PrivCom Office Closed Due To Mould Concerns

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Bermuda [PrivCom] are advising of “the adoption of emergency remote working arrangements in response to infrastructure challenges at their premises.”

A spokesperson said, “Public officers were directed by Privacy Commissioner Gretchen Tucker to commence emergency remote working on Thursday, 6 August 2026.

“PrivCom’s adoption of such arrangements is in direct response to the Government of Bermuda’s Occupational Health & Safety Office [OSH Office] recent confirmation of visible mould contamination throughout the 4th floor of the Maxwell Roberts Building, inclusive of the space currently occupied by PrivCom and the space which PrivCom intended to be occupied as part of the Commissioner’s strategy to establish a new Supervision and Enforcement Unit. The Ministry of Public Works and Environment [Ministry] will be arranging an independent assessment of the contamination. The Ministry will also be identifying temporary locations on island which PrivCom’s public officers can be assigned to work from until a determination can be properly made as to whether the authority’s premises are safe to return to for work.

Disruption to Regulatory Operations

“To date, the adoption of emergency remote working arrangements has resulted in substantive disruption to the work of the public authority. The capacity of Senior Management has been focused on the prioritisation of the health and safety of all public officers and the adoption of immediate remediation steps and procedures to ensure staff welfare. Changes to security and cleaning protocols have also occurred to facilitate remediation and assessment activities.

“System issues arising in the remote work environment are currently causing delays affecting finance, operations and matters pertaining to regulatory affairs. Members of the public and organisations engaging with PrivCom may experience delays while these interim working arrangements are in place.

“Notwithstanding the current infrastructure challenges facing PrivCom, Commissioner Tucker has confirmed that the public authority remains committed to fulfilling its statutory mandate under the Personal Information Protection Act 2016 (PIPA). To this end, PrivCom is actively working with the Ministry to secure temporary relocation arrangements and support its operations while challenges at its premises are addressed.

Notice of Office Closure to the Public

“PrivCom’s offices on the 4th floor of the Maxwell Roberts Building are closed to the public until further notice. Until temporary locations are identified and secured, the authority’s capacity to facilitate public engagements pertaining to PIPA education and training will be greatly reduced, necessitating PrivCom to temporarily cease processing such requests.

“PrivCom will issue a further General Public Advisory once its public officers have been successfully transferred to temporary locations. The public authority appreciates the public’s patience during this time.”

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