FYI For Your Safety

Weekly Tips from the

Local 237 Occupational Safety Health Policy and Procedures Department

#17 Keeping Our Members Safe

The union’s Health and Safety Guide has a lot of good information on many hazards that our members face. As we enter the winter months, here are a few of special interest:

Working in the Cold
Slips, Trips and Falls

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us, and share these links with your co-workers!

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#16 Wear the right PPE for the task

It is important that you use the right PPE for the task you are assigned.

Latex gloves will not protect you from getting stuck with a needle, but a needle and cut-resistant glove offers much better protection. A cap will protect you from the sun but not from a falling object, a hard-hat offers better protection. An N-95 mask will protect you from inhaling of dust and solid particles, but will not protect you from breathing in chemicals.

Make sure to follow the policy on what PPE to wear; if you are given the wrong PPE, tell your supervisor you need the proper PPE to do the job safely. Let the union know if this is a problem at your location so we can follow up to ensure you get the right tools to do the job safely

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#15 Monkeypox - Some basics to stay informed.

Yes, monkeypox cases are being reported in New York. Please read our brief factsheet so you can better understand the risk of monkeypox for you and your loved ones.

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#14 Compactor Room Safety: sharps containers, first-aid kits, and regularly checking your fire suppression system.

Every compactor room should have:

1. a fully-stocked first-aid kit;
2. a sharps container, attached to a fixture on the wall that allows for easy removal

If you don’t have these items, inform your supervisor to get them for you, as NYCHA policy requires that these items be in every compactor room.

Also, please remember to check the fire suppression system on your compactor twice a week; this is the first line of defense if there is fire in the compactor/chute, so you want to make sure the system to suppress a possible fire is working properly.

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# 13 Use the right gloves to safely dispose of needles.

If you do not have the cut and needle resistant gloves, please ask for them, and it you are not being supplied with them, please let the union know.
How to safely dispose of needles: (from NYCHA Safety and Security Advisory)
1)     Put on the appropriately-sized cut- and needles-resistant gloves (see below)
2)     Bring sharps container to the syringe,
3)     Place the container on the ground of flat surface beside the syringe
4)     Pick up the syringe by the middle of the barrel
5)     Place the syringe in the container, sharp end first
6)     Place the lid securely on the container and hold the container by the top when carrying
7)     Remove gloves carefully to avoid contact with any contaminated fluid that may be on the glove
8)     Wash your hand with running water and soap

Remember, always pick up the needle by its shaft; DO NOT use a dustpan/brush to sweep up the syringe.

If you do not have the cut and needle resistant gloves, please ask for them, and it you are not being supplied with them, please let the union know.

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# 12 Working Safely on Ladders when Cleaning Canopies – You need to be trained!

If your supervisor is asking you to clean off the top of canopies, and you have not been trained on working on ladders, and how to properly clean that canopy, you should politely tell your supervisor that you have not been trained, so you cannot do the job safely. Every canopy at NYCHA is different, and you need to be sure that you know how to do that job. Often, one cannot reach many of the areas on the canopy. This causes people leaning over, which can lead to falls off the ladder, and possibly, serious injury. Get the proper training to do the job safely before you put yourself at risk. If you are being asked to do this without training, you can file a Make it Safe; you can also talk with the union so we can ensure that the training is provided.

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#11 Rats and the Need for Integrated Pest Management

Rats live everywhere in our city, and they are always looking for food and water sources. If you see even one rat in your compactor room or around the grounds, according to NYCHA’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) team, you should tell your supervisor so extermination treatments can begin. But extermination is often not enough, and more than just chemical treatments will be needed. These methods include a throughout assessment of the area – are the rats coming in through drains, holes in the walls, borrowing under the building, and how do we keep them out? (for example, putting in drain covers, door sweeps, closing up holes in ceilings and walls, using mesh, cleaning out rat borrows, etc). If the area with rodents is being exterminated, but you are not seeing improvement, it’s time for supervision to ask for the IPM team so they can determine what else needs to be done to solve the problem. Follow up with your safety associate, supervisor and the union if you need further assistance on this issue.

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#10 Staying Safe in the Heat

It’s summertime, and time to enjoy being outside, but working in extreme heat can be dangerous to your health. Heat stress and heat stroke are serious issues. Employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety hazards; this includes protecting workers from extreme heat.
Make sure to always have drinking water with you at all times and stay hydrated throughout the day. In many developments, bottled water must be provided if there is not drinking fountain (with a good water supply) in the employee lunch area. If you begin to feel the effects of the heat (dizzy, disoriented, feel faint), stop what you are doing, call your supervisor to tell them you are taking a rest break, and get into a cooler/shaded area with an air conditioner fan, if possible, and out of the sun. WATER…REST…SHADE

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#9 Rat Tracking Powder

Tracking powder is used to kill rats, however, it has very limited use due to its high toxicity, and it is not be used in areas of occupancy. If it is being used in basements, and in areas where people are being asked to work, then this is a safety issue that needs to be reported. If workers are being asked to clean up rats in these areas, this also needs to be reported, as NYCHA is currently reviewing the use of this pesticide. Ask to file a “Make it Safe” if you are being asked to clean up in these areas; contact the union (business agent or Susan McQuade) or your safety associate if you have concerns.

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#8 NYCHA Homeless Initiative: Report concerns to your management

NYCHA has launched a new Homeless Initiative, along with the NYPD and the NYC Department of Homeless Services, to better address the growing problem of homeless people throughout NYCHA’s developments. Because of possible safety concerns, staff who come into contact with homeless people in the buildings are instructed to leave the premises, and report it to their supervisors, so the police can come to escort the homeless out of the building. According to NYCHA’s directive, staff are also not to remove any of the belongings left behind, as that has led to some incidents when the homeless return to the buildings to look for their items. A copy of this directive should be by your bulletin board; check with your business agent or shop steward if you need a copy.

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#7 Safety Associates Are Workplace Leaders

NYCHA’s Safety Associates show their many skills: they are communicators, educators, problem solvers, analyzers, and mediators. If you have a safety or health issue on the job, please be in touch with the Safety Associate at your development. Housing, and all other 237 members, can also contact your business agent or call Susan McQuade, Health and Safety Coordinator, at 347-449-3222 to get assistance. Safety first!

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#6 When Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Is Needed To Do Your Job Safely

PPE provides some protection from the hazards we are exposed to on the job. If you have been trained to wear certain PPE when doing certain tasks and that PPE is not being provided to you, please let your supervisor know immediately. If the issue is not resolved, please contact your safety associate, business agent, or Susan McQuade to make sure you get the equipment you need to do the job safely.

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#5 Working Radios With Good Reception Needed To Ensure Safety At Work

Radios are an essential part of a good workplace violence prevention program. All NYCHA operations staff should be given a working radio that can be used throughout the development. IF you do not have working radios, or there are many dead spots in your location, please let your Safety Associate, Business Agent or Susan McQuade (347-449-3222) know so we can follow up with management.

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#4 Training For Active Shooter Available

Do you know how to respond to an active shooter incident at your workplace? All City agencies provide active shooter training for workers. NYCHA’s Office of Safety and Security offers training to all developments on how to respond to an active shooter situation at a specific site. If you have not had this training in a while, reach out to Susan McQuade at 347-449-3222 or speak to your Business Agent. NYCHA sessions are a half-hour long, usually after lunchtime. You can also have your property manager contact the Office of Safety and Security to set it up.

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#3 Cleaning up behind NYCHA fencing/scaffolding can be dangerous

Many developments have fencing/scaffolding around building perimeters due to ongoing construction and building maintenance of the façade, required under local law. The scaffolding is up for a reason, and if there is concern that bricks could be falling (why the local law requires that an assessment be done to figure this out every five years), this could be a dangerous situation for caretakers who are asked to police that area. If you are asked to work in these areas, file a Make it Safe (see FYI#1). Speak with your safety associate to help you file the Make it Safe, and let your business agent, or Susan McQuade (347-449-3222) know of the issue. Safety First!

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#2 Cleaning in elevator motor rooms can be dangerous for Caretakers and is not permitted without an authorized elevator staff there with you throughout the process.

Many developments have homeless living in the motor rooms, and the situation is getting worse in some developments. Caretakers are often asked to clean up these areas, but this is not permitted without the presence of an authorized elevator staff member, as there are too many hazards in that area for a non-elevator person to work in there.

If you are asked to go into the elevator motor room to clean without an elevator person, inform your supervisor that you can do it once an elevator person can go with you. If that person is not there and you are being asked to still go in, you can file a Make It Safe (see FYI#1 in this series for instructions). Work with your Safety Associate to help you with this issue, and call your business agent or Susan McQuade (347-449-3222) if you need additional help.

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#1 The “Make it Safe” Procedure for NYCHA members: Speak Up to Stay Safe on the Job

Hazards exist in almost every job, but the employer must take steps to make the job safer. IF you are being asked to do something that you feel is unsafe (for example, going into a compactor room full of rats, cleaning up sewer water after a pipe break, working with broken equipment or machines that could lead to dangerous conditions), you have a right to file a Make It Safe if your supervisor insists that the work be done before the working conditions are made safe for you. Remember that you are not refusing to work; you are there to work, you just want to do the job safely, and the work is put on hold until the issue is resolved and you can work safely. “I want to work, but I need to do it safely.”

To file a Make it Safe:
1) If your supervisor is insisting that you do the work and you believe it is unsafe, tell him/her that you are filing a Make it Safe. Speak with your Safety Associate at that time, they can also assist you.
2) Send an email to ehs@nycha.nyc.gov, or call the complaint number (718-707-7771, #7, and then #3). Briefly explain the issue and what needs to be fixed, write the building number and address of the development where the hazard exists. The work should stop at this point; ensure that other workers in that area are informed that the Make it Safe has been filed.
3) Meet with your supervisor to fill out the EHS Make it Safe Form to track progress on the issue. The form can be found under SafeNYCHA, on the NYCHA webpage.
4) Once the condition has been improved/fixed, work can be continued.

If you have any questions about Make it Safe, please speak with your safety associate, shop steward, or Susan McQuade, Local 237 Health and Safety Coordinator, at 347-449-3222.