from the Environmental Services who has been visiting us for two weeks told controllers after they mentioned the chemical odors that his main concern was the fact that they had folding tables in between the walls and the end radar scopes.After forty five minutes of this odor increasing controllers were reporting dizziness; light-headedness; and scratchy throats. This prompted 1.5 million dollars; approximate value in salary; of managers to walk to the end of our control room and prop the door open by approximately 14 inches. At this time our FLM began ordering us out of the control room on mandatory breaks as soon as anyone returned. She then paged me back after fifteen minutes. One of our controllers began dry-heaving and needed immediate release. This is when the huge industrial fans showed up and both doors to the outside opened wide. The smell was now throughout the entire building but very concentrated in and around the control room. Most controllers went outside on break to get fresh air. Most were cutting breaks very short so as to rotate controllers frequently. We worked without Assists and with sectors combined while breathing in large amounts of volatile chemicals which were known to cause light-headedness in some. Management was aware of the contractors using volatile chemicals upstairs. They had done the same thing yesterday. Apparently not affecting the rest of the building. As soon as controllers reported the smell; the stand up briefing should have been postponed; and action contemplated but no; the briefing continued. It was apparent after 15 minutes that this was a serious situation and yet no doors were opened to begin to bring relief. We have been briefed and briefed on the fact that we controllers are not allowed to walk around the backside of our building because of the contractor's use of volatile chemicals and the NOXIOUS FUMES THAT CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO US. So; outside in the wide open air chemicals are dangerous. Inside a sealed control room all chemicals are within safety specs.Management should have opened doors; canceled the pre-duty briefing; and immediately consulted Technicians about the situation. After fifteen minutes; my goodness the odor was so sickly sweet and strong. There should have been no hesitancy to open doors and get fans moving. It's one thing to smell these fumes and realize that if it's too much you can walk away; as did the managers. Controllers are stuck on a sector and can't leave if it becomes too much. That perspective was lost on managers.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.