Cockroaches?

Question

Does anybody know the law on workplace hygeine ?

I work in a building with 19 other people, and we found cockroaches in the kitchen about 8-9 weeks ago.

The managers called a pest control firm, and they come out and laid some traps etc, but there still here.

The managers do not seem to bothered about it and I don't think my company is doing enough to get this under control, and we have nowhere to sit and eat our lunch.

Are there any laws that would help me out ?

Answer 1

I was so relieved when I read this was actually a question about bugs. I thought it was going to be another George Bush Bashing.

Laws vary be state and enforcement can be different by municipality. I suggest calling your local Health Department.

Here is a national contact:
CDC/National Center for Environmental Health
Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects
1-800-CDC-INFO
[e-mail]
http://www.cdc.gov/asthma

In the meantime:

Preventative measures include keeping all food stored away in sealed containers, using garbage cans with a tight lid, frequent cleaning in the kitchen, and regular vacuuming. Any water leaks, such as dripping taps, should also be repaired. It is also helpful to seal off any entry points, such as holes around baseboards, in between kitchen cabinets, pipes, doors, and windows with some steel wool or copper mesh and some cement, putty or silicone caulk. Once a cockroach infestation occurs, chemical controls may help alleviate the problem. Bait stations, gels containing hydramethylnon, as well as boric acid powder, are toxic to cockroaches. Baits with egg killers are also quite effective at reducing the cockroach population. A simple homemade Vegas cockroach trap is reported to be successful. Additionally, pest control products containing deltamethrin are very effective.

Answer 2

The environmental health department of your local council would serve an abatement notice on your employers if this were brought to their attention. They know all the relevant laws. It is possible, though, that they might want to close down the kitchen until the problem is dealt with. And as you say, you have nowhere else to eat your lunch.

Cockroaches are horrible things and they are alarmingly resistant to the various things which people have devised in order to abate them. Your employer is under a duty to keep your working premises clean and without hazards to health. It might be worth considering the Health and Safety Executive as another possible ally. http://www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk/HSWA/HSWA.htm

Answer 3

You say you don't think the company is doing enough to get the roaches under control; once you place a call to the health department, the company will have no choice but to comply with whatever the h.d. folks tell them to do! Your best bet is to make that call - as soon as possible. Good luck!!

Answer 4

to respond to ur question, ,, we could take CRAB as an analogy,, on each and every occasion crab teaches its toddler to stroll the magnificent way,, it teaches sideways,, i think of comparable is going to the cockroach,, the papa cockroach coach toddler cockroach to run in direction of,, and not faraway from Jeffy,, (or do you have doughnut crumbs sticking on ur arms?)

Answer 5

1. Stop leaving food around. 2. Make it a point to routinely replace the traps 3. Cockroaches are yucky but not dangerous & don't normally spread disease. 4. If you're in the South, esp. Florida, they're a permanent part of the landscape.

Answer 6

my job, the manager is lazy, they refuse to do anything about them I have found 4 large ones in daylight! That company makes 6 million a year and refuses to spend a dime.
what can I do??
California

Answer 7

Notify the department in your town or county that inspects the restaurants. Tell them the problem and see if they have jurisdiction.

Answer 8

In Britain, try the H.S.E (Health & Safety Executive), inform them of unsafe working coditions.

Answer 9

Call your local health dept. and talk with an inspector. You can remain annonymous

Answer 10

Traps?i dont think they like cheese