Inspiring a Compliance Culture: Read the Compliance Department’s Spring 2025 Newsletter
Updates and Alerts
During the past quarter, the Compliance Department created or updated four Standard Procedures and posted four new Advisory Alerts. This newsletter focuses on the key takeaways from these documents, so be sure to read the alerts and procedures for the complete information.
Standard Procedures
Standard Procedure 140:25:1, Court-Ordered Repairs, is a new procedure that establishes guidance on managing and completing court-ordered repair work orders at NYCHA public housing developments and supersedes instructions related to court-ordered repairs in Standard Procedure 040:09:7, Managing Maintenance Work Orders. NYCHA’s policy is to attempt to complete court-ordered repairs in the timeframes specified in court orders. The process for property management includes but is not limited to:
- Creating a work order for every violation listed on the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) inspection report that does not already have a corresponding work order.
- Marking repair work orders as court-ordered in Maximo by checking the “Order by Court” flag.
- Creating an Apartment Check Work Order for issues on the court documents that have not been verified by HPD (functionality that’s included in the December 2024 Maximo update).
- Notifying the responsible planning unit and/or department of the court-ordered work orders and providing them with court-ordered dates (“access dates”) for prompt assignment and scheduling.
- Notifying the NYCHA attorney via email if the worker is not able to access the apartment on an ordered or stipulated access date.
- Clarifying the acceptable circumstances for closing court-ordered repair work orders when work is completed or when work is not completed because the worker was unable to access the apartment.
Note: Property Management is no longer required to upload court documents (e.g., stipulations and Orders to Show Cause) to court work orders, except in instances when court cases are withdrawn, abandoned, or dismissed.
Standard Procedure 150:98:1, Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan, establishes an Exposure Control Plan for NYCHA employees who are potentially exposed to bloodborne pathogens as part of their job duties, and is designed to minimize the risk of employee exposure through the implementation of appropriate controls, personal protective equipment (PPE), training, and vaccination programs. Updates to this standard procedure include:
- Establishing a clear exposure incident protocol, including immediate actions for employees exposed to bloodborne pathogens or other infectious materials and their supervisors.
- Detailed instructions on how to report, assess, and clean up a blood or other potentially infectious materials spill.
- Improved directions on the use of sharps disposal containers, biohazard kits, and required PPE.
- Updated information on the hepatitis B vaccination, which is provided to employees who may encounter human blood or other potentially infectious materials in the course of their job duties.
Standard Procedure 100:16:1, NYCHA Parking Procedure, describes the processes for administering NYCHA parking permits to employees, residents, and non-residents; monitoring and painting NYCHA parking lots; and enforcing the parking permit programs. Revisions were made to capture the new parking policy, which states that starting with the renewal period for the May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, cycle and afterwards, the registered vehicle owner must be on the household composition as an authorized household member to obtain or renew a resident permit. A previous resident permit holder who is not an authorized household member will not be allowed to renew their resident permit.
Revisions were made to Standard Procedure 060:86:1, Drought Emergency, which defines the priorities for action and establishes the emergency procedures to be taken in the event of a declaration of a drought emergency. Recent updates to this procedure include:
- Clarifying the limited uses of water that are allowed during a drought emergency.
- Explaining the Department of Communications’ actions during a drought emergency.
Compliance Advisory Alerts
Compliance Advisory Alert #74 – Emergency Supply Cabinets developed out of a series of visits to NYCHA developments, where the Compliance Department and Emergency Management Services Department observed that emergency supply cabinets were not fully equipped and/or were not easily accessible as required, and that staff were unaware of the physical location of the development’s emergency supply cabinet. Property Management staff at all NYCHA developments are required to maintain an emergency supply cabinet in a designated area that is kept stocked with materials and resources needed at each development.
The Compliance Department and the Emergency Management Services Department have observed multiple instances of unreported and unaddressed deficiencies within basements and crawl spaces. Compliance Advisory Alert #75 – Basement and Crawl Space Inspections focuses on the responsibility of Property Management staff to address hazardous conditions when they are observed or reported to be present within confined spaces.
Compliance Advisory Alert #76 – Reporting Property Damage (Using Employee Service Connect) developed out of reviews by the Compliance Department and the Emergency Management Services Department of Daily Activity Reports from various levels of staff from Caretaker (all levels), Supervisor of Caretakers (SOC), and Property Management staff. The review revealed that the proper protocol for reporting property damage is not being consistently followed. NYCHA staff are failing to report and document damage to both NYCHA property and employee property in a timely manner or as soon as observed, as required.
Updates were recently made to NYCHA Standard Procedure 001:97:2, Workplace Violence Prevention. These policy updates were mandated by state laws and regulations that went into effect in 2024. Compliance Advisory Alert #77 – Workplace Violence Prevention highlights these updates and reminds all NYCHA staff of their responsibility to prevent such violence and their duty to report instances of workplace violence when they occur. Additionally, supervisors should remind their staff of NYCHA’s policy for a violence-free work environment.
Conclusion
The Compliance Department will continue working with our colleagues to ensure that NYCHA is a safe and healthy place for our residents, staff, and vendors. If you have any concerns or complaints, or if you see anyone engaging in a deceptive practice, you can make a confidential and anonymous report by calling the Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771 (select menu option 7) or by visiting the Compliance Department section of NYCHA’s website. Complaints can also be reported to any other federal, state, or local government agency. Remember, the Compliance Department is here to help.
90 Church Street, New York, NY 10007
