Future Environment Designs Training Center specializes in asbestos, indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, and occupational safety training programs. We offer New York State asbestos and mold certification courses. We design, develop, and maintain the various indoor air quality, asbestos, and safety programs that are Keeping Your Employees Safe.
As an industrial hygienist, we found this book a fascinating read. So you can understand why we say "as an industrial hygienist" let's discuss what industrial hygiene is. "Industrial Hygiene (IH) is a science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, control, and confirmation of protection from those environmental factors or stresses arising in or from the workplace which may cause sickness, impaired health, and well-being, or significant discomfort among workers or among citizens of the community." To learn more about IH click here.
Air Quality Sampling tools for the IH
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has been the most significant environmental factor of modern times it was interesting to read the number of meetings and the decisions made. The book goes through discussions with many of the people making the decisions during COVID and was interesting how then Vice President Mike Pence understood the need to let the scientists do their job. The section of the book covering how vaccinations work especially these newer mRNA vaccines and how they help the immune system repel invaders was informational and understandable.
Part 2 of the book, gives common sense recommendations for becoming pandemic-proof. Becoming pandemic P.R.O.O.F. is actually an acronym for:
P - Plan ahead.
R - Rethink and rewire risk in your brain.
O - Optimize health.
O - Organize Family
F - Fight for the future of us.
Obviously, part 2 goes into each of these giving recommendations. These recommendations came from the "hundreds of hours of the writer's conversations with experts from all disciplines of our society." Some of these recommendations are for our country but others are recommendations many of us could put into place for ourselves. One of our favorite chapters was the chapter on "Rethink and Rewire Risk in Your Brain." Obviously, at the beginning of this pandemic, very few of us had the knowledge of how to evaluate the risk involved. But now we do. The section specifically on avoiding traps was very interesting because of how many of us have these traps and how many friends and clients when discussing COVID had these traps.
If you're into reading readable scientific books we recommend reading this one.
It only took the United States Senate 1747 days to confirm a new head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA has been without a head since January 2017. President Joseph Biden nominatedMr. Doug Parker on April 9, 2021, and the Senateconfirmed him on October 25, 2021. We have to remember that former President Donald Trunp nominated Scott Mugno in October 2017, but Mr. Mugno withdrew in May 2019 after waiting for 19 months for the Senate to confirm him.
Mr. Doug Parker, Assistant Secertary to OSHA
Mr. Parker had his Senateconfirmation hearing held on May 27. Obviously, many of the questions posed to Mr. Parker were related to the pandemic and the soon to be released OSHAemergency temporary standard regarding protecting workers from COVID-19 for General Industry.
Mr. Parker has served as the head of California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CAL/OSHA) since September 2019. In his confirmation hearing he defended CAL/OSHA'semergency temporary standard on COVID-19 and strongly defended OSHA's plans for a new emergency temporary standard. Currently, OSHA'semergency temporary standard for COVID-19 only applies to healthcare and healthcare support service workers.
It is obvious from his experince at CAL/OSHA and other similar safety-related organizations he has the skill set and leadership abilities to be the new head at OSHA.
We recently read two articles in The Atlantic called "Why Are Americans Still - Still! - Wearing Cloth Masks?" and "Why Aren't We Wearing Better Masks?" and another in Scientific American called "Why We Need to Upgrade Our Face Masks - and Where to Get Them". All three articles discuss why Americans are still wearing cloth face-coverings now that N95 respirators (or the KN95 respirators, these respirators are made in China and are not approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)) are more readily available (The NIOSH Science Blog discusses the roles NIOSH, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) play regarding respiratory protection). The articles mention a new study not peer-reviewed yet from Bangladesh which claims that wearing surgical masks decrease COVID-19 symptoms and antibodies by 11.2 percent, while cloth masks only led to a 5 percent decrease. It proceeds to give several reasons why we continue to use face-coverings from public-health agencies not prioritizing surgical masks and N95 respirators to price to supporting one's sports team. Two of the articles describe how face-coverings are far better than nothing and also saying how cloth masks are more eco-friendly (The Covid Crisis Is Now a Garbage Crisis, Too) giving face-coverings a backhanded credit for helping when nothing else was available. The articles, in my opinion, even support the notion that we should be buying KN95 respirators even though they are not approved by NIOSH. If anything shouldn't we be buying American-made N95 respirators so we can increase the demand and hence increase the supply of masks that are made here? This was the subject of a New York Times article "Can't Find an N95 Mask? This Company Has 30 Million That It Can't Sell" and the Washington Post article "In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. government turned down an offer to manufacture millions of N95 masks in America."
Let us first say as a person, who believes in the use of respirators and their importance in protecting individuals from exposure to hazardous substances (see all our posts regarding 9/11), we agree that N95 respirators or surgical masks would protect people better from SARS-CoV-2 than cloth face-coverings if worn correctly. However, we would need to be able to provide each person N95 respirators (in their size either small, medium, or large) or surgical masks, make sure they had a sufficient supply to meet their needs, make sure the N95 respirator fits each person, make sure they understand how to wear the N95 respirator or surgical masks correctly, and finally, they are provided a means of disposal for the respirators or the surgical masks. As you can imagine that would be a significant cost to the government (or tax-payers) and would require a significant undertaking to make sure every American would be protected by using N95 respirators or surgical masks. Meanwhile, the biggest issue is whether we are talking N95 respirators, surgical masks, or face coverings they must be worn correctly to protect you, and remember facial hair reduces the effectiveness of all these face coverings. See the chart below for various ways of improperly using face coverings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website "Types of Masks and Respirators" was updated as of September 23, 2021, and provides information on types of masks and when to wear them and now includes a section on considerations for children.
Both these articles treat surgical masks and N95 respirators as simple items to wear and that anyone can wear them. However, this is not a fact as we mentioned above N95 respirators require medical clearance, fit testing, and training all mandated by OSHA for individuals that are required to wear them. As for surgical masks, we have to remember the ones that are typically sold to the public aren't actually surgical masks. Surgical masks are cleared by the FDA, see the chart below for the difference between the N95 respirators and surgical masks. Note that surgical masks do not provide the wearer with a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles. This is for FDA-cleared surgical masks, which means the ones the public purchases probably aren't reliable either considering they are not cleared by FDA.
Surgical Masks vs N95 respirators
However, the use of cloth face-coverings has been shown to reduce the emission of virus-laden droplets (source control) and help reduce inhalation of these droplets. The CDC website "Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2" which was last updated on May 7, 2021, provides some significant research on how the use of cloth face-coverings block the transmission of respiratory droplets with some face-coverings performing on par with surgical masks as barriers for source control. In the section "Human Studies of Masking and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission" data regarding the "real-world" effectiveness of community masking is limited to observational and epidemiological studies with many of these showing significant levels of protection from wearing face coverings. An example of one of these was "A study of an outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an environment notable for congregate living quarters and close working environments, found that use of face coverings on-board was associated with a 70% reduced risk of transmission.
Note the circled area of the package (which means they are not surgical masks).
It is our opinion, one of the main reasons face-coverings are better is because they are easier to use, easier to breathe through, light-weight, and because of these things more likely to be used and used correctly. Wearing the face-covering correctly and using the face covering is what is helping reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2. So follow the CDC guidelines on when to use face-coverings and let's stop the spread!
We are now fully open that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has decided that fully vaccinated people can resume normal activities and New York State has announced that 70% of New Yorkers have received the first dose. We have updated our pandemic policy to meet the new requirements. When you attend training with us please provide proof that you have been vaccinated so we can allow everyone to not wear face coverings. We strongly recommend the use of the New York State Excelsior Pass System. The system creates a wallet on your smartphone to allow you to present proof that you've been vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated, you can either attend a virtual training course or attend an in-person course as long as you wear a face-covering (as per CDC recommendations).
To celebrate the new normal or the return to normal we have decided to adjust our pricing to be more in line with the New York State market, in addition, readers of this blog can now claim a discount on our new prices. When registering for your class just enter the code FEDTCBLOG15 to get a 15% discount on our published course price. Remember we still provide our best discounts to our loyal customers (25%). As part of the online (virtual) requirements, we were required to create class interactions and a way to administer the exam. Since these have been successful in the virtual classes, we will continue to allow students to take the exam at our Learning Management System (Administrate LMS portal) and will continue using Poll Everywhere to spark conversations in our classes. To be able to do that you should bring an electronic device (laptop, iPad, smartphone, etc.) to our classes. We will still have paper exams for those who want to take the exam the old-fashioned way or we don't have internet access.
We've been very busy creating eLearning courses. We've just finished creating a Lead in Construction Awareness Course and will be completing a Mold in Construction Awareness Course, soon. We can bundle these courses together with our Asbestos Awareness Course to create an entry-level certificate course (ALM) Asbestos, Lead, and Mold in Construction Awareness or add our Silica in Construction course to create another entry-level certificate course (SLAM) Silica, Lead, Asbestos, and Mold in Construction Awareness. The ALM certificate course costs $65 and the SLAM certificate course costs $75. These are significant savings from taking the courses separately. Please contact us at 1-800-969-3888 to set these courses up for your staff.
Finally, those of you who have attended our classes for years have met Alyssa, my daughter, and remember her cute way of saying wetter-water. Well, we're happy to announce that Alyssa got married in May to a wonderful woman Sarah Jednak. We are so happy to have Sarah officially join the family. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Future Environment Designs Training Center (FEDTC) recognizes that the safety and health of our clients and their family are our shared concerns. We also recognize that our clients need to renew licenses that are necessary to perform work in the field and that in-person classes are required by law. FEDTC always reserves the right to refuse to train anyone we feel may be too ill to attend a course. We will and can hold a private class at a mutually beneficial time after they have gotten better for these individuals. Until this pandemic has ended we will follow the following procedures to reduce the potential interactions that could increase the risk of spreading disease (on June 19, 2021, we have modified our procedures based on the revised Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Policies and that we were immunized on April 18, 2021 (Pfizer 2 shots). This policy will remain in effect until the pandemic is over (revisions are underlined):
Social Distancing Policy:
During training classes, the instructor and the students will be requested to:
All students & instructors before they leave home should take their temperature (it should be less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and document absence of shortness of breath, new or change in cough, sore throat, loss of smell or taste,and muscle aches. They should also check the CDC website for other symptoms at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html. If possible, take the CDC self-check found at the site. If you are ill or your temperature is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit they should call to reschedule the course.
All students upon arrival will be asked what their temperature was before they left home, and do they have any of the symptoms of shortness of breath, new or change in cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. We will also use a contactless thermometer to measure forehead temperature. If students answer yes to any questions or the thermometer measurement is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit the student will not be allowed to attend training and must reschedule.
All students will
also, be asked if they are vaccinated and to show proof of vaccination (we recommend students use the NYS Excelsior Pass App).
All students will be encouraged to bring and wear a
face-covering during the training (FEDTC will provide face
coverings, when available). Students
who prove they are vaccinated do not need to wear masks or social distance
as per the CDC.
FEDTC will be using our larger training rooms and advising students to sit at least 6 feet from each other and avoid person-to-person contact such as shaking hands.
Instructors will perform all training at least 6 feet from students, will wear face coverings during training, andwe are immunized.
Cover coughs and sneezes using tissues or into the elbow of your sleeve. To prevent droplets containing germs from entering the air or contaminating your hands.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (sing "Happy Birthday" twice).
Use waterless hand sanitizer where soap and water (which are preferred) are not available.
Instructors will avoid any unnecessary travel and cancel or postpone any courses they are feeling unwell or shall use a face covering while training.
Instructors will be provided with a kit to help with the recommended procedures.
Pandemic Kit:
The pandemic kit
each instructor will be provided with will include:
Tape measure
Surgical masks, when available
N95 Disposable Respirators, when available
Hand Sanitizers, when available
Tissues
Cleaning Disinfectant Wipes for cleaning tables
Forehead Thermometer
Training Courses:
At the beginning of the course we
will go over the basic steps for personal protection & prevention. This will include a slide set and video regarding basic
information on protection and prevention before the course begins.
FEDTC feels these steps will help reduce the risk of spreading disease and still enable students to refresh training in accordance with current regulations. Should you have any questions feel free to give us a call. Be safe!
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that public schools can decide to open as long as they are in a region where the average rate of positive coronavirus tests is below 5 percent over a two-week period. To read Governor Cuomo's announcement click here. It is interesting to note that still means School Districts will have to figure out how to open, handle busing, and all the other parts of the schooling process. There is plenty of information that indicates that children are very efficient spreaders of viruses. Forbes magazine recently published an article "New Evidence Suggests Young Children Spread Covid-19 More Efficiently Than Adults", which is about two studies, one published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and the other is a pre-print manuscript awaiting peer-review. The JAMA study shows young children who have mild to moderate Covid-19 symptoms have 10 to 100 times as much SARS-CoV-2 in the nasopharynx as older children and adults. The other study showed that children age 14 and younger risk of transmitting Covid-19 was 22.4 percent—more than twice that of adults aged 30 to 49, whose rate of contagiousness was about 11 percent. As an industrial hygienist and a certified indoor environmental consultant, we believe school administration/boards of education need to use some basic industrial hygiene and indoor air quality principles to open safely. It will mean that quite a few things need to change to be able to keep students, teachers, and staff safe. Like any basic industrial hygiene problem, we should use the hierarchy of controls to protect workers by reducing the potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
Hierarchy of Control Methods
The first hierarchy of control is the elimination or the substitution of the hazard. This control is about prevention if we can eliminate the exposure then we eliminate the hazard. So if we can make sure individuals with Covid-19 do not attend school we can eliminate the exposure. To accomplish this most facilities are doing a combination of questionnaires and temperature taking to ensure people who are sick stay home and out of the workplace. However, this does not capture asymptomatic individuals who can also spread SARS-CoV-2. A recent study discussed in STAT's article "Fever checks are a flawed way to flag Covid-19 cases", indicated that Covid-19 patients were 27 times more likely than others to have lost their sense of smell. But they were only 2.6 times more likely to have fever or chills, suggesting that anosmia (the loss of sense of smell) produces a clearer signal and may, therefore, be a better Covid-19 catching net than fever. The idea of using a smell test is supported by a USA Today article "Why do so many COVID-19 patients lose their sense of smell? Scientists now know." Testing to determine if an individual has lost their sense of smell can be done in several ways (for example, having a person smell a scratch-and-sniff card and pick the correct odor out of four choices) with the gold standard being the University of PennsylvaniaSmell Identification Test called UPSIT. The scents are released by scratching the microencapsulated scents with a pencil. The test taker has a choice of 4 answers for each and the test takes 10 to 15 minutes. This would prevent individuals from entering the school and hence eliminate the hazard. Unfortunately, it doesn't totally eliminate the hazard. So we must add additional controls to continue to reduce the exposure.
SARS-CoV-2
The next level of control would be engineering controls. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s website "Indoor Air and Coronavirus (COVID-19)" there is growing evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 remains airborne in indoor environments for hours, potentially increasing in concentration over time. Due to this evidence, we would use the engineering controls ventilation (bringing fresh air from outside) and air filtration (removing the virus from the air inside the building) to reduce the potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of the heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a building is to bring fresh air from outside the building to dilute the contaminants that may build-up in a building. Humans produce CO2 and body odor plus other contaminants (i.e., moisture, if we're sick viruses & bacteria) and other processes in the building produce other contaminants (i.e., cleaning chemicals, copiers, uncontrolled moisture can produce mold, etc.). The HVAC system should be designed to reduce these contaminants and provide a certain amount of fresh air per person in the building. When we are concerned about the indoor air quality (IAQ) of a space we use carbon dioxide (CO2) as an indicator of how well the ventilation system is ventilating a space. In other words how well the ventilation system, is reducing the contaminants in the space. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) publishes a standard 62.1-2010 "Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality" as a guideline for determining acceptable IAQ (for the purposes of comfort). This guideline recommends maintaining CO2 levels in a space no greater than 700 parts per million (ppm) above outdoor air levels. However, a recent article in The Conversation titled "How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors" discusses research that showed the effects of ventilation on a tuberculosis outbreak at Taipei University. The study showed when engineers improved air circulation in the rooms and got the CO2 levels in the rooms reduced to under 600 ppm (from above 3,000 ppm) the outbreak stopped. This shows that if we use CO2 detectors in rooms to ensure the rooms are properly ventilated and we can keep CO2 levels below 600 ppm we have a better chance of reducing transmission of the virus in these rooms. The same article also discusses using air cleaners for air filtration there are several items to understand when using air cleaners. First, you want an air cleaner that has a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) that is capable of filtering the particles at 99.97% of all particles at 5 microns and greater. The next thing to consider is how powerful it is and finally how reliable are its claims. The Conversation article provides some excellent links for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) that certifies air cleaners and a Harvard-Colorado University Boulder Air Cleaner Calculator for Schools tool for helping to decide the best air cleaner for a particular classroom. This too may not completely eliminate the hazard so we will have to go to the next control - Administrative and work practice controls.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s website "How COVID-19 Spreads" the virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person:
Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly inhaled into the lungs.
COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.
It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
Administrative controls to reduce this exposure would include social distancing, surface cleaning and disinfecting, and handwashing (we discussed handwashing in our blog post regarding Future Environment Design's Pandemic Policy). The CDC website "Strategies for Protecting K-12 School Staff from COVID-19" has a lot of information and resources on handling social distancing, and surface cleaning and disinfecting for schools for everything including sports, music, and busing. Another idea some schools are considering is holding in-person classes outdoors. An article in the magazine Fast Company titled "Inside the Quest to Reopen Schools-By Moving Classes Outside" discusses the work of the nonprofit organization called Green Schoolyards America. Green Schoolyards America with other organizations has created the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative which has been working with schools to create outdoor learning spaces. This is an outgrowth from a webinar held on June 4, 2020, entitled "Outdoor Spaces as Essential Assets for School Districts's COVID-19 Response".
The final level of control would be personal protective equipment (PPE). Though face coverings are not truly considered PPE but for the purposes of public health and the fact we want the person to wear something, we will take the liberty to consider it this level of control which is the last and least effective control.
Face Covering, not a surgical mask
If you have read our previous blog post "Filtering Facepiece Respirator or a Dust Mask or N95 Respirator versus a Surgical Mask" on the difference between N95 respirators/filtering facepieces/dust masks vs surgical masks. You know there is a big difference between surgical masks and N95 respirators. In our blog post, we mentioned face coverings but there still seems to be some confusion. We blame the media for not using consistent wording or terminology. They go back and forth utilizing the wording face coverings and masks. A face covering is not a mask (though they are now making things that look like a surgical mask but specifically say not for medical use (see picture above), which tells you that it is not a surgical mask but just a face covering). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a website devoted to "COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions". This website has some basic points regarding cloth face coverings:
May be commercially produced or improvised (i.e., homemade) garments, scarves, bandanas, or items made from t-shirts or other fabrics.
Are worn in public over the nose and mouth to contain the wearer's potentially infectious respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks and to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), to others.
Are not considered personal protective equipment (PPE).
Will not protect the wearer against airborne transmissible infectious agents due to loose fit and lack of seal or inadequate filtration.
Are not appropriate substitutes for PPE such as respirators (e.g., N95 respirators) or medical face masks (e.g., surgical masks) in workplaces where respirators or face masks are recommended or required to protect the wearer.
May be used by almost any worker, although those who have trouble breathing or are otherwise unable to put on or remove a mask without assistance should not wear one.
By using the hierarchy of controls we discussed above, schools could open to in-person schooling. But these are significant changes to the way schools have been run for years. The question really is does the school have the resources to change and can it adapt to these changes. Very tough questions for administrators, teachers, and parents, and students.
The Long Island region entered Phase 4 on July 8, 2020. That same day Future Environment Designs was given permission to start offering in-person asbestos and mold refresher courses, again. Though there are several restrictions with this reopening one of the more important restrictions is the requirement of social distancing in the class and the need to wear face coverings when that is not possible. We are attempting to hold virtual classes and in-person classes every month. Allowing you to have the option of whether you prefer to attend an in-person course versus a virtual course. To see what our clients have been saying about our recent training courses visit our review page at CourseCheck.com at https://www.coursecheck.com/reviews/provider/76
FEDTC Face Covering
For our in-person training courses, we are providing hand sanitizer and face coverings for all students attending the course. We are requesting all students before attending any in-person course to take their temperature and go to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Covid-19 website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. At the CDC website, click on the self-check symptoms button and complete the Coronavirus Self Checker and follow the instructions after completing the self checker. If the self checker says "Sounds like you are feeling ok.", "No Covid-19 testing needed at this time.", and your temperature is below 100 degrees Fahrenheit you can attend training. Once you arrive we will also be taking your temperature to ensure before you attend the training that you are below 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
As we've written previously, we are using Go-To-Meeting as our platform for our virtual meetings. We've had a few technical difficulties but otherwise considering we've only been using the platform for only three months it has worked pretty smoothly. We are using several other tools to make the class interesting and fun. We are using PollEverywhere.com to create discussions in the class regarding certain topics, every attendee is encouraged to access the Administrate portal before class so they can access the course manual and review for the exam, which at the end of class is also located in the portal. In addition, we use CourseCheck.com for course evaluations. As we continue with the new normal we will do everything we can to protect your safety in our classes and provide you with the information you have come to expect from coming to Future Environment Designs! See you soon!
Future Environment Designs is proud to announce the development of several new e-learning and virtual training courses. The first virtual training course is this Friday, May 1, 2020, at 10 AM. We will be providing training on SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) the virus that causes Covid-19. This training course will include three modules covering Covid-19 awareness, Covid-19 Pandemic Response Plan, and Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for SARS-CoV-2. Click here to register for this course. If you can't make the virtual learning course, we also created an e-learning Covid-19 course which also includes the three modules. Click here to register for the e-learning course. We created both courses to cover the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) training requirements for workers that have the potential to be exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus)
We also created a four-hour e-learning course for bloodborne pathogens to meet the requirements of the OSHA bloodborne pathogen standard and NYS's Nassau County training requirement for the Environmental Hazard Remediation Contractors License. See our blog post for more on the Nassau County requirements. In addition, we created a Respirator Hierarchy course to try and clarify some of the confusion out there regarding respirators. You can register to take either of these e-learning courses or any of the other courses we created at https://futureenvironmentdesigns.com/online-courses.html. Also, remember if you take a number of training courses with Future Environment Designs the best value and price would be to sign-up for a training subscription at our patron page https://www.patreon.com/fedtc.
New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has alerted us that NYS asbestos safety training has been deemed a non-essential service during COVID19, in accordance with Executive Order 202.6. All asbestos training providers should discontinue providing asbestos safety training courses, effective immediately. The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) is temporarily extending Asbestos Handling Certificate deadlines to help with this. More information from the NYSDOL can be found here https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/safetyhealth/temporary-rules-licenses-certifications-exams.shtm.
Chrysotile Asbestos Cobbing Station
Asbestos training providers will be notified when these restrictions have been lifted. Providers should not notify for classes until the restrictions have been lifted. There is no need for an asbestos training provider to send cancellations for the classes already scheduled during the closure, NYSDOH will automatically cancel these classes.
Future Environment Designs Keeping Your Employees Safe
Obviously, Future Environment Designs Training Center (FEDTC) will comply with these requirements and we will contact you once we are allowed to schedule classes, again. We will be using this break to update our training materials with information we gained from recent Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) Environmental Conference.
Respirable Silica Exposure
FEDTC would like to remind everyone that we also have some online safety courses that can be useful at this time to comply with various regulations. Some of the courses we have include Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) hazard communication training; NYSDOL Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH) Right-to-Know/HazComm training; OSHA respirator user training; OSHA Class IV worker/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asbestos awareness training; OSHA respirable silica training; New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) investigator/supervisor/handler exam prep; and mold awareness. Please visit our website to learn more about these courses at www.futureenv.com. You can register there to take these courses or contact us for special pricing for ordering more than one of these courses. Thank you!
Back in 2011 we posted this video from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Respirator Safety Video discussing the difference between respirators and surgical masks is a very good video to better understand the difference between these two pieces of equipment that can protect you from particular hazards.
There is a lot of confusion currently (during the coronavirus pandemic) about the difference between these two items. The video above gives you a basic understanding. To expand on that information realize the surgical mask does not protect the user from what's in the air its not designed to be a filter. It's designed to protect the public from what the individual wearing it has. Hence its popularity in Asian countries where it is considered a courtesy to wear it when you're sick. See the chart below for more differences.
The filtering facepiece respirator was designed for the purpose of being lightweight, easy to use, and protect workers from particulates in the air but they are single-use (they should not be used for more than 8 hours and you throw them away). If you're interested in learning about this mask's history read this article written in Fast Company "The untold origin story of the N95 mask". Unfortunately, like most respirators, these need to be fit tested to ensure they fit correctly and also need to be fit checked to ensure it is placed on the face correctly. An interesting point is that air will take the path of least resistance, and that is why respirators need to be fit tested to make sure all the air goes through the filter(s). It is also why workers with facial hair cannot wear tight-fitting respirators. The facial hair creates a path of least resistance into the respirator. Digg posted an interesting video that shows a person coughing and the difference between a surgical mask (designed to protect the public) and an N95 respirator (designed to protect the user). Properly putting on and taking off the N95 respirator is also important to make sure all the air goes through the filter. See the video below to ensure you are doing this correctly. Remember you should follow the manufacturer's procedures when putting on or taking off the respirator.
One more point, don't touch the filter it could be contaminated. If you do immediately wash your hands or if unavailable use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If you're sick you wear the surgical mask and keep your distance (3 feet or arms-length or the preferrable 6 feet) or better yet stay home! If you are trying not to get sick you wear the N95 respirator. However, if you have not been fit tested with the respirator, have not performed the fit check, have facial hair, or not wearing it properly then the respirator would be better off in a Doctor, Nurse, or Emergency Responders hands to help them with the shortages they are experiencing. Just keep your distance or better yet stay at home!!!
