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Showing posts with label NIOSH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NIOSH. Show all posts

Sunday, September 12, 2021

20 Year Anniversary of 9/11, 10-Year Anniversary of the World Trade Center Health Program. Lesson Learned?

On September 11, 2001, Future Environment Designs (FEDTC) was teaching an asbestos supervisor refresher and an asbestos inspector initial course at the Underhill Blvd. Syosset office.  We were some of the fortunate individuals who were not in New York City when terrorists hijacked airplanes and proceeded to fly them into the World Trade Centers (WTC), the Pentagon, and crashed another in Pennsylvania.  On that day hundreds of thousands of people were exposed to a massive cloud of toxic gases and particulates from the terrorist attack on the WTC.  Significant failings by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) led to tens of thousands of people who participated in the ensuing rescue, recovery, and clean-up efforts being exposed to the WTC toxic dust.  Nearly a half million people are estimated to be at increased risk of adverse health effects from exposures to physical, psychological, and emotional stressors in the days, weeks, and months following the terrorist attacks.  This year we honor their sacrifice on the 20th Anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center.  On January 2, 2011, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2012 (the Zadroga Act) created the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).  The WTCHP is administered by the director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  So this year is also the 10th Anniversary of the WTCHP.  

We have no intention of changing our logo which depicts the NYC skyline with the WTC.

The WTCHP provides medical monitoring and treatment of covered health conditions for emergency responders, survivors, recovery and cleanup workers, and volunteers who helped at the WTC, the Pentagon, and the crash site near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and maintains a research program aimed to improve the care and well-being of the affected population.  The WTCHP serves four groups of people affected by the 9/11 attacks:

  • Fire Department of New York Responders,
  • World Trade Center General Responders,
  • World Trade Center Survivors (lived, worked, or went to school in NYC Disaster Area), and
  • Pentagon/Shanksville Responders

From Express - 9/11 firefighters still Dying 20 years on - Devastating graph exposes the harrowing impact

As of December 31, 2020, 108,666 individuals have enrolled in WTCHP.  The ten most common certified conditions are:

  • Chronic Rhinosinusitis
  • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
  • Cancers
  • Asthma
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Chronic Respiratory Disorder - Fumes/Vapors
  • WTC-Exacerbated Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Anxiety Disorder (Not otherwise specified)
  • Major Depressive Disorder

As the years go by, it will be interesting to see if this list changes.  In FEDTC's asbestos training courses, we discuss the latency period for asbestos-related diseases (asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma) are 10-50 years from the date of the first exposure.  In the next 5-10 years we will hit the beginning of the latency period for lung cancer and mesothelioma.  Currently, cancers only account for about 13% of WTCHP certified conditions with non-melanoma skin cancer (27%) and prostate cancer (21%) being the top two cancers.  Comparison studies indicate that prostate and thyroid cancer are elevated compared to other groups (without WTC toxic dust exposure). Other excess cancers at this time include bladder cancer, malignant melanoma, multiple myeloma, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

It was published after the completion of the rescue, recovery, and clean-up efforts that there were no fatalities.  However, that isn't quite correct since we are seeing rescue, recovery, and clean-up workers dying from their exposure to the WTC toxic dust.  It is good to see that what occurred during the rescue, recovery, and clean-up at the WTC was not repeated at the recent rescue, recovery, and clean-up efforts at the Miami condo collapse.  As the picture below, from The Guardian, shows, rescue crews are wearing respirators to protect them from the potentially toxic dust from the collapse of that building.  If this is the lesson learned from the WTC tragedy, it was a hard lesson but one that will protect workers in other rescues, recoveries, and clean-ups in the future.  
 

The Guardian
Miami condo collapse: death toll rises to nine as crews search pile for survivors | Miami condo collapse | The Guardian


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wearable Technology In the Workplace

We just read the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH's) Science Blog regarding "The Future of Wearable Technology in the Workplace".  Wearable technology includes things like Fitbit, Jawbone, and things like Google glass or Microsoft's just announced HoloLens.  The potential to use wearable technology in the workplace to provide occupational safety and health information at the moment would be really useful.  Though the potential for distracted workers and some workers having health issues using the technology should give pause in rolling it out too quickly.  Considering all the new technology we've been keeping up with, we are very interested in seeing where wearable technology brings the occupational safety and health field.  Maybe some accidents could be prevented with the wearable technology.

Image of the ZYPAD wrist wearable computer fro...
Image of the ZYPAD wrist wearable computer from Arcom Control Systems (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Friday, September 05, 2014

September 5 is N95 Day - Whaaaaaat??

According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) today September 5 is N95 Day.  NIOSH says, "N95 Day is a time to recognize the importance of respiratory protection in the workplace and familiarize yourself with the resources available to help you make educated decisions when selecting and wearing a respirator."  To celebrate, NIOSH will be providing N95 filtering facepiece respirator information through social media channels such as a Twitter chat, a webinar, and new infographics.  For more information visit there website at:  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/N95Day.html.


Interesting thing to us is why celebrate the N95 filtering facepiece respirators?  Filtering facepiece respirators have their place in protecting workers from respiratory hazards, however, that place is very limited.  This type of respirator cannot and should not be used for respirable dusts like asbestos or lead.  Nor should it be used for vapors or mists or gases.  As the picture above from Ground Zero - 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup shows, knowing which respirator to wear was one of the problems for the workers who worked there.  The picture shows workers wearing filtering facepiece respirators and half mask air purifying respirators.  Considering the contaminants (asbestos, mercury, PCBs, to name a few) at the site, filtering facepiece respirators should not have been a choice at all.  This is probably the main reason to have an N95 day is to make sure people understand the limitations of this type of respirator.  But why limit it to filtering facepiece respirators, we should be celebrating all respirators!  So for our part we say Happy Respirator Day!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

OSHA Releases New Respiratory Protection Directive

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued directive number CPL 02-00-158 "Inspection Procedures for the Respiratory Protection Standard".  This new directive gives instructions to OSHA compliance safety officers and area directors on interpretations and enforcement policies for enforcing the respirator standard 1910.134.  This directive cancels and supersedes the previous directive CPL 02-00-120 dated September 25, 1998.  Directives are used by OSHA to ensure the standards are enforced uniformly across the country.  These directives are useful resources in that they inform the industry, and employers how OSHA intends on enforcing the respirator standard.


Changes to this revision include: updated definitions section to include definitions for assigned protection factors (APF) and maximum use concentrations (MUC); greater clarification on voluntary respirator use, and a better explanation of a compliant respirator program and provides additional acceptable methods to assess respiratory hazards; updates the directive with information related to the revised Hazard Communication standard (1910.1200); and provides guidance on evaluating the need for respiratory protection for chemicals used in workplaces by referring to employer's Hazard Communication program wherein chemical manufacturers communicated the need for respiratory protection.

Muster einer Atemluft-Einwegmaske
Muster einer Atemluft-Einwegmaske (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
According to this directive if employers require employees to wear respirators for the protection against TB they must be in compliance with the respirator standard 1910.134.  Probably the most interesting portions of the directive are the modifications to voluntary use of respirators.  According to the directive, it was the intent of the standard that the employer would not be required to incur any costs associated with voluntary use of filtering  facepiece respirators (dust masks) other than providing a copy of Appendix D of the standard to each user.  OSHA is concerned that voluntary use may cause an employee's health being jeopardized by the wearing of a respirator, or the wearing of a dirty respirator that can cause dermatitis or ingestion of a hazardous chemical, and the sharing of a respirator that leads to transmittal of disease.

Voluntary use of filtering facepiece respirators is one of the most misunderstood sections of the respirator standard.  Some points from the directive: NIOSH-approved filtering facepieces are strongly recommended but are not required; voluntary use does not require the employer to have a written program; and merely posting Appendix D is not considered adequate.

The directive is a useful resource to give employers an indication of how OSHA will enforce the respirator standard and it is a useful tool to help avoid citations or to fight violations.  

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Worker Exposure to Silica Significant During Hydraulic Fracturing

Silicosis
Silicosis (Photo credit: Mr. Ducke)
Just read the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH's) blog regarding "Worker Exposure to Crystalline Silica during Hydraulic Fracturing".  Obviously, environmental concerns regarding this type of work are being fought in New York on what seems likely a daily or weekly basis.  Usually the arguement for hydraulic fracturing is, job creation and of course energy independence.  However, it is interesting how worker safety is rarely discussed when we talk about hydraulic fracturing.  This study done by NIOSH and discussed on their blog obviously discusses the need to ensure that workers are protected from being overexposed to respirable crystalline silica dust.  Overexposure to respirable crystalline silica dust can lead to the development of the uncurable respiratory disease silicosis, in addition to other diseases.    The typical view that filtering facepiece and half-mask respirators could protect the workers, according to the blog is not sufficient to protect the workers.  Meaning engineering, work practice controls, and administrative controls need to be implemented, making the process more complicated.
Since New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) is working on drafting regulations for hydraulic fracturing, we hope they also take into account what is needed to protect worker safety on these sites as well as what is needed to protect the environment.
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Honoring Dr. Alice Hamilton For Women's History Month


Alice Hamilton, pioneer of occupational medici...
Image via Wikipedia
Recently saw a tweet by the Young Workers honoring Dr. Alice Hamilton (For Women's history month -- Alice Hamilton (NIOSH video 1988; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E75pST2QTEM&feature=colike).  It still surprises us when we see a video on the pioneers in the industrial hygiene field, discussing issues we are still dealing with today.  Dr. Hamilton was dealing with imigrant labor being mistreated similar to what we see today with undocumented/illegal aliens.  Dr. Hamilton also was dealing with workers being exposed to various toxic dusts and then the workers developing various diseases caused by these exposures.  Today we still see this happening as we've written about in our current newsletter (Toxic Dusts - Demolition Implications).  When will we learn from our previous mistakes?  When will we stop the exposures and the resulting illnesses?  When will we start to care?
 
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Wednesday, December 07, 2011

NIOSH Blog Discusses Erionite

erionite
Image by fluor_doublet via Flickr
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Science Blog posted the following article "Erionite: An Emerging North American Hazard."  The importance of this mineral is that in its fibrous form it is very similar to asbestos.  It is a naturally occurring mineral with deposits in many western states (on the blog post is a map indicating the areas) and disturbance of the fibers can generate airborne fibers with physical properties and health effects that are similar to asbestos.  Residents of Turkish villages where erionite-containing rock was used to construct homes, had a high risk for developing malignant mesothelioma.  The United States Geological Survey found that the erionite from the Cappadocian region of Turkey, North Dakota, and Oregon were chemically and morphologically similar.
Reading this blog post, is like reading an article on asbestos exposure or how to control asbestos exposure.  According to the post, the focus of potential exposure are road construction and maintenance workers that work with erionite-containing gravel used in road surfacing.  Recommendations by NIOSH are to treat erionite-containing gravel in the same way as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) treats asbestos-containing materials.  Train workers, control dust emissions and utilize wet methods, all sounding very familar to us in the asbestos industry, however currently their is no occupational exposure limit for erionite.  Which will make things difficult for those exposed to erionite-containing gravel.  Let's hope OSHA heeds NIOSH's recommendations
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

New Joint NIOSH/OSHA Publication on Nail Gun Safety

Nail gunImage via Wikipedia
The National Institue of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have a new publication called "Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors."  This publication was created as a resource to prevent injuries in the construction industry, including residential construction.  While nail guns may boost productivity, nail guns are responsible for tens of thousands of painful injuries each year.  One study found that 2 out of 5 residential carpenter apprentices experienced a nail gun injury over a four-year period.  When these injuries occur they are often not reported or given any medical treatment.  The risk of injury is twice as high when using a multi-shot contact trigger versus using a single-shot sequential trigger nailer.  Many years ago, Linda Archipolo of Massapequa made the news on Long Island, when she was working in a Burger King at the Sunrise Mall.  A three-inch nail, shot with a nail gun, accidentally went through two walls and landed in Ms. Archipolo's skull.  Luckily, she survived.  This new publication is intended for residential home builders and construction contractors, subcontractors, supervisors and workers to prevent these kinds of injuries.

The guidance was developed in response to a unanimous recommendation by employer, labor and public members of OSHA’s Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), asking OSHA to develop awareness and materials about nail gun risks.  OSHA and NIOSH worked together to make sure the guidance reflects the most current information available. The publication highlights what is known about nail gun injuries, describes the common causes of nail gun injuries and provides six practical steps that contractors can take to prevent these injuries. The guidance includes actual workplace cases along with a short section on other types of nail gun hazards and sources of additional information.
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Thursday, April 14, 2011

NIOSH Study Designates Bisphenol A as a Skin Sensitizer


Chemical structure of bisphenol A.
Image via Wikipedia

On April 12, 2011, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a skin notation profile for Bisphenol A (BPA).  This profile found enough evidence to classify BPA as causing skin sensitization.  Sensitization is a specific immune-mediated response (responses mediated by the immune system, including allergic responses) that develops following exposure to a chemical, which, upon re-exposure, can lead to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) or other immune-mediated diseases such as asthma, depending on the site and route of re-exposure.  BPA is a high-production-volume (HPV) chemical used in the manufacturing of epoxy resins, plastics, and flame retardants.  NIOSH evaluated several case reports and predictive animal studies that indicated BPA as being a skin sensitizer and can cause photoallergy.  Hence, NIOSH has assigned a SK:SEN notation (skin:sensitizer) for BPA.  With BPA used as a flame retardant avoiding coming into skin contact with it could be very difficult. 
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

NIOSH Science Blog Discusses Law Enforcement Injury Causes

The male lion statue at the National Law Enfor...Image via WikipediaLast week on Long Island many mourned the death of Nassau County Police Officer Michael J. Califano.  Officer Califano was killed when a flatbed truck slammed into his car during a routine traffic stop on the Long Island Expressway last Friday night (February 4, 2011).  Though his death was outside his vehicle, it is interesting that the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) science blog posting on February 9, 2011 was a discussion on "Cops and Cars".  The blog points out that, the occupational injury fatality rate for police officers was 4 times higher than the U.S. average [BLS, 2009] in 2009.  The blog also discussses a new report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, line-of-duty deaths have dramatically increased – 40% – from 2009 to 2010 (NLEOMF, 2010).  Possible reasons for this significant increase include budget cuts, the expiration of semi-automatic weapon bans, and a diminishing respect for police officers; but these are, at best, speculations.

The blog then points out that, traffic-related incidents are actually the leading cause of death among our nation's law enforcement officers and have been for the past 13 years (NLEOMF, 2010).  In fact, over the past 5 decades, overall line-of-duty deaths have steadily declined and traffic-related fatalities have increased (2010).  More recently, traffic-related fatalities increased 43% between 2009 and 2010 (2010).  This increase includes officers involved in motor-vehicle crashes and those struck while outside their vehicles.

It is interesting that statistics indicate that law enforcement use of seat belts may be a factor.  Two studies showed that seat bealt use by law enforccement was between 38%-42%.  However, law enforcement have good reasons for not wearing seat belts, including the design of the seat belts can catch their gun holster as they quickly get out of their cars.  Because of this NIOSH is undertaking the first state-wide study of attitudes and beliefs of seatbelt usage among law enforcement officers.  This study will survey a random sample of Iowa law enforcement officers through their agency leadership.  The study will include officers in municipal departments, the state patrol, and sheriff's offices.  As NIOSH begins this research, they are requesting (through the NIOSH Science Blog) to hear from police officers, police administration, law enforcement unions, training academies, and motor-vehicle researchers about their experiences with motor-vehicle crashes and the usage of seatbelts while in patrol cars.  For more information visit the NIOSH Science Blog at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/.

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Wednesday, February 02, 2011

NIOSH Seeking Comments On The Draft Recommendations For Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance

Csa-slsImage via WikipediaThe National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) today invited public comment on a draft document titled, "Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance."  This document was developed by a consortium of federal agencies, state health departments, and volunteer organizations, headed by the NIOSH with the goal of proposing a more comprehensive and systematic approach to worker safety and health for all emergency responders.

The set of guidelines and recommendations described in the document is the result of the collaborative efforts of the workgroup.  When final, it is expected that this document will serve as an interagency resource that is intended for review and possible publication by the National Response Team. 
"The gaps in our ability to ensure the safety and health of all workers involved in large scale and complex emergency responses have been documented through our responses to the World Trade Center disaster, Hurricane Katrina, and most recently, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill," said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D.  "This document is the result of our shared learning from these events and our combined commitment to protect those workers who respond in times of need."
This draft document proposes a new framework for ensuring responder safety and health by monitoring and conducting surveillance of their health and safety during the entire cycle of emergency response, including the pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment phases of a response.  The proposed system is referred to as the "Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHMS)" system, and includes a guidance section describing the principles involved in ensuring optimal responder safety and health, as well as tools which can be utilized to help facilitate the execution of these principles during an actual response.
The draft document is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/review/docket223/ for written public comment until April 4, 2011.
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Thursday, January 27, 2011

OSHA Website Focuses On Green Job Hazards

Wind Farm in California
The Occupational Safety and Health Adminisitration (OSHA) standards cover many of the hazards in green industries and employers must use the necessary controls to protect workers.  The green industry is being defined broadly as an industry that helps to improve the environment.  The jobs created by this green industry (typically called green jobs) also create opportunities to help revitalize the economy and get people back to work.  Examples of the different green industries include:
Green jobs do not necessarily mean that they are safe jobs. Workers in the green industries may face hazards that are commonly known in workplaces -- such as falls, confined spaces, electrical, fire, and other similar hazards.  These hazards may be new to many workers who are moving into the fast-growing green industries.  Additionally, workers may be exposed to new hazards which may not have been previously identified.  An example of this are workers in the solar energy industry may be exposed to Cadmium Telluride, a known carcinogen, if adequate controls are not implemented.  The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) requires employers to comply with safety and health regulations promulgated by OSHA.  In addition, the OSH Act’s General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1), requires employers to provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm.  In the absence of an OSHA standard, OSHA can enforce the General Duty Clause. 
One of the key concept for all industries, but especially those that are just beginning to grow, is "Prevention through Design (PtD)" – designing the process/equipment in a way that eliminates hazards to the workers who use them.  The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has a web page discussing this concept, visit it at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/PTD/.  The basic premise of this is to address occupational safety and health needs in the design process (having occupational safety and health professionals working with design engineers) to prevent or minimize the work-related hazards and risks associated with the construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and disposal of facilities, materials, and equipment.  If the design eliminates the hazard before what is being designed is built, then the hazards may never be created.  Visit OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov/dep/greenjobs/index.html to better understand the job hazards in each of the different green industries.

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Sunday, December 05, 2010

Review of Northeast Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition

This Friday, December 3, 2010, we went to the 64th Annual Northeast Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel New Brunswick, NJ.  The conference was presented by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), New Jersey Section, Inc. and co-sponsored by the Metro New York and Philadelphia Sections AIHA.  The title of the conference was "Welcome to the Future! Evolving Industrial Hygiene Opportunities."  The conference agenda included presentations in Nanotechnology by Dr. Chuck Geraci from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); Prevention through Design by Ms. Donna Heidel from NIOSH; Managing Risk in the Face of Change by Mr. T.J. Lentz from NIOSH; Industrial Forensics by Mr. Ryan Hall from RJ Lee Group; Bioterrorism Response by Dr. Nancy Connell from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ); Before and After Measurements of Ergonomic Successes from Mr. Dan MacLeod of Dan McLeod LLC; and then the Bedbugs Invasion Panel that included Mr. Jay Taylor from Chubb and Son, Mr. Roy Viola, Esq. from McGiveny & Kluger, Mr. Rick Cooper of Cooper Pest Solutions, and Dr. Howard Sandler of Sandler Occupational Medical Associates.  The exhibition included AJ Abrams Co.; Analytics Corp., Belfor USA, Bomark Instruments,  EMSL, Environmental Reports, Nilfisk, Sandler Occupational Medicine Assoc., Unitech Services Group, and Zefon International to name a few.
The event like usual is great day for networking and catching up with people you haven't seen in a while.  It was great to see you folks, Mrs. Deborah Gul Haffner, Mr. Ed Olmstead, Mr. Stu Mirowitz, Mr. Jack Springston, Mr. Ed Gertz, Mr. Paul DeBiase, Mr. Ken Burns, Mr. Ron Smith, and Mr. Ken Shaw, to name a few.  As with most conferences, we go in hopes of learning something new or possibly meet someone who will help your business.  Well this conference was duo win on that front for us.  The Bedbug Panel provided alot of information that we will discuss in our next newsletter.  The Prevention Through Design presentation was our favorite.  It discussed "Building Industrial Hygiene into the Plan for Safer and Greener Economy."  Discussing the role of industrial hygiene in the green economy, and the need for industrial hygienist to be at the beginning of the design project.  Interesting statistic, from this presentation, was from an Australian Study that determined that design continues to be a significant contibutor to work-related serious injury.  37% of workplace fatalities involved design-related issues and another 14% of fatalities, design-related issues may have played a role.  If that statistic was not enough for us, the case studies presented emphasized how industrial hygienists involved at different stages of the project affected or prevented risk shifting.  The presentation also discussed whether worker safety and health should be included in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system?  A building could be rated platinum but were their any fatalities during construction, are the occupants happy with indoor air quality, or what are costs involved with operations and maintenance? 
Kudos to the New Jersey section for an excellant conference.

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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

NIOSH Publishes Results of Investigation Into Deutsche Bank Fire

A view of the Deutsche Bank Building fire on A...Image via WikipediaOn August 18, 2007, two firefighters lost their lives while attempting to put out a fire in the former Deutsche Bank building.  This fire has had a significant impact on the construction and the asbestos abatement industries.  Recently revised asbestos regulations were the results of suggested changes by a special committee, set-up by Mayor Bloomberg, to specifically investigate the city agency failings and fixed them.  The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) typically investigates fires that lead to the loss of life of firefighters.  The purpose is to assist fire departments across the country in reducing fatalities and injuries to firefighters.  NIOSH's investigative report is 44 pages long and determined the following "key contributing factors to this incident included: delayed notification of the fire by building construction personnel, inoperable standpipe and sprinkler systems (published in several news articles), delay in establishing water supply, inaccurate information about standpipe, unique building conditions with both asbestos abatement and deconstruction occurring simultaneously, extreme fire behavior, uncontrolled fire rapidly progressing and extending below the fire floor, blocked stairwells preventing fire fighter access and egress, maze-like interior conditions from partitions and construction debris, heavy smoke conditions causing numerous fire fighters to become lost or disoriented, failure of fire fighters to always don SCBAs inside structure and to replenish air cylinders, communications overwhelmed with numerous Mayday and urgent radio transmissions, and lack of crew integrity."
The report also includes several recommendations, and alot of information regarding what happened including a timeline.  So what started the fire?  A burning cigarette discarded by a construction employee in the decontamination shower area on the 17th floor.  Read the report for more information.
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That Time of Year! Conferences, Posting Requirements, and OSHA Violations Increased!

It's that time of year again. We're between conferences.  February 15-16, 2024 was the Professional Abatement Contractors of New Yor...