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Showing posts with label OSHA consulting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OSHA consulting. Show all posts

Monday, November 27, 2023

Save the Date for PACNY's 2024 Environmental Conference February 15-16, 2024!

The Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) have announced the dates for next year's Annual Environmental Conference.  The Environmental Conference will be held on February 15th & 16th, 2024 at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York.  We are looking forward to attending the premier conference for the New York asbestos abatement industry.

Dale Chihuly's sculpture "Tree of Peace"

This year we have been part of the Conference Committee and it has been working hard (as in past years) to make this conference better than last year!  The Keynote Speaker of the conference this year is:

Michael Rubin

OSHA Attorney at Ogletree

He is a shareholder and OSHA lawyer at Ogletree Deakins, a premier labor and employment defense firm with offices worldwide. He has over 20 years of experience and focuses his practice exclusively on handling OSHA matters nationwide in federal and state-plan jurisdictions. He has handled OSHA matters in over 30 states, including construction and environmental contractors. He is also a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), demonstrating his knowledge and commitment to occupational safety and health.
"My mission is to help employers protect their workers, their businesses, and their reputations from OSHA inspections, citations, and enforcement actions. I guide employers through the OSHA inspection process, from the opening conference to the closing conference, and assert their rights and interests at every stage. I also contest and litigate OSHA citations, including through trial, and develop and audit safety programs and policies. I counsel employers on risk-management strategies and best practices to ensure compliance and prevent accidents. I am passionate about delivering effective and efficient OSHA defense solutions to my clients and staying updated on the latest OSHA developments and trends."

The conference will start at 8:00 AM on Thursday, February 15, 2024, with multiple sessions by Industry Leaders.  The Vendor Happy Hour will run from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM that same day.  Friday will be the Keynote Speaker, and the New York State Department of Labor Roundtable with a question and answer session with the regulators.  Ending the conference with a networking lunch.  Aramsco, Dival Safety, Lovell Safety Management Co., LLC, Lozier Environmental Consulting, Inc., and Paradigm Environmental Services are some of the sponsors of this year's conference, to join these sponsors click here.  As usual, Future Environment Designs will be one of the sponsors of the conference and will have a table in the Exhibit Hall.  Reserve your spot at the conference here.  We hope to see you there!

Visit us at our Booth in the Exhibit Hall


Monday, November 21, 2022

Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards for Fiscal Year 2021 (Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) annually posts the top ten frequently violated standards.  The purpose of this posting is to give employers the opportunity to fix these violations before OSHA inspects your project site.  When we discuss these with our clients and students we call these violations the low-hanging fruit for OSHA.  

  1. Fall Protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) [related safety resources]
  2. Respiratory Protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) [related safety resources]
  3. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) [related safety resources]
  4. Hazard Communication, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200) [related safety resources]
  5. Scaffolding, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) [related safety resources]
  6. Fall Protection Training, construction (29 CFR 1926.503) [related safety resources]
  7. Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) [related safety resources]
  8. Eye and Face Protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.102) [related safety resources]
  9. Powered Industrial Trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) [related safety resources]
  10. Machinery and Machine Guarding, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212) [related safety resources]
OSHA in a sense is providing you with fair warning that during an OSHA inspection these are the first thing they will be looking at.  Many of these items can be easily resolved before OSHA arrives, such as respiratory protection, hazard communication, ladders, fall protection training, scaffolding, and powered industrial trucks.  Remember these items must be documented and this can be easily done, also.



Future Environment Designs together with SiteDocs can handle the documentation and training requirements for the above safety hazards and have this information easily documented.  With SiteDocs this documentation is readily available on multiple devices allowing inspections in the field to be documented, stored, and made available upon request.  Future Environment Designs can not only provide your staff the training and documentation required either in-person, virtual, or through e-learning, but we can also create the written programs and inspections required under the various standards.  So visit our website and click on Contact to start discussing how we can help you be better prepared for an OSHA inspection.



Thursday, October 28, 2021

New Head of OSHA Confirmed by the U.S. Senate! Doug Parker Will Take the Reins!

 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 nominated Mr. Doug Parker on April 9, 2021, and the Senate confirmed 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 Senate confirmation 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 OSHA emergency 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's emergency temporary standard on COVID-19 and strongly defended OSHA's plans for a new emergency temporary standard.  Currently, OSHA's emergency temporary standard for COVID-19 only applies to healthcare and healthcare support service workers.

OSHA is 50 Years Old

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.



Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Filtering Facepiece Respirator or a Dust Mask or N95 Respirator versus a Surgical Mask





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!!! 
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Thursday, January 04, 2018

OSHA's Silica Standard - What's All The Fuss About? Part One

Happy New Year!  May your New Year be healthy, profitable, & peaceful!  This blog post we will talk about the silica regulation and what the fuss is all about.  We've heard from some of our clients that they are concerned that the regulation is like the asbestos regulation.  Well in reality the regulation is more like the lead regulation than the asbestos regulation.  The big drop in the permissible exposure limit makes it similar to the asbestos regulation in that visible dust exposures may result in violations, but that's where it ends for similarity.  Table 1 of the silica standard is similar to the 1926.62 (d) (2) of the lead standard which is Protection of Employees During Assessment of Exposure.  Where based on a certain task (i.e., scrapping lead paint) the employer must comply with all parts of the standard, including the use of respirators.  Table 1 in a sense has a similar requirements.
Spraying Water to Keep Dust Levels Down Will Become Common Place
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released the final rule for respirable crystalline silica 1926.1153 on March 25, 2016 with compliance dates more than one year past the publication date.  Giving the various industries regulated by the standard plenty of time to comply.  In fact, the construction industry was the first industry required to comply by June 23, 2017, however, the current administration delayed the standard until September 23, 2017 giving the construction industry additional time to comply.  In addition, OSHA's silica website is quite robust with guidance documents in helping the industry comply.  With all this time to comply, including challenges to the standard that the courts eliminated, and equipment manufacturers having time to review Table 1 of the standard, complying with the standard is pretty straightforward if you are performing any of 18 tasks in Table 1.

Table 1 tasks involve exposures to respirable crystalline silica when the following tools are used on concrete, brick, block, stone, mortar, and other materials that contain crystalline silica:
  • Stationary masonry saws;
  • Handheld power saws;
  • Handheld power saws for cutting fiber-cement board;
  • Walk-behind saws;
  • Drivable saws;
  • Rig-mounted core saws or drills;
  • Handheld and stand-mounted drills (including impact and rotary hammer drills);
  • Dowel drilling rigs;
  • Vehicle-mounted drilling rigs;
  • Jackhammers and handheld powered chipping tools;
  • Handheld grinders for mortar removal (i.e., tuckpointing);
  • Handheld grinders for uses other than mortar removal;
  • Walk-behind milling machines and floor grinders;
  • Small drivable milling machines;
  • Large drivable milling machines;
  • Crushing machines; and
  • Heavy equipment and utility vehicles when used to abrade or fracture silica containing materials (i.e., hoe-ramming or rock ripping) or used during demolition activities; and 
  • Heavy equipment and utility vehicles when used for tasks such as grading and excavating.
Doing tasks in this manner, we hope will be a thing of the past!
If your work involves Table 1 tasks then determine how long your workers do those tasks and follow the requirements.  If the requirements require a respirator then you may want to reduce the time period a worker does a task so a respirator is not required.  This would be considered an administrative control under hierarchy of controls and perfectly acceptable.  Once you have determined the tasks, the controls, and time periods, the next step is to write your exposure control plan.  The exposure control plan details the tasks, controls, and time periods/respirator requirements and designating a competent person to ensure the exposure control plan is enforced.  The final step is to train the workers and the competent person on the exposure control plan so everyone understands and knows what is required under the plan.

Wearing A Respirator, Adds Significant Costs for Silica Projects

If your exposure control plan requires respirator, then you must meet the requirements of the respirator standard 1910.134, see our blog post regarding the directive which tells you how this standard would be enforced.  This standard would require a medical evaluation of workers to ensure they can wear a respirator, annual respirator fit testing, and annual training on the use of the respirator.  Respirator standard would also require a written program and the designation of a competent person to administer the written program.  In addition, the silica standard would require you provide a medical exam, specifically for silica, if workers use respirators for 30 days or more in a calendar year.  This medical would be required every 3 years.  The medical must include:
  •  medical & work history; 
  • chest x-ray;
  • pulmonary function test; 
  • physical exam focused on the respiratory system; and
  • testing for latent tuberculosis infection.  
After all of the above, the final steps in compliance is maintaining the records, in accordance with 1910.1020, and updating the plans on an annual basis.  1910.1020 standard requires that exposure records be maintained for 30 years from the date of creation and medical records be maintained for duration of employment plus 30 years. 
More Projects Will Look Something Like This
Based on the above information, we think it is pretty obvious that you want to eliminate tasks that involve the use of respirators or reduce the amount time a worker does a task that might require a respirator.  Doing so eliminates the need for the silica medical exam and all the requirements under the respirator standard.  The long term costs involved with meeting the requirements for using a respirator (silica medical exam & respirator standard requirements), we think would outweigh the cost of improving equipment used by workers to meet the requirements of Table 1 for each of the tasks.  We have added some silica courses to our schedule to help you comply with the new standard.  Visit our website for more information.  Happy New Year and Be Safe!  

Friday, February 03, 2017

Remember to POST Your OSHA 300A Form and File It Electronically!

On February 1, covered employers are required to post the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) 300A form.  The 300A form summarizes the information that is kept on the OSHA 300 log form.  Covered employers are required to prepare and maintain records of serious occupational injuries and illnesses that occur at a workplace on the OSHA 300 log form.  At the end of the year, covered employers are required to tally the totals on each column and enter the totals on the OSHA 300A form.  The information should be used by employers to evaluate safety in the workplace and determine ways to eliminate or reduce hazards in the workplace.  OSHA's 300A form is required to be posted until April 30, 2018 and must be retained for 5 years.  During the retention period you are required to update the log to add new information regarding the occupational injuries and illnesses recorded on it.  OSHA has brief tutorial to help you complete the forms.

300A Form Must Posted By February 1, 2

A final rule was issued and went into effect on January 1, 2017, requiring certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness data to OSHA.  OSHA has provided an online secure website (click here for the website) for submitting this information. You must submit this information by July 1, 2018.  If you meet the following criteria you DO NOT have to electronically submit your 300A information to OSHA:

  • The establishment's peak employment during the previous calendar year was 19 or fewer, regardless of the establishment's industry.
  • The establishment's industry is on this list, regardless of the size of establishment.
  • The establishment had a peak employment between 20 and 249 employees during previous calendar year and the establishment's industry is not on this list.
  • Establishments under jurisdiction of these State Plan states do not currently have to electronically submit to OSHA: California, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Logo for NAICS (North American Industry Classi...
Logo for NAICS (North American Industry Classification System), a system used by the U.S. Census Bureau and others. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A different rule which went into effect January 1, 2015, changed the list of employers partially exempt from the above recordkeeping requirements.  The revised list uses the new method of classification of industries, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).  The partially exempt industry list includes: architectural, engineering, & related services; legal services; & drinking places (really!!!), as examples.  For the full list of exempt industries visit OSHA's website on recordkeeping.  In addition, to new exempt industries there are industries that have to start keeping records.  These industries include:  automotive dealers, building material & supplies dealers, & activities related to real estate, for example.  Find the industries that have to start keeping records here.  

However, this does not exempt these industries or covered industries from reporting to OSHA, within 8 hours, any work-related fatality and reporting work-related in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, or losses of an eye within 24 hours.  This new reporting requirement was also part of the changes that went into effect on January 1, 2015.  Employers can report these events by telephone to the nearest OSHA Area office during normal business hours, or the 24-hour OSHA hotline 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), or electronically through a new tool which is being developed, look for it here.   Should you need any assistance with these requirements contact Future Environment Designs.

Related articles

Friday, August 26, 2016

OSHA Fines Increase By 78%, Will That Lead To An Increase in Safety Consulting & Training?

Starting on August 1, 2016, employers who have Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations issued on or after this date for violations occurring on or after November 2, 2015 are subject to the new OSHA maximum civil penalties (fines) that are 78% higher.  This civil penalty increase was mandated by Congress, on November 2, 2015, through legislation that required all federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for inflation.  For OSHA, the last time these penalties were adjusted was back in 1990.  Moving forward, as the legislation requires, the penalties will be adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price index.  OSHA will continue to do penalty reductions based on the size of the employer and other factors.

The following table shows based on the type of violation what the old fine was compared to the civil penalty increase:

OSHA Penalty Adjustments To Take Effect After August 1, 2016
Current Maximum Penalty
New Maximum Penalty
Serious
Other-Than-Serious Posting Requirements
$7,000 per violation
$12,471 per violation
Failure to Abate
$7,000 per day beyond the abatement date
$12,471 per day beyond the abatement date
Willful or Repeated
$70,000 per violation
$124,709 per violation

It is important to realize violations such as not performing respirator fit testing on your staff, or having a respiratory protection or hazard communication programs will now be $12,471 per violation.  Add to this OSHA's new reporting requirement that goes into effect on January 1, 2017.  This new reporting requirement requires electronic submission of injury and illness information that already is being collected.  The difference is this information will be made available to the public.  The idea is that with information being available to the public, employers will focus more on safety.  The new reporting regulation also anticipates an improvement in the accuracy of the data, because it prohibits employers from discouraging workers from reporting injuries and illnesses.  This part of the rule went into effect on August 10, 2016 (hey that's my birthday), however, OSHA has delayed enforcement till November 1, 2016.  It seems to us these two changes will create the perfect storm for employers to have an additional need for safety & health training and consulting.

Angelo Garcia, III Speaking at PACNY 2016
OSHA's website discussing the increase in civil penalties can be found here.  While the OSHA website discussing the new reporting requirements can be found here.


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Its that time again! Have You Remembered To Post The OSHA 300A Form?

On February 1, covered employers were required to post the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) 300A form.  The 300A form summarizes the information that is kept on the OSHA 300 log form.  Covered employers are required to prepare and maintain records of serious occupational injuries and illnesses that occur at a workplace on the OSHA 300 log form.  At the end of the year, covered employers are required to tally the totals on each column and enter the totals on the OSHA 300A form.  The information should be used by employers to evaluate safety in the workplace and determine ways to eliminate or reduce hazards in the workplace.  OSHA's 300A form is required to be posted until April 30, 2015 and must be retained for 5 years.  During the retention period you are required to update the log to add new information regarding the occupational injuries and illnesses recorded on it.  OSHA has brief tutorial to help you complete the forms.


OSHA 300A Form

A final rule was announced on September 11, 2014, which went into effect January 1, 2015, changing the list of employers partially exempt from the above recordkeeping requirements.  The revised list uses the new method of classification of industries, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).  The partially exempt industry list includes: architectural, engineering, & related services; legal services; & drinking places (really!!!), as examples.  For the full list of exempt industries visit OSHA's website on recordkeeping.  In addition, to new exempt industries there are industries that have to start keeping records.  These industries include:  automotive dealers, building material & supplies dealers, & activities related to real estate, for example.  Find the industries that have start keeping records here.  

However, this does not exempt these industries or covered industries from reporting to OSHA, within 8 hours, any work-related fatality and reporting work-related in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, or losses of an eye within 24 hours.  This new reporting requirement was also part of the changes that went into effect on January 1, 2015.  Employers can report these events by telephone to the nearest OSHA Area office during normal business hours, or the 24-hour OSHA hotline 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), or electronically through a new tool which is being developed, look for it here.   Should you need any assistance with these requirements contact Future Environment Designs.

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, March 21, 2014

PACNY's Three Day Environmental Conference A Success!

Almost from the beginning, this year's Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) Environmental Conference seemed to be different from previous years.  There was a certain buzz about the conference even downstate.  Usually, we are the only one discussing the conference.  However, this year we found several people discussing the conference and several others saying they were attending at least the first day of the conference.  Well that buzz definitely turned into a well attended conference.  The new Wednesday session had 70 attendees with 30-40% of them staying for an additional day.  The total conference attendance was up 50% and the exhibit hall was at full capacity which was 18% increase over last year.  We always have fun at these events, and this year was no different.

View from the Tower at Turning Stone Resort & Casino
The venue, Turning Stone Resort & Casino actually improved over last year with some new restaurant choices.  TS Steakhouse was fantastic, the Tin Rooster a barbeque restaurant was very good, and the Upstate Tavern specializing in locally sourced food and drinks was excellent.

Annual Certificates/Students Slide from Mr. Malone's Presentation
The new first day of the conference, was advertised for training providers and trainers, featuring Mr. Kevin Malone, Director of the Asbestos Safety Training Program.  The session started with Mr. Darren Yehl & Mr. Kevin Hutton from Cornerstone Training discussing "What are we telling our clients?".  This discussion featured audience participation with a Classroom Performance System  that allowed the audience to answer the questions on the screen and then tallied the results.   This session definitely determined one thing, the information provided in training is all over the place.  Based on the responses it would seem that the trainers need training.  This was probably very eye-opening for Mr. Malone.   Mr. Bill Self's presentation "High Impact Presentations" definitely gave us a lot to think about and had us thinking how we can improve our presentations.  Mr. Malone's presentation was informative and it was interesting seeing the asbestos training business increasing (it is our opinion the increase is coming from those retiring out of the asbestos industry and having to replace them).  It was also interesting, however, though not unexpected how few asbestos management planners there are (for 2013, there were 24 initials and 134 refreshers in the management planner title.  Compare that to 101 initials and 333 refreshers in the inspector title).
 
Dave Pannucci of Seneca Meadows Landfill
The next two days was the typical Environmental Conference and the presenters/presentations were all informative and some were more entertaining than others.  The first presenter was Mr. Craig Benedict, Assistant US Attorney in the Northern District of New York discussing some of the various asbestos related cases (100 prosecutions over 15 years) and the process of investigating environmental crimes (the cases are won before the trial even happens).  Why is it when he talks you feel like crawling under the table?  Mr. Dave Pannucci's, of Seneca Meadows Landfill, presentation regarding the handling of friable and nonfriable asbestos waste was very interesting since we don't usually hear about how asbestos is handled at the landfill. Dr. Marty Rutstein's, from New Paltz Geology Department, presentation "All About Amphiboles" was very interesting and helped us realize how the science has progressed so far ahead of the regulations in this industry.  His discussion on transitional fibers and bio-reactivity of fibers were eye opening.  Mr. Tom Stebbin's, of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York, presentation regarding the scaffold law was very interesting and the statistics are very compelling.  Though we would agree with some in the audience who thought for such a controversial issue it would've been nice to hear from someone from the counter point.  Mr. Tom Laubenthal, from the Environmental Institute, discussed "Methods for Asbestos Sampling & Analytical" who dropped a bomb shell regarding the minimum volume for clearance sampling under the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 7400 methodology being between 3,000 to 10,000 liters based on loading.  The final presentation was Mr. Steve Fess from Xerox discussing "Getting Your Foot in the Door" providing a private client's perspective of developing lasting partnership with customers.

Roundtable Discussion
The second day started with Mr. Paul Watson, of the Center for Toxicology & Environmental Health, presenting "A Regulatory Update in Renovation, Restoration, & Abatement" discussing the new silica standard (the proposed new action level of 25 micrograms/cubic meter and permissible exposure limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter) and other things on the horizon.  Unfortunately, because of the weather Dr. Barry Castleman could not make it, so Dr. Marty Rutstein replaced with a presentation "Are We Hugging the Trees to Death", which was funny and entertaining.  The Roundtable Discussion added levity with a fictional contractor defending some of the data we were discussing.  The final presenter was Dr. Eileen Franko (hopefully we spelled that right) the Director for the Division of Safety and Health with the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL).  Dr. Franko discussed the NYSDOL's initiative to educate code enforcement officers across the state, their attempt to remove the 1974 cut off in the Industrial Code Rule 56, and changes to the notice of violation system (including considerations for history, gravity, & good faith).

Moonglo Light at the DiVal Booth in Exhibit Hall
The Exhibit Hall was sold out this year, and the Thursday night reception and networking allowed us to discuss the conference with some of the new people who attended the conference.  We were glad to hear that almost all were impressed with the conference and enjoyed all parts of the event.  In addition, in the Exhibit Hall we enjoyed seeing all the usual equipment and some new equipment that is available from Aramsco, DiVal Safety, The Safety House, Grayling Industries, The Duke Company, Admar Supply Company, Fiberlock Technologies, Inline Distribution, Novatek Corporation, and Vermeer.  Honeywell Safety Product's booth was interesting with all the different safety equipment they supply (we thought Honeywell was a security and energy company).  We thank all of you who came by our booth and introduced yourself to Ms. Kimberly Granmoe and Ms. Sheryl Esposito who were handling our booth duties.  A big Thank You to Ms. Granmoe & Ms. Esposito for adding a woman's touch to our booth and helping us spend more time meeting and talking with the attendees.  PACNY should be very happy with the success of this year's event.  Though, the bar has been set very high in trying to make next year's event even better.  For more photos from the Conference visit Future Environment Design's Picasaweb Album.
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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...