Future Environment Designs Training Center's Blog

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Long Overdue Increase in OSHA Inspections

Construction Sign Postings in Rome, Italy. Workers are required to wear gloves, hard hat, work boots, and a full body harness on this work site.

14 deaths per day is the statistics of the day. How can the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) consider itself successful with a statistic like that? It is long overdue for OSHA to increase the number of inspections and the number of violations it issues. There are companies who have never seen an OSHA inspection and they have been in business for over 50 years. We did a training class where one worker had caustic burns on his hands and three workers were diagnosed with silicosis. The company had never been inspected by OSHA. Until OSHA actually gets serious about performing the number of inspections necessary to prevent injuries, statistics such as 14 deaths per day will continue to be common place. The link shows a video of a worker for Cintas, handling the clearing of a blockage the way he was taught to clear blockage. Though the company says it didn't know this was going on, the question is how did they think the blockage was being cleared considering they did not teach the workers a different procedure to clear the blockage. Again another situation where the accident could have been prevented and the life of a worker saved.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Confined Space Entry Mistakes Caused Tarrytown Tragedy?

OSHA has specific requirements and rules before entering confined spaces. Air testing and training are part of the requirements.

The death of two men in Tarrytown are still being investigated, however, indications are that the men died when they entered into a sewer system manhole and were overcome by the gases or the lack of air in the area. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the New York State Department of Labor under Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH) both regulate entries into confined spaces. These entries require a permit system which is the equivalent of a checklist that is required to be completed by a supervisor before anyone enters the confined space. One of the most important parts of the checklist is the requirement to test the air in the space before entry to determine the contaminants in the space. As outsiders looking in, we could assume oxygen deficiency, methane, and hydrogen sulfide at least. All three should have been tested before entry was made. News reports already have told us the space was deficient of oxygen (14%), normal air has 21% oxygen. Future Environment Designs performs confined space entry training and we train workers that at 14% workers would experience increased respiration and poor judgment. We also train workers that the attendant should never make an entry (for rescue or any other purpose) until they are relieved by another attendant. Our condolences go out to the family and the community of these workers. It is a shame that this accident could have been prevented.

OSHA Publishes Final Rule On Cranes And Derricks In Construction

Crane in Venice, Italy. FED's training at your convenience will travel to where you need the training.

Some people would say its about time the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revised the Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard. The last standard was issued in 1971 and considering in 2007 a number of crane accidents happened across the country including the two crane accidents that happened in New York City. It is not surprising that OSHA finally finished the standard. The rule becomes effective in 90 days after August 9, 2010. Significant requirements in this new rule include: a pre-erection inspection of tower crane parts; use of synthetic slings in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions during assembly/disassembly work; assessment of ground conditions; qualification or certification of crane operators; and procedures for working in the vicinity of power lines.

Several provisions have been modified from the proposed rule. For example:

Employers must comply with local and state operator licensing requirements which meet the minimum criteria specified in § 1926.1427.
Employers must pay for certification or qualification of their currently uncertified or unqualified operators.
Written certification tests may be administered in any language understood by the operator candidate.
When employers with employees qualified for power transmission and distribution are working in accordance with the power transmission and distribution standard (§ 1910.269), that employer will be considered in compliance with this final rule's requirements for working around power lines.
Employers must use a qualified rigger for rigging operations during assembly/disassembly.
Employers must perform a pre-erection inspection of tower cranes.

The final rule was designed to work with state and local regulations. Interesting change from what OSHA typically does.

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Wednesday, September 01, 2010

NYS Mold Task Force Report Open For Comments

Stachybotrys chartrum (toxic mold) growing inside the wall.

New York State Mold (fungi) Task Force was created by Section 1384 of the New York State (NYS) Public Health Law (enacted in Chapter 356 of the laws of 2005; amended by Chapter 198 of the laws of 2006). The Task Force was charged with preparing a report to the Governor and the Legislature on mold (fungus)/toxic mold. The report would assess and measure, "based on scientific evidence, the adverse environmental and health effects of mold exposure, including specific effects on population subgroups at greater risk of adverse effects; assessing the latest scientific data on mold exposure limits; identifying actions taken by state and local government and other entities; determining methods to control and mitigate mold." The New York State Departments of Health and State have completed a draft report (click on the title link) and are accepting comments from the public until October 12, 2010. Comments can be submitted by email to: moldtf@health.state.ny.us

Comments can be submitted in writing to:

Michelle Lavigne
Bureau of Toxic Substances Assessment
Flanigan Square Room 330
547 River Street
Troy, NY 12280

Questions: (518) 402-7820 or 1-800-458-1158

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Brand You: Engage Your Brain

For years, I've been a big fan of Tom Peters. His book "In Search of Excellance" should be a standard business book for anyone going into business and "Thriving on Chaos" probably applies today as much as when it was written. It seems to me he just gets better with age. This segment from his new book, gives you insights on how to engage your client, audience, etc.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

EPA Calls Formaldehyde a Carcinogen

Image via WikipediaIn the July 2010 issue of Indoor Environment Connections, Mr. Tom Scarlett writes about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issuing a draft report that concludes that inhaling formaldehyde is definitely a human carcinogen. Formaldehyde is widely used in products and can be found in many indoor environments, like the temporary trailers that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) bought. It has been widely published that those temporary trailers had such significant levels of formaldehyde in the indoor air they could not use them as temporary housing for the Hurricane Katrina victims. In addition, the new study also linked increased incidence of asthma to formaldehyde exposure. Needless to say EPA's determination will cause increased regulation of formaldehyde in air. The next steps for this report is for it to be reviewed by an expert panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences. EPA will then use the review and any comments from the public to complete the Health Assessment for Formaldehyde.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

NIOSH Publishes Results of Investigation Into Deutsche Bank Fire

A view of the Deutsche Bank Building fire on A...

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