Tri-State Area Offices Take Precautions As Bed Bugs Make A Comeback
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - Bed bugs are making a comeback in the Tri-State area and it's not just in homes and stores.
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The Staten Island Advance reports bed bugs forced the NYPD to shut down a holding cell in the 120th Precinct and make sure the problem hasn't spread to the Stapleton Criminal Court.
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Meanwhile, offices are taking precautions as the pesky bugs could become a liability in regard to policy issues.
Long after bed bugs are driven from the office, staff can blame a co-worker and so, for companies, it's not just about keeping the workplace bug-free. It's about avoiding issues of blame.
"We advise our employers to make sure that no employee is blamed or defamed for bringing bed bugs into the workplace. It's really an exposure issue, not a cleanliness issue," says attorney David Cassidy of Norris McLaughlin & Marcus in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Cassidy said there have been several cases and it's just a matter of time before the problem presents itself in the workplace.
It could even rise to the level of a disability claim if someone says they have been psychologically traumatized by the fear of an infestation - even if there was just one bed bug, though he says he hasn't seen or heard of that just yet.
One exterminator tells The Star-Ledger there's a mass paranoia out there.
Cassidy says bed bugs as a work issue could rise in future union negotiations.
YouTube's Bed Bug TV channel advises sealing your purse in a plastic bag.
