Future Environment Designs Training Center's Blog

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Rudy Giuliani and Air Quality After 9/11: Part 1 & Part 2

Mike Metzer, from the Environmental Protection...

Image via WikipediaAfter listening and reading this newscast I found it interesting how everyone is pointing at the federal government experts (Giuliani, Cohen, etc.), as the reason why the first responders were allowed to expose themselves to the asbestos and other hazardous materials on the site. A very interesting two part, newscast by WNYC titled Rudy Giuliani and Air Quality After 9/11: Part 1 & Part 2. The 9/11 cleanup was a huge failure on the part of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Especially, OSHA who should've been on the site making sure workers were wearing respirators and wearing them properly. OSHA crowed about 0 injuries at the site after the cleanups were done. Where are they now, that we know that some 20,000 workers at the site are ill from their exposure to the contaminants at 9/11?

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

NYSDOL Asbestos Inspector Indicted in Kensington Towers Probe

Thank you to Darren Yehl of Cornerstone Training for bringing this indictment to my attention:

A state inspector and two City of Buffalo inspectors are among nine individuals and two companies indicted Thursday on felony charges related to an asbestos removal project in the city. The 23-count federal indictment also charges six of the contractors' employees with improperly removing and disposing of asbestos at the Kensington Heights housing project on Fillmore Avenue. Federal and state officials would not confirm the likelihood that workers or neighborhood residents were put at risk during the asbestos removal, but they would not rule it out either.

"These are very serious charges," U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. told reporters. "Asbestos is a highly dangerous substance."

The charges outlined in the 62-page indictment center around the work done by two companies -- Johnson Contracting of Buffalo and JMD Environmental Inc. of Grand island -- and the allegations that they violated the federal Clean Air Act by improperly disposing of asbestos. The indictment also charges a state Labor Department inspector, Theodore Lehmann, and two city inspectors, Donald Grzebielucha and William Manuszewski, with falsifying inspection reports.

"They certified false documents or lied about what they saw," Hochul said.

Prosecutors said one of the inspectors has reportedly retired but two others remain on the job. State and city officials declined to comment, and Lehmann, Grzebielucha and Manuszewski could not be reached to comment. When asked if bribes were involved, Hochul said his office has yet to uncover any evidence of payoffs.

"At this point, I can't comment on the motive," he said of the inspectors.

Most of the indictment focuses on the work of the two companies hired to remove and dispose of asbestos at Kensington Heights. Visible from the Kensington Expressway, the 17-acre public housing project has been a symbol of decay and abandonment for three decades. The complex, made up of six vacant towers behind Erie County Medical Center, is owned by the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority and was targeted for demolition two years ago. Tearing down the eight-story towers is the first step in the Housing Authority's proposal for a new $105 million retirement community.

As part of the demolition, Johnson Contracting was hired to remove and dispose of the estimated 63,000 square feet of asbestos in each of the towers. JMD was hired to monitor their work. The indictment alleges that from June 2009 to January 2010, Johnson and two of its managers -- President Ernest Johnson and Supervisor Rai Johnson -- instructed workers to dump asbestos down holes cut through the floors of each building. They also are charged with failing to wet the asbestos and leaving it in open containers for disposal.

Aaron Mango, the assistant U.S. attorney overseeing the case, said Johnson's practices violated a wide range of regulations regarding the disposal of asbestos.

"It is so dangerous," Mango said, "you have to insure you're taking these steps."

The indictment also alleges that JMD, the company hired to monitor Johnson's work, conspired to violate the Clean Air Act. The company was hired to conduct air sampling tests and other oversight work but, according to prosecutors, failed to do those tests properly. The government also claims JMD falsified inspection reports. The indictment also charges four of JMD's employees: Field Supervisor Evan Harnden of North Tonawanda and Project Monitors Henry Hawkins of Buffalo, Chris Coseglia of Niagara Falls and Brian Scott of North Tonawanda.

Each of the 23 counts carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

"Asbestos is a known carcinogen and we take very seriously these investigations," said David G. McLeod Jr., assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Investigative Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the EPA, exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung disease, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. State and federal officials would not speculate on the public health risks posed by the asbestos-removal effort at Kensington Heights. They did acknowledge, however, that given the companies' alleged practices and the six-month period in which the alleged violations took place, it is possible the public was put at risk.

"There are plenty of good reasons why the (Clean Air Act) is on the books," Hochul said.

Prosecutors said the indictment is the culmination of an investigation involving a wide range of state and federal agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Work on Kensington Heights stalled last year and prompted the Housing Authority to terminate its demolition contract with developer Hormoz Mansouri in January. Mansouri countered by suing the authority for breach of contract. Federal officials said Mansouri, a politically connected contractor, is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Friday, August 05, 2011

The Engineering Job Interview - How an Engineer Dresses Professionally

Two suits, one navy blue and one grey, with ti...

Image via WikipediaIn a previous posting we discussed that we enjoy reading or viewing Menswear expert Antonio Centeno's posts on dressing. Here is a posting regarding how to dress for an engineering job interview that first got me interested in his posts and his videos. This article discusses the interview suit, including the suit's style, fabric, and fit and the shirt, tie, and shoes. Considering the economy and number of unemployed, this article may give you an edge on the competition when interviewing for a job.

Monday, August 01, 2011

NYS Senate Considering Asbestos Notification Fee Changes

ALBANY, NY - JUNE 16: The New York State Senat...

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe New York State Senate is considering changes to the notification fees paid by residential homeowners. These changes are being considered, because currently, a very small percentage of asbestos project notifications are received from projects involving owner occupied one or two family structures. The NYS Senate believes that so few of these notifications are received because the current fee structure is cost prohibitive, which results in homeowners either doing the abatement project illegally themselves or not doing the project at all. If home-owners are charged a fee of no more than five hundred dollars ($500) for the project notification it will result in improved compliance and an increase in the number of homeowner asbestos project notifications received by the NYS Department of Labor, since it would become more economically feasible to comply with the law. For more information S748-2011 can be found at: http://m.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S748-2011.

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Friday, July 29, 2011

Judge Stops Changes to Manufacturers Trust Company Building

Marble Columns Required Protection from the Poly, Spray Glue, & Duct Tape.

This article in the New York Times regarding "Judge Stops Changes to Manufacturers Trust Company Building" brought back some memories for me. Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company (MHT) was one of Future Environment Design's first and largest clients. Over the time we worked with MHT we removed alot of asbestos containing materials, including troweled-on amosite asbestos containing reflectance material on the first and second floors of 510 Fifth Avenue, New York. This building was the location of our most profitable and successful projects. We actually discuss this project in our initial asbestos project designer classes (reviewing the original asbestos drawings and discussing problems with amosite asbestos and negative air units). MHT wanted to perform an energy efficient upgrade to reduce the amount of electricity they were using to light the first and second floor 510 Fifth Avenue. In addition, New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee had landmarked the building, so the general contractor (Adelhardt Construction Corp.) had to figure out how to maintain the appearance while also saving electricity. Under that landmark interior was troweled-on amosite asbestos containing reflectance material. As the asbestos consultant for MHT, we designed the asbestos removal portion of the project. The entire project ended with an extremely happy client that had a payback period of 1-2 years and the project came in under budget by at least 1 million dollars.