Search This Blog

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

Wednesday, August 02, 2023

The 2023 PACNY Fishing Derby - A Beautiful Day on the Lake But Where Are All The Fish?

On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) held its 10th Annual Salmon Fishing PROAM tournament in Point Breeze, New York.  19 Boats were part of this year's tournament, one more than last year's tournament.  Unfortunately, Future Environment Design's boat this year was down two and only included Ms. Veronica Hansen-Garcia and Angelo Garcia, III but we were in the same boat as the previous year's "Catchin' Hell" piloted by Captain Tom Murray and First Mate Mike.

Sun coming up off Point Breeze

We would to send a great big "THANK YOU" to Darren Yehl of Cornerstone Training (CTI) and PACNY for organizing this event.  This event allows us to catch up with many of the PACNY members and see how the year is doing.  Here was this year's line-up of PACNY members and boats:

  • Cornerstone - Sunrise II
  • Cornerstone  - Legacy
  • Lozier - Richmond II Salmon Doctor
  • United Rentals - Tomahawk
  • Paradigm Environmental - Shotgun
  • Paradigm Environmental - Gone Costal
  • Sessler Environmental Services - Intimidator 
  • Republic - Double Trouble
  • Republic - Troutman
  • Future Environment Designs - Catchin’ Hell
  • Expert Environmental - Get Hooked
  • Abscope Environmental - Make the Turn
  • DiVal - Rally Killer
  • Aramsco - Mister 
  • Aramsco- Lake Runner
  • AAC Contracting - Bite Me
  • First On-site - 3 Dogs
  • Metro Environmental - Rusty Lure
  • Cornerstone - Bait Master

Our catch was a bleeder.

A beautiful day on the lake it was actually a perfect temperature with a slight breeze.  This was the first time we took a nap while fishing which was only possible because we only caught one fish the whole time from 6 am to noon.  Though it seems we weren't the only ones.  Thank you again Darren Yehl for making our trip worthwhile by giving us the fish you and your team caught.   After the weigh-in, a catered buffet lunch was provided by the Black North Inn, delicious as always, and the trophies/prizes were awarded.  This year's winners were:  

First On-Site with Captain Jason Matthews of 3 Dogs Sportfishing

We enjoy our trip to Point Breeze every year, however, we have a little trepidation about next year.  The fishing was really bad this year and it looks like we will be missing Sheryl & Matt, again next year.  We will have to decide what Future will do next year.  The event next year will be Wednesday, July 10, 2024.  We hope to see you next year! 


 

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year from Future Environment Designs! What Do We Have In Store for the New Year!

A Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year to all of you who journeyed with us this past year.  It has been a see-saw kind of year with some ups and some downs.  As some of you know we were trying to sell the business.  We've decided we are not going to sell the business and instead will ride the business into the sunset (as we prepare and get ready for retirement probably another 10 years).  As we go into our 35th year of being in business we continue to adjust and modify the services we offer to our clients, allowing our clients to utilize our 35 years of experience and Angelo Garcia, III's 40+ years of experience.  

Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Centre

In 2023, we will continue our At Your Convenience service.  The At Your Convenience service brings the training or respirator fit testing to your location.  All we need are five or more people and we're At Your Convenience!  Tired of traveling through rush hour traffic to get to your training center?  Tired of paying travel expenses for your employees for training?  Tired of the same old non-productive training classes?  Or are you just tired of the same old training?   If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, then you need to give us a call.  Future Environment Designs Training Center (FEDTC) (with a Coursecheck rating of 4.8 out of 5) is now providing training At Your Convenience.  We can perform the training in your office. We provide a laptop, a projector, PowerPoint presentations, and a wireless device for internet access. You provide the seating and the blank wall (no blank wall, we’ll provide the screen). We do the rest.  We can do this training for any of the courses and services in our Course Offerings and Training Services Catalog.

The Bergdorf Goodman Windows

In 2023, we will be expanding our collaboration with SiteDocs to help you elevate your safety programs.  Future Environment Designs can work with you to create the various Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-compliant safety and health programs (i.e., hazard communication, respiratory protection, confined space entry, bloodborne pathogen, and construction safety & health programs) that would go into the SiteDocs platform.  We can help you meet the training requirements, develop the data (such as Safety Data Sheets and Chemical Inventories), and create the checklists that would be used by your staff to meet the regulatory requirements.  With the SiteDocs platform that information would be readily available to all your staff.  To learn more about what SiteDocs can do for your safety program, you can book a quick call with Brent Martyniuk here.  To learn how Future Environment Designs can help you with developing your various safety and health programs contact us here.  We believe the SiteDocs platform would greatly impact your business helping you save time and money, and elevate your safety program from being on the shelf to being part of your day-to-day operations.

Saks Fifth Avenue

FEDTC continues to offer our One-Stop Service which allows employers to contact us or register online to:

  • Schedule staff development on asbestos, mold, or other safety and health regulations (see our Course Offerings and Training Services Catalog.),
  • Schedule respirator medical evaluations to comply with the OSHA respiratory protection standard 1910.134,
  • Order the proper respirator and filters for your staff, and
  • Schedule quantitative respirator fit testing to comply with the OSHA respiratory protection standard 1910.134, to be performed on the day of the class.

We provide this One-Stop Service making your occupational safety and health requirements simple and easy to complete.  Contact us here or register online here.



Finally, FEDTC will continue to lead the field by attending the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) Environmental Conference (save the dates March 16-17, 2023) and the Environmental Information Association (EIA) National Conference & Exhibition (save the dates March 25 - 29, 2023).  We will bring back the current information from these conferences and share it in our classes.  FEDTC is one of the few training providers that provide the FEDTC dropbox folder (with hundreds of reference documents regarding indoor air quality, asbestos, lead, mold, etc.), we also provide our students with the negative air app (to help calculate the number of negative air units for a work area), our project monitor and air sampling technician courses include a New York State or New York City asbestos air sampling table (these can be purchased here) and for those considering opening your own business our book "Do As I Say, Not As I Did What I've Learned After 30 Years of Being in Business" discusses the four pillars of operating a successful business, you can purchase the book here.  We wish you a Merry Holidays and Hope to see you in the New Year!

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

PACNY's Environmental Conference Is Back!! Counting Down The Days to March 3 and March 4, 2022!!!

The Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) have announced the dates for their annual Environmental Conference to be held on March 3rd and 4th, 2022.  It will be held at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.  Visit Turning Stone Casino's website for pandemic questions.  To register for the conference or sponsor the conference click here!

Return of New York State Department of Labor Panel

Obviously, due to the pandemic, last year's conference was not held.  This year's conference goes back to the original format of two days - Thursday & Half-day Friday.  Thursday is usually the Professional Day and we're looking forward to the following presentations: a presentation by a New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) Inspector by Elizabeth Kirkland;  The Evolving Role of the NYS Project Monitor, and a roundtable discussion by PACNY experts on mold, that will include Jack Springston of ATCPACNY has asked us, (Angelo Garcia, III's, of Future Environment Designs, Inc. (FEDTC)), to speak and we will be presenting on the "Trials and Tribulations of Training During a Pandemic".  We hope our presentation will be an entertaining look into trying to maintain a training program during a pandemic.  We would like to thank Ms. Karen Cummings, M.P.H., Director of the New York State Department of Health's (NYSDOH) Asbestos Safety Training Program for providing us with data for our presentation regarding the number of asbestos training certificates issued during the last four years.  We would also like to thank Mr. Chek Beng Ng, P.E., Professional Engineer, of the NYSDOL Engineering Services Unit, for also providing us with the mold training data, since 2015, for our presentation.  With this information, it will be interesting to see the impact the pandemic had on training and in extension on the available workforce.   After the last presentation, we will head over to the Exhibition Hall with the Vendors/Sponsors of the conference and network with the attendees at the open bar.  Yes, that's right Happy Hour is back! 

Happy Hour At the Exhibition Hall

FEDTC is one of the sponsors of the conference again and will have a booth in the Exhibition Hall.  Ms. Sheryl Esposito is returning to be the woman at the booth.  Come by and say hello!  As we have in the past, we will be tweeting the conference.  To follow the conference on Twitter, you can search for the hashtag #FEDTCPACNY or you can follow on our Twitter account at https://twitter.com/angelogarcia3
  
Sheryl Esposito at the FEDTC Booth

Half-day Friday is Regulatory Day with the NYSDOL's Asbestos Control Bureau usually doing a brief presentation and then doing a questions and answers session.  One question certain to be asked will be when will the Fast Track Variances return?  Mr. Ed Smith, P.E., Program Manager of the NYSDOL Engineering Services Unit will be expected to answer that question.  This year we will have new people on the podium.  Dr. Eileen Franco has retired and the new director is Amy Phillips.  Mr. Kirk Fisher takes over for Mr. James Meacham, P.E. as head of the Enforcement Unit.  This ponders the question of who takes over the Licensing and Certification Unit?  Mr. Paul Demick, Associate Safety & Health Inspector, will be on the podium for the NYSDOL License & Certificate Unit.    Lunch on Friday is the last meal of the conference and the last chance to network with the attendees.  It will be good to get back to Turning Stone and see all our friends and business associates, again.  Hoping to see you there!

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!

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Future Environment Designs Celebrates the New Normal with New Pricing!

We are now fully open that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has decided that fully vaccinated people can resume normal activities and New York State has announced that 70% of New Yorkers have received the first dose.  We have updated our pandemic policy to meet the new requirements.  When you attend training with us please provide proof that you have been vaccinated so we can allow everyone to not wear face coverings.  We strongly recommend the use of the New York State Excelsior Pass System.  The system creates a wallet on your smartphone to allow you to present proof that you've been vaccinated.  If you are not vaccinated, you can either attend a virtual training course or attend an in-person course as long as you wear a face-covering (as per CDC recommendations).


To celebrate the new normal or the return to normal we have decided to adjust our pricing to be more in line with the New York State market, in addition, readers of this blog can now claim a discount on our new prices.  When registering for your class just enter the code FEDTCBLOG15 to get a 15% discount on our published course price.  Remember we still provide our best discounts to our loyal customers (25%).  As part of the online (virtual) requirements, we were required to create class interactions and a way to administer the exam.  Since these have been successful in the virtual classes, we will continue to allow students to take the exam at our Learning Management System (Administrate LMS portal) and will continue using Poll Everywhere to spark conversations in our classes.  To be able to do that you should bring an electronic device (laptop, iPad, smartphone, etc.) to our classes.  We will still have paper exams for those who want to take the exam the old-fashioned way or we don't have internet access.


We've been very busy creating eLearning courses.  We've just finished creating a Lead in Construction Awareness Course and will be completing a Mold in Construction Awareness Course, soon.  We can bundle these courses together with our Asbestos Awareness Course to create an entry-level certificate course (ALM) Asbestos, Lead, and Mold in Construction Awareness or add our Silica in Construction course to create another entry-level certificate course (SLAM) Silica, Lead, Asbestos, and Mold in Construction Awareness.  The ALM certificate course costs $65 and the SLAM certificate course costs $75.  These are significant savings from taking the courses separately.  Please contact us at 1-800-969-3888 to set these courses up for your staff.

Finally, those of you who have attended our classes for years have met Alyssa, my daughter, and remember her cute way of saying wetter-water.  Well, we're happy to announce that Alyssa got married in May to a wonderful woman Sarah Jednak.  We are so happy to have Sarah officially join the family.  We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

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!  


Saturday, December 28, 2019

Future Environment Designs wishes all of you a Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year for 2020!

Future Environment Designs (#FEDTC) wishes you and your family a Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year.  As we say goodbye to 2019 and 2010 decade, it is a good time to reflect on all we accomplished in the last decade, including:

2019 Rockefeller Center
As we say hello to 2020 and we look forward to the coming decade, the time is coming to hand over the reins of Future Environment Designs to a younger generation.  We expect this process to take most of the decade to ensure our clients are still provided the level of information and service they have come to expect from Future Environment Designs.  We expect more digitizing and blending of the courses moving into the future, including:


  • All exams being moved online.
  • Shopping cart added to the website.
  • Revision of the website making it more mobile-friendly. 
  • New online courses including Bloodborne Pathogens, Respirator Administrator, PCB Awareness, etc.
We are looking forward to seeing all of you in 2020 and during the upcoming decade.  We are also excited about the changes and opportunities coming our way.  Again, we wish you & your family a Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year!!!

Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year 

Thursday, January 24, 2019

NYC DEP Seeks Public Comments on Mold Notification Requirement

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) is requesting public comments on a Notice of Mold Remediation Work.  A public hearing is being held on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, at 11:00 AM in the NYCDEP's 8th-floor conference room at 59-17 Junction Boulevard, Flushing, New York 11373.  The public comment period closes Wednesday, February 6, 2019.

Mold Growth in Corridor
Local Law Number 61 of 2018 (also known as Intro 978-D) amended the Administrative Code by adding a new Section 24-154, which provides that, before the performance of mold remediation work in certain buildings, the New York State-licensed mold remediation contractor must file a notice of mold remediation with NYCDEP no later than two business days before the project start date.  Section 24-154(c)(3)(b) further provides that notice may be filed within 24 hours after the project starts, instead of at least two days before, if the mold condition to be remediated poses an immediate risk of harm to any person or damage to property.  The purpose of the above public comment period is to establish a rule when such risk of harm exists.  In other words what the exception for two-day notification would be.  NYCDEP is proposing that projects that have at least 30 square feet or more of visible mold within one room or excessive water accumulation or flooding exists could notify NYCDEP 24 hours after the project starts with appropriate documentation that the condition exists.
Mold Abatement/Remediation/Assessment Course for Article 32 Licensing
Local Law 61 of 2018 went into effect on January 1, 2019.  The law requires licensing pursuant with New York State Department of Labor's Article 32 "Licensing of Mold Inspection, Assessment, and Remediations Specialists and Minimum Work Standards Law" to assess, remediate, and abate for mold incidents larger than 10 square feet.  The bill applies to residential buildings containing 10 or more units or commercial buildings larger than 25,000 square feet.  This law prohibits the owners or their direct employees from performing mold remediation or assessment work, which Article 32 allows.  Under this law, the person holding a mold assessment license must file with the NYCDEP a mold remediation form and work plan as well as a mold post assessment form and a mold certification form.  These forms are located at NYCDEP's Air Pollution website under Mold Remediation and Assessment.  It appears it will be an electronic submission and consists of a 6-page form for the mold remediation plan and a 4-page form for the mold post-assessment. 


Friday, December 28, 2018

Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year From Future Environment Designs Training Center. The Only Constant is Change!

We wish all of you who read our blog and attend our classes a Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year!  We hope your 2019 is better than your 2018 and may it be healthy, prosperous, and joyful!

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
2019 will bring some changes to Future Environment Designs Training Center (#FEDTC).  The first change is to continue to grow our online training by providing training tokens to our clients who attend our asbestos & mold courses.  This added value to our current courses continues to distinguish us from our competitors.  So we can add training courses our clients/students would be interested in, we are asking our attendees for suggestions for classes we can develop into online training courses.  In addition, we are strongly considering becoming a New York State Education facility (we hope to have the financing for this undertaking within 2-3 weeks of the New Year).  This would allow us to offer the New York City training courses and provide the Site Safety Training cards.  It would also require us to expand the number of training instructors we use.  This will be a major undertaking and as many of you who know me, will take tremendous courage on my part to overcome my fears related to trusting others with my business.   2019 is already starting on a good beginning with several courses almost fully booked in the first quarter.

Bergdorf Goodman Window
No sooner than the New Year of 2019 rings in, New York City will be going through several changes.  The asbestos amendments to Title 15 will go into effect January 6, 2019, and the Indoor Allergen Rule goes into effect on January 16, 2019.  In New York State before the New Year hits (December 31) the minimum wage will go up.  In addition, don't forget to save the date for the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York's  (PACNY) 23rd Annual Environmental Conference on February 27-28 & March 1, 2019, at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York.  We will be your host for the February 27th, the proficiency day, where we will be discussing asbestos inspections/survey among other things.  We hope to see you there!  Again, we wish you a Merry Holidays & a Happy New Year!

Related Stories:


 

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

A Beautiful Day for Fishing at the 5th Annual PACNY Salmon Fishing Pro-Am

As we posted in our last blog post, this summer was going to be busy.  Well, the annual salmon fishing trip was a success, again!  We took the 5th Annual journey to Point Breeze to participate in the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (#PACNY) Salmon Fishing Pro-Am Derby.  This year 14 boats participated in the derby.  We left from Orchard Creek to fish the Great Lake of Ontario at 6 AM.  As the same as last year, Future Environment Design's (#FEDTC) had the same boat as last year "Catchin Hell" piloted by Captain Tom and First Mate Mike. 

Sunrise on Lake Ontario
 As always, a great big "THANK YOU" to Darren Yehl of Cornerstone Training (CTI) and PACNY for organizing this event.  This event allows us to catch up with many of the PACNY members and see how the year is doing.  Here was this year's line-up of PACNY members and boats:

  • DiVal - Reel Excitement
  • DiVal - Get Hooked
  • Sessler - Intimidator
  • Abscope - Rusty Lure
  • FEDTC - Catchin Hell
  • Rochester Environmental - Irish Thunder
  • CTI - Sunrise II
  • CTI - Legacy
  • NRC - Reflection
  • Paradigm - Free Spirit
  • ECG - Richmond 4
  • AAC - Screaming Reels
  • Aramsco - Runnin Rebel
  • NRC - Troutman

Headin out to Lake Ontario

It was a beautiful day, the Lake was a little rough and because of it, we bounced around a bit on the way out to our fishing spot.  Captain Tom & First Mate Mike did a great job handing us the poles and giving us encouragement as we reeled in our catches.  We stayed on the lake until about noon and then came ashore to weigh our catches and see who won the derby.  After the weigh-in, a catered buffet lunch was provided by the Black North Inn and awarding the trophies/prizes.  This year's winners were:

Dival/Reel Excitement for the Big Fish and the Box
We had a great time, we caught 3 King Salmon and 3 Steelhead Trout.  We are looking forward to some good eating over the year as we usually bring all the fish home to have some over next few days and then freeze the rest to have until next year's catch.  Thank you to Darren Yehl for adding to what we brought home.  We did our special recipe of brown sugar, kosher salt, and scotch whiskey on the fish to have our version of lox and it is delicious!  See below for links to our fishing stories, see you next year!






Sunday, April 22, 2018

PACNY's Second Day, Part Two - A Storm is Coming!

The second day of the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York's (PACNY's) 22nd Annual Environmental Conference started with a continental breakfast in the Vendor/Exhibit Hall at the Turning Stone Casino, which seemed fuller than previous conferences.  Ms. Deb Sanscrainte, of Aramsco & the Conference Chair and Mr. Joseph Cantone, of Colden Corp. & the PACNY President welcomed everybody & gave us opening remarks.

Ms. Reinstein discussing Asbestos Exposure

The first presenter of the day was the keynote speaker Ms. Linda Reinstein, of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) and the Global Ban Asbestos Network (GBAN), discussing "Mitigating Asbestos Exposure in the 21st Century."  It was a rousing presentation and very inspirational.  In addition, Ms. Reinstein announced the launch of her new kNOwAsbestos website.  A one-stop resource guide for you to learn about asbestos and what to do about it.  Our next speaker was Mr. Michael Misenhimer, of the Northeastern Subcontractors Association (NESCA).  His presentation was on "The Fight to Get Paid - Practical Strategies for Subcontractors" and included a valuable 11 point hand-out that he was kind of enough to allow us to add to our dropbox folder (under conference presentations) on Future Environment Designs website's resource page.  Mr. Misenhimer's presentation was on the 11 point hand-out that recommended that subcontractors investigate the General Contractor (i.e., credit evaluation); condition your bid on your payment terms, establish entitlement to prompt payment; clarify retainage provisions; use your payment bond rights and other important information on making sure you get paid-in-full.  His hand-out included example letters to use for each of the 11 points.  The end of his presentation brought us to the first break and time in the Vendor/Exhibit Hall.

Mr. Michael Misenhimer & his 11 Point Hand-out
We returned from the break to Mr. Richard Clarkson of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) discussing "Part 360 Revisions and Solid Waste Regulations".  Mr. Clarkson's presentation discussed the definition of friable asbestos; when fill must be tested to be reused; what fill must be tested for to be reused; waste transporter registration; and waste reporting & recordkeeping.  Our next speaker was Mr. Adam Schrader, of Ecospect, discussing "Healthy Basement, Healthy Home".  Mr. Schrader's presentation discussed the multitude of contaminants that exists in the home and the workplace and wicking/capillary action a source of moisture for floors & walls.  After Mr. Schrader's presentation, we broke for a fantastic lunch and more networking opportunities.

Ms. Sheryl Esposito at the FEDTC Booth in Vendor/Exhibit Hall
After lunch, the conference continued with Mr. Tom Stebbins of the Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York speaking on asbestos litigation, fraud in the litigation arena, and contradictory claims.  Up next was Mr. Bob Krell - PACNY's Media Partner Healthy Indoors Magazine and IAQ Technologies discussing "Avoiding Pitfalls of Mold Investigators & Remediation Projects."  Mr. Krell discussed the limitations of mold air sampling and using relative humidity for mold assessments; and discussed a rough method to determine if a HEPA filter is working utilizing laser particle counters for mold remediation.  Our final presenter for Day Two was Mr. Adam Andrews of the American Council of Accredited Certifications (ACAC) who discussed the "Advantages of Certification for Indoor AIr Quality".  Mr. Andrews discussed the differences between Third-party Accreditation Programs between Council for Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and ACAC's Council-certified Indoor Environmental Supervisor.

Adam Andrews Discussing ACAC's Council-certified Indoor Environmental Supervisor
That ended day two of the conference.  After the last presentation, we went to the Vendor's Reception in the Exhibit Hall.  Continued networking in the exhibit hall, spent time with Dr. David Dulford, of CanAm Environmental Safety, Dival Safety Equipment Suppliers; Grayling Industries; Frederico Demolition;  Aramsco; Duke Company; and our good friend and no longer competitor Mr. Steve Winograd, of EMSL.  We also had a great time at Dival's after party!  Day two's presentations provided valuable information that will plan on using in the various courses we offer at Future Environment Designs.  Stay tuned for Day Three as the storm hit Turning Stone that night.

Vendor's Reception in the Exhibit Hall

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.

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...