Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Plattsburgh mold training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plattsburgh mold training. Show all posts

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Future Environment Designs wins the 8th Annual Pro/Am PACNY Fishing Tournament

On the morning of July 7, 2021, Future Environment Designs participated in the 8th Annual Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) Fishing Pro-Am Tournament.  The tournament was based out of the Lake Breeze Marina, Kent, New York, and on Lake Ontario.  It was an iffy day with a thunderstorm passing through just before the tournament started and the lake was a bit rough with 2-4 foot waves.  There were 17 boats in this year's tournament (a nice turnout considering the recent easing of Covid restrictions).  They were:

The lake was a little rough which made for some interesting fishing.

  1. AAC Contracting - Free Spirit 
  2. Cornerstone Training Institute (CTI) - Sunrise II 
  3. CTI - Legacy
  4. CTI - Trolling Tails
  5. Lozier - Screaming Reels 
  6. US Ecology - Reflection
  7. US Ecology - Shotgun
  8. Metro - Rusty Lure
  9. Dival - Reel Excitement
  10. Abscope - Troutman
  11. Sienna - Get Hooked
  12. ECG - Richmond 4
  13. Future Environment Designs - Catchin Hell
  14. Sessler - Intimidator
  15. Aramsco - Mister
  16. First On-Site Restoration - 3 Dogs
  17. HSE - Bite Me 
Future Environment Design's fishing team consisted of Ms. Sheryl Esposito, Mr. Matthew Desch, Ms. Veronica Hansen Garcia, and Mr. Angelo Garcia, III.  This was the first year that Future Environment Design's team was more than two people.  We were thrilled to have Sheryl and Matt with us this year.  Most of you have met Sheryl and Matt at the annual PACNY Conference at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY.  Sheryl is usually womaning our booth at the Conference.  Unlike other Tournament years, because of the rough lake, we went straight out and did not do a shotgun start.  Because of the rough water, Captain Tom Murray of the Catch 'N' Hell boat decided to go far out and work our way back.  Which was a good decision considering how it turned out.  It definitely was our day considering our first catch was the one that won big fish for the day!

The winner weighing in at 25.66 lbs.

We had the good fortune to catch enough Salmon & Trout to last us the entire year and fill our freezer (including sharing with Sheryl and Matt)!  By the time we had to decide whether to go in or keep fishing, we had caught sufficient fish to decide to call it an early day at 11 AM (based on the weather that was a good decision).  Our second and third salmon catches brought us the Trophy and the prize money for the Tournament:

Future Environment Designs and the Catch 'N' Hell Team

We are so proud to finally have our name added to the Trophy and that it only took 8 years to win the trophy.  This was the second time, we've caught the big fish the first time was the Second Annual Tournament.  The buffet (back again now that Covid restrictions have eased) at the Black North Inn was delicious roast beef with weck bread and horseradish.  A great big THANK YOU to Darren Yehl of CTI for organizing this Tournament!  Between our daughter's wedding, training beginning to return to normal, and this fishing tournament the summer has been a blessing but is going too quickly.  This year is the 6-year anniversary of Article 32 NYS's Mold Law and most everyone's license will be expiring between September and January 2022.  Look forward to seeing all of you soon and regaling you with my fishing adventures!

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Long Island Enters Phase 4 and Future Environment Designs is Back in Business!

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!  


Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Busy Summertime at Future Environment Designs (#FEDTC)!

The past few months have been a crazy ride and the rest of the year looks like it will continue!  So what's been going on at Future Environment Designs, Inc.?  At the time of this writing, we are getting ready to head to New York City for a presentation sponsored by the Metro-New York American Industrial Hygiene Association (Metro-NY AIHA).   Mr. Mark Drozdov will be presenting on new New York City regulations regarding construction training and mold requirements.  Later in the week, we will be heading to Plattsburgh for the annual Safety Expo and training for a mold remediation contractor in the area.  The Safety Expo held by the Northern Adirondack Safety and Health Council (NASHC) is usually an excellent place to meet the safety and health professionals in the Plattsburgh area.  We are looking forward to hearing the OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist Ron Williams speak about what's new at OSHA.  For more information regarding the Safety Expo click here.

NASHC Safety Expo 2016
FEDTC has been busy creating courses for our e-learning/Training At Your Convenience service.  We now have three courses available for e-learning:  Asbestos Awareness; Respirator User; and NYCDEP asbestos restricted handler, handler, and handler supervisor exam review.  We are hoping to have a fourth course available soon.  We currently have a bunch of courses on the schedule that is drawing a lot of attention.  We have an asbestos supervisor initial course scheduled for July 23-27, 2018, our OSHA 30-hour construction safety course on July 30-August 2, 2018 is almost sold out and our combined mold worker/supervisor/remediation/assessment course on August 20-23, 2018 is already half full.

Our most recent Combined Mold Initial Course
Then finally we are looking forward to our annual participation in the 5th Annual Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) Salmon Fishing Pro-AM on July 11, 2018.  We will be again on "Catchin Hell" boat hoping to bring home some big fish or just a lot of fish like last year!  We still have some trout and salmon in the freezer from last year!  Well, that's what's been going on at FEDTC hope to see you at one the events!

Last year's catch wasn't big but it was plenty!

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

NYS Department of Labor Publishes Two New Mold Fact Sheets

Since January 1, 2016, New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) was designated the responsibility of enforcing the New York State Mold Law, Article 32 "Licensing of Mold Inspection, Assessment, and Remediation Specialists and Minimum Work Standards."  Reading Article 32 is like reading stereo instructions (dating ourself on that one), somethings are very clear while others contradict each other, especially in the sections on the minimum work standards.  Many people in the industry have said NYSDOL needs to write a rule that will clarify the law.  We disagree, though the law is a little confusing, but it is very basic and simple.  There is a saying we love "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it." (Knowing ourselves, I'm probably misquoting it, but you get the jist)  When regulators write rules they then have to go out for public comment and the next you know you get something that is really confusing and lengthy.  On November 18, 2017, NYSDOL published two new fact sheets:


These two fact sheets are very well written and are perfect for providing to your clients to educate them on what to expect regarding the mold inspection/remediation process in New York State.  Reviewing and discussing these fact sheets are one of the highlights of our mold refresher courses.

Moldy Wall in New Construction
The interesting fact sheet is the newest one, "What to Expect When You Hire a Mold Assessor and Mold Remediation Contractor".  This fact sheet, in our opinion, actually clarifies some of the confusion with Article 32.  The fact sheet was created and designed for the consumer.  However, since it was created and designed by NYSDOL, it gives you insight into what NYSDOL expects from the Mold Assessment and Remediation process.  These are some of the points we think the fact sheet clarifies:

  • The difference between a written passed clearance report and a final status report.
  • Can you write a passed clearance report if the underlying cause (if known) is not corrected?
  • The responsibilities of the mold assessor.
  • The responsibilities of the mold remediation contractor.
  • The use of disinfectants, biocides, and antimicrobial coatings.
  • What happens if a post-remediation assessment is not wanted?
Those of you who took our initial courses or attended one of our presentations at Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) or at the Environmental Information Association (EIA), we discussed what we saw as potential liabilities in the law regarding the above issues.  This new fact sheet actually clarifies these points without writing any further rules.  It provides the mold industry with a guideline of what a client should expect when they hire a Mold Assessor or Mold Remediation Contractor.  We look forward to discussing this with you and seeing if you agree. 

Sunday, October 08, 2017

Revisit "Changes Are Coming", Did They? & Save The Dates For PACNY's 2018 Environmental Conference

It has been over six months since we did our presentation "Changes Are Coming" at the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) 2017 Environmental Conference.  We figured it would be a good time to see where we stand with the changes we discussed in our presentation.  Our PACNY presentation can be viewed here if you don't remember it or have not seen it yet:


 We started our presentation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the appointment of Scott Pruitt as the EPA Administrator.  Mr. Pruitt has been cutting agency staff and aggressive in reducing environmental regulations, all things that were expected once his appointment was announced.  The primary regulation we discussed, under EPA, was the reauthorized Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and the potential for an asbestos ban.  Asbestos was listed by EPA as a top ten chemical listed for review.  However, in June 2017, the EPA released a series of limitations on TSCA, including how broadly the agency will review potentially hazardous substances.  It will be interesting to see how the Pruitt-led EPA will move this along.  It is also interesting that the US which was reducing imports of asbestos for many years (343 metric tons imported in 2015) all of sudden increased imports last year (705 metric tons).  Was the chloralkali and other asbestos using industries increasing inventories in anticipation of a ban?  Not the changes many people were hoping for. 
Brent Kynoch of EIA Presenting at the PACNY Conference
In our next section, we discussed the changes coming to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  Well probably the best description for what is going on there is delay and re-evaluate.  OSHA still does not have an Administrator to head the Agency.  The first regulation we talked about was the Respirable Crystalline Silica standard which was to take effect in the construction industry by June 23.  OSHA delayed that enforcement to September 23.  Then delayed that enforcement for employers making a good faith effort to comply for another 30 days (see the OSHA memorandum here).  The next standard, the Beryllium standard has been delayed by a proposed rule-making on June 27, 2017.  This rule-making would eliminate the ancillary provisions (determining whether other sections of the OSHA construction and shipyard standards provide adequate protection) but not the lowered permissible exposure limit (0.2 micrograms per cubic meter) and the short term exposure limit (STEL of 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter, over a 15 minute sampling period).  OSHA has published a fact sheet (click here for the fact sheet) on the proposed rule-making.   The rule requiring companies to electronically submit injury and illness information was delayed from July 1, 2017 to December 1, 2017.  OSHA's Injury Tracking Application is now available and can be accessed here.  Remember establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries (i.e., Construction, Services to Buildings & Dwellings, and Remediation & other waste management services) must submit information from its 2016 Form 300A by December 1, 2017.  Probably the most significant change at OSHA has been the elimination on OSHA's website of the ticker that listed the fatalities that have occurred daily across the country and the reduction of publishing employers who have been issued significant violations.

Thursday Night In the Vendor Hall

Our final section was reserved for New York State (NYS) regulations in particular the asbestos and mold state regulations.  Nothing has changed for the asbestos regulation, but our desire for Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) type clearance testing for all floor tile projects opened up a healthy debate (see our blogpost "Asbestos Floor Tile Debate Results" and our article in Healthy Indoors Magazine).  The NYS's Mold Law Article 32 still does not have regulations and so nothing has changed regarding the mold supervisor, how to pass clearance, if the underlying cause is not fixed, etc.  However, NYS Department of Labor did publish a renewal process.  To renew your license you will need to take a 4-hour mold refresher course and resubmit your paperwork with the appropriate fee (see our blogpost "Future Environment Designs Approved to Offer NYSDOL Mold Refresher Courses"). 

Friday's NYSDOL Roundtable
The 2018 PACNY Environmental Conference will be held from February 28 to March 3, 2018 at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York.  Its too early yet for the registration information and speakers, but you can expect Thursday Night in Vendor Hall and NYSDOL will probably be there on Friday, March 3.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Future Environment Designs Approved to Offer NYSDOL Mold Refresher Courses

Future Environment Designs is happy to announce that New York State Department of Labor has approved our Mold Refresher training course.  This course which will allow Mold Abatement Workers, Mold Abatement Supervisors, Mold Remediation Contractors, and Mold Assessment Contractors & Individuals to renew their license with New York State and continue offering mold services.  The course is an four hour course with a 15 minute break.  Individuals enrolled in the course will be expected to enhance the learning experience by sharing information regarding their experience in the past two years.

Mold Post-Assessment Clearance 
 We will be adding dates to our schedule at Future Environment Design's website now that we are approved to offer these courses.  As usual you can contact us to set up the Mold Refresher classes under our training "At Your Convenience" service.  Look forward to seeing you in class.

Thursday, November 03, 2016

Future Environment Designs Attends the LITE 2016 Conference & Is Inspired!

On September 23-24, Future Environment Designs (FEDTC) attended the Learning, Innovation, Technology, Evolution (LITE) 2016 Conference held in Edinburgh, Scotland.  This was the first year we attended this conference and it probably won't be the last.  The conference is run by Administrate, which is the company now handling our training and customer administration.  We were also invited to be on a customer panel during the conference, which we will discuss further below.  What attracted us to the LITE conference was the ability to learn more about the Administrate program and meet others who are using the program.  Not only did the conference and workshops deliver on that goal, it far exceeded our expectations.  Several of the conference speakers were absolutely inspiring and made us realize the good work being done out there to assist those less fortunate.

The Scotsman Newspaper Article LITE 2016 
Day one of the conference started with Mike McGrail (@Mike_McGrail), Marketing Director for Administrate, doing the opening and introduction.  We met Mr. McGrail previously, when we first were considering to sign-up with Administrate, we met with him and our current rep Natasha Serafimovska and then met again at a cocktail/dinner party held for those presenting and on the customer panels at Brasserie Les Amis (the food was awesome!).  Mr. McGrail is quite entertaining and very proud of his Scottish heritage (yes, he wore a kilt!).  The first speaker was Gavin Oattes, MD of Tree of Knowledge, his presentation "How do you Fit a Giraffe in a Fridge?" really was mind opening and created a pathway for a different frame of reference.  Nicki Turing & Edmund Pinto, of the Alan Turing Trust, discussed how providing used computers are helping educate students in Ghana.  Joe Harb, of Interactive Life, discussed "Personalised Education Using Technology:  From Corporate to Refugees" and how to personalize education for corporations to help expand borders and for refugees who feel left behind.  John Bendel, of Lingo 24, discussing "The Need for a Multi-language Approach" and the importance of training materials to be in multiple languages (only 9% of the world speaks English, something to really consider as a training business).  The first customer panel included Deborah Fyfe of IA Seminars, Kevin Streater of ForgeRock, & Mathew Channell of Training South Wales, and was moderated by Richard Cassidy, Director Sales for Administrate.  The panel discussed the challenges in their training business and how technology was bringing success to their businesses.  Mike McQuaid of GitHub, spoke on "Remote Working: What, Why and How?"  His speech described the various benefits of working remotely; productivity increase, happy employees, & saving the planet to name a few.  John Peebles the CEO of Administrate spoke on "Creating the Ultimate Human Organisation" and discussed how they have gone to a 4-day work week.  The final speaker on the first day was John Romero, Creator of Legendary Video Games, who spoke on "The Value of Games in Education."  The day ended with a Pub Crawl (our crawl included The Blind Poet, the Potting Shed, and the BeeHive Inn) that ended at Administrate HQ (drinks & pizza!).  The lunch was catered by Regis Banqueting and it was fantastic, we had the Lamb Tangine!  We went to several workshops and support sessions also being held during the conference.

John Romero Speaking at LITE 2016
Day two started with Olivia Giles of 500 Miles, telling us her story of how she had to face change in her speech "The Challenges and Opportunities of Change."  Olivia Giles survived the blood poisoning form of meningitis by having both her lower legs and both her lower arms amputated.  She has since founded the charity 500 Miles which helps disabled people in Malawi & Zambia who have lost limbs or the use of limbs to enjoy maximum mobility and body function by helping them gain access to artificial limbs and limbs supports.  If we weren't already inspired from the first day of speeches, this speech sent us over the top!  Kevin Streater of ForgeRock had the unenviable task of following Olivia Giles and did an excellent job of maintaining the enthusiasm with "How Administrate Changed Our Training Business."  Definitely caught our attention with the ability to triple his business without increasing staff.  Suzanna Doyle-Morris of inclusIQ, discussing how they use blended learning to train people on inclusion & diversity, was the next speaker.  Mike McGrail of Administrate next discussed "The Importance of Personas in Understanding Your Customer" and how that effects marketing.  Up next was Dr. Kathryn Waite of Heriot-Watt University speaking on "Digital Empowerment."  Next we had the honor and pleasure to sit on a customer panel with Anna Hastie of University of York, and Steve Booker of Kentec Training (his company's story on Administrate convinced us to sign up).  Visit the LITE 2016 Speakers site to see the customer panel we were on and our discussion about our challenges and technology.  After the panel, Kasper Spiro of Easygenerator spoke on "User Generated Content: The Next Trend" and the conference ended with an inspirational talk "Reaching for the Stars" by Graham Obree - Record Breaking Cycling Legend.

Graham Obree Speaking at LITE 2016
Their were several emotions we experienced during this conference; overwhelmed, amazement, excited, hopeful, inspiration, and empowered.  The main thing this conference did for us was made us realize how powerful a tool the Administrate program is.  We are hopeful & overwhelmed with the capabilities of this program.  We are excited and amazed on the value we could add to our customers training experience.  Most importantly we feel this program will empower and inspire us with the ability to increase our business, increase our reach to more customers outside our current territory, and Keeping More of Your Employees Safe!
        
LITE 2016 was held at The Assembly Roxy  

Monday, August 24, 2015

NYS Mold Law Changes, Licensing Requirement Goes Into Effect January 1, 2016

On July 25, 2015 Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Chapter Amendments to Article 32 of the New York State Mold Law.  The Chapter Amendments modify Article 32 adding new information, clarifying wording, and most importantly adding a deadline for licensing.  The deadline for licensing is now January 1, 2016.  

To assist people with the licensing requirements, Future Environment Designs has submitted three courses (mold worker, a two day course; mold remediation contractor a three day course; and mold assessment consultant, a four day course) for approval to New York State Department of Labor (NYS DOL).  We are hoping to be approved before November so we can start holding these classes in November & December, 2015 (give us a call to make arrangements).  

Mold Remediation Project in Nassau County. Licenses will be Required by 01/01/16.
NYS DOL has created a NYS Mold Program website.  At present, it has the original legislation, the chapter amendments and sample course outlines for the three licenses, along with an FAQ.

In our blogpost on February 7, 2015 we discussed the details of the law.  Some of the Chapter Amendments to Article 32, that revises the law include:
  • a modification of the definition of mold to "any indoor multi-cellular fungi".
  • Addition of the word "Project" and its definition, "means mold remediation, mold assessment, or mold abatement, of areas greater than ten square feet, but does not include (a) routine cleaning or (b) construction, maintenance, repair or demolition of buildings, structures or fixtures undertaken for purposes other than mold remediation or abatement."  So licensing is not required for routine cleaning (this seems like it could be abused) and mold projects 10 (2' x 5') square feet (SF) or less.
  • The addition of "on a project" for what is unlawful.  For example, "It shall be unlawful for any individual to engage in mold abatement on a project or to advertise or hold themselves out as a mold abatement worker unless such individual has a valid mold abater's license issued by the commissioner."  The same has been added to the mold assessment & remediation licenses.
  • Changes were made to the minimum requirements to get a mold assessment license.  Particularly a requirement for insurance to get the mold assessment license.  The mold assessment business entity "must provide insurance certificates evidencing workers' compensation coverage, if required, and liability insurance of at least $50,000 providing coverage for claims arising from the licensed activities and operations performed pursuant to this article."
  • Substantial change to the minimum requirements for a mold remediation license include the elimination of the requirement for a financial statement audited by an independent auditor.  Mold remediation license will require providing "insurance certificates evidencing workers' compensation coverage, if required, and liability insurance of at least $50,000 providing coverage for claims arising from the licensed activities and operations performed pursuant to this article."
  • Fees were changed.  Mold Remediation license fee is to be between $500 - $1,000.  Mold Assessment license fee is to be between $150 - $300.  Mold Abatement (worker) license fee is to be between $50 - $100. 
  • Exemptions have changed.   Added to the list are "an owner or a managing agent or a full-time employee of an owner or managing agent who performs mold assessment [or], remediation, or abatement on a residential apartment building of more than four dwelling units owned by the owner provided, however, that this subdivision shall not apply if the managing agent or employee engages in the business of performing mold assessment [or], remediation, or abatement for the public;" and "a federal, state or local governmental unit or public authority and employees thereof that perform mold assessment, remediation, or abatement on any property owned, managed or remediated by such governmental unit or authority."
  • Nothing has really changed between the difference between assessment and remediation and the conflicts of interest between them.
  • One minor change was done to the minimum work standards which was a rewording and the replacement of "must" with "may".  Basically removing the requirement of a containment, and allowing a remediation plan not to require containment.

Mold Licensing will not be required for projects 10 SF or less or routine cleaning.
 Since NYS DOL has moved forward with the training requirements and has started the process of approving training providers, the next steps seem to be clarifying who is required to be trained for mold assessment and remediation (owners, supervisors, foremen, industrial hygienists, etc.).  In addition, the standards for assessment and remediation need to be fleshed out for a better understanding of what is expected.  Another words still alot to do between now and January 1, 2016. Tick Tock! Tick Tock!

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...