For Shelters General
- 1. "Becoming a Shelter Dog, Part I"
- 2. "Becoming a Shelter Dog, Part II"
- 3. Guidelines - How to Handle Suspicious Mail
- 4. Worker Safety in the Animal Shelter
- 5. Introducing the SFSPCA/ASPCA Alliance
- 6. The Shelter Worker's Guide to Pigs
- 7. Animal Handling Safety Tips
- 8. Year of the Shelter Animal
- 9. Benchmarks of a Good Shelter
Guidelines - How to Handle Suspicious Mail
CDC
Guidelines
on How to Handle Suspicious Letters or Packages
(Last Revised October 19, 2001)
Many
facilities nationwide are receiving anthrax threat letters. As a
result, hospital emergency departments and health care providers
are seeing many patients seeking testing/treatment due to contact
with suspicious substances. The purpose of these guidelines is to
recommend
procedures for handling such patients.
Characteristics of suspicious packages and letters include
the following:
- Contains a
threatening note
- Contains a
suspicious powdery substance (both the NYC and the District of
Columbia letter contained a brown, powdery
material)
- Excessive
postage
- Handwritten or
poorly typed addresses
- Incorrect
titles or title but no name
- Misspellings
of common words
- Oily stains,
discolorations or odors
- No return
address
- Excessive
weight
- Lopsided or
uneven envelope
- Protruding
wires or aluminum foil
- Excessive security material such as masking tape, string, etc.
- Visual
distractions or ticking sound
- Marked with restrictive endorsements such as "Personal" or "Confidential"
Protocol for Response to Possible Anthrax
Exposures
- Persons
involved in an anthrax threat involving a letter with "powder"
should report the incident immediately to the New York Police
Department (911), who will conduct a credibility threat
assessment. The NYCDOH Public Health Laboratory will only
accept specimens of powder or letters or other substances for
testing for anthrax when submitted by the police or
FBI.
- Detailed
guidelines for handling suspicious packages or letters and
scenes where there is a suspicious powder are given in a CDC
Health Alert which can be found at:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/DocumentsApp/Anthrax/10122001Handle/10122001Handle.asp
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Worker Safety in the Animal Shelter
