Public Employee Press

Public Health Sanitarians battle violence on the job

At an emergency meeting Aug. 19, more than 150 Public Health Sanitarians converged at the Dept. of Health for a meeting to discuss the increasing level of violence they face on the job.

Two days before the meeting, a union member was viciously attacked as she inspected a Bronx summer day camp. The victim was choked and bitten, but she managed to fight back. The union has reached out to her and offered to assist her in any way possible.

The Sanitarians, members of Health Services Employees Local 768, are particularly at risk. They are responsible for issuing health and safety code violations.

Those with the Bureau of Food and Safety check restaurants and food vendors on the street; members with the Bureau of Day Care Centers monitor conditions at child-care facilities.

“This situation has been developing for some time,” said Local 768 President Darryl Ramsey, who addressed the meeting. “It’s frustrating because there have been meetings with the Dept. of Health to get them to recognize the severity of the problem.”

Ramsey said he is requesting a high-level meeting with the DOH to push for a policy to address violence at the workplace. He also plans to meet with Christine Quinn, chair of the City Council Health Committee, to make her and members of the council aware of the situation.

While Public Health Sanitarians have peace officer status, the Dept. of Health has been lax about enforcing it. “Our members have peace officer status,” said Ramsey. “If the DOH acknowledged that and prosecuted anyone attacking our members, I’m sure these attacks would stop.”

— Alfredo Alvarado