safety alert

If you are in danger, please use a safer computer, call 911 or your local hotline or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233 voice), 1-800-787-3224 (tty). There is always a computer trail, but you can click ESCAPE to leave the site quickly.

Information Environment & Respiration

Issues Related to the Information Environment

Creating a safe environment for people with respiratory conditions requires establishing a comprehensive policy. The next step is to inform everyone requires informing and educating everyone involved in the program – staff, survivors, their children, visitors, other contract service providers – of both the rationale for the policy and its provisions.

Suggested Solutions

Policies about indoor environmental quality work best when the guidelines for the policy are made clear by multiple methods of communication.
Upon completion of the policy, provide a full copy to all employees and include it in packets for new hires.
Briefly summarize the policy and its rationale during intake with survivors. Point out the primary highlights while also providing them with a written copy. This will not only inform them of their rights, but also their responsibilities.
Post the specific provisions of the policy in key places (e.g., entry, kitchen, bathroom, basement).
Assign a point person to monitor compliance with the policies and procedures including shopping for cleaning products, informing contractors who do pest control, maintenance, heating, any work done on the ventilation and cooling system, etc.
When providers use other organizations’ buildings for community meetings, prevention workshops, or support groups, providers should inspect air quality. Request that non-toxic cleaners be used and that any scented products, such as air fresheners, be removed.

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