The New England Consortium shares its name with Civil Service Employees Association which is one of New York’s largest worker unions. It is comprised of certified nursing assistants. Social workers. Direct care workers. Higher education employees. Librarians. Childcare workers. School nurses. Highway maintenance workers. Healthcare technicians. Food and environment inspectors. Probation, corrections and law enforcement officers. EMTs and 911 operators. Bus drivers. Clerical workers, and so much more. 

CSEA took steps in early July before schools were opening to create a safe environment for when workers returned in September.  CSEA created a new initiative aimed at making their work environment safer. The initiative is called Safe@School. Since this initiative began in July, CSEA has trained over 2000 workers in school safety and COVID-19 related topics including covid-19 awareness, PPE, safe disinfection, and workplace violence thanks to the NIEHS Worker Trainer Program.

 To read about the initiative, go to: https://cseany.org/workforce/?p=8797

As the pandemic surges on, workers and consumers may be tempted to increase the use of disinfectants to stop the spread of the virus. The Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMass Lowell warns that many disinfectants contain bleach, phenols or quaternary ammonium compounds. These toxics can cause respiratory issues such as asthma and other health risks.

EPA’s List N provides information on disinfection products that meet EPA’s criteria for effectiveness against COVID-19, many of which contain these chemicals of concern. TURI’s Laboratory Director Jason Marshall reviewed the List N and identified a subset of products that do not contain these or other chemicals of concern.

Visit TURI’s COVID-19 web page to view the list of safer disinfectants, top 7 safety measures and resources for businesses and schools.

TURI’s main COVID page:

List of safer disinfectants

EPA N List