|
Photo courtesy John Winters Thanks to
The Boren
Foundation, |
Follow us on:
Major Initiatives:
Can You Trust Your Paint and Hardware Store?
A Toolkit to Check Your Local Stores for
Advice and Supplies on Health Hazards
Strategies
III. Train Volunteers
You can approach the project in many different ways. One approach is to make sure your volunteers can visit the stores and get the information they need to fairly evaluate the performance of the stores. But you will have a more tangible and sustainable impact if you train the volunteers to understand the hazards, the best answers to their questions, and why the answers are essential.
IKE has developed a 90-minute training program for volunteers on the basics of paint and pesticide visits. It relies on a PowerPoint presentation. In Indiana, IKE can provide the training in person at no cost. Outside of Indiana, IKE can work with your trainer and tailor the PowerPoint presentation to your needs. Contact IKE’s Tom Neltner
This is an evolving effort. Work with IKE’s Tom Neltner to make it work for you.
Paint and Lead Hazards: For paint department, the basic situation that volunteers should present to the clerk is that the volunteer has an old house. The paint on the wood door to the kids’ room is peeling. The paint is brittle. You want to repaint the door and make it look good. How do you remove the old paint? When the paint is removed, how should you prepare the wood to be repainted? Ask the clerk to show you the paint and ask about the warning label on the lid of the paint can. The clerk should not recommend dry sanding, dry scraping, or burning of the paint. The clerk should recommend use of lead-safe work practices as described in the HUD Field Guide.
Pesticides: For the pesticide department, the basic situation that volunteers should present to the clerk is that the old house has cockroaches. The problem is disturbing but not overwhelming. What is the best method to get rid of the cockroaches? The clerk should not recommend the use of sprays or foggers. The clerk should recommend the use of baits or gels coupled with better housekeeping.