Helping employers create a healthier workplace
Simple modifications often are enough
Making a work or home environment more comfortable for chemically sensitive individuals is not as difficult as you may think. Case managers may want to share with employers these suggestions for creating a healthier work environment from the National Center for Environmental Health Strategies in Voorhees, NJ:
1. Design and construct buildings with windows that open.
2. Retrofit inoperable windows in existing buildings so they can be opened.
3. Keep the ventilation system functioning at optimum performance and free of contaminants.
4. Install and maintain localized exhaust systems to remove fumes from restrooms, cooking areas, and copy rooms.
5. Use building and personal air filters.
6. Locate fresh air intakes away from outdoor pollution sources. Close fresh air intakes or eliminate outdoor pollution sources if problems arise.
7. Maintain a smoke, fragrance, and pesticide-free environment.
8. Eliminate the routine use of air fresheners, deodorizers, disinfectants, potpourri, incense, and scented and pine-based products in buildings, ventilation systems, and mechanical dispensers.
9. Select the least toxic/allergenic building materials, furnishings, and supplies.
10. Arrange for cleaning, maintenance, pesticide application, construction, and remodeling activities, including painting, flooring, and roofing, to take place when the building is free of occupants. Ventilate any areas where such activity is taking place.
11. Prevent the growth of mold and other biologicals by regulating humidity, providing adequate ventilation, repairing leaks, and replacing water-damaged materials.
12. Provide advance notice of building events such as new construction, remodeling, pesticide application, floor waxing, and carpet shampooing, and provide alternative work space as necessary. Posting signs at all entrances and exits may help notify building occupants of upcoming activity.
13. Educate management and co-workers regarding the need to maintain a pollution-free environment for the health of all building occupants. This effort should include information on chemical sensitivities and other environmental disabilities in order to create a positive attitude and prevent stigma and harassment.
[For more information, contact the National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, 1100 Rural Ave., Voorhees, NJ 08043. Telephone: (856) 429-5358. Web site: www.ncehs.org.]
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