Domino Sugar Factory Abatement - Brings Up Questions

The Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn, NY is undergoing asbestos abatement and unfortunately for New York Insulation they were caught doing asbestos abatement on the roof.  Whenever, you do asbestos abatement outside of containment, it is vitally important that you do the work perfectly.  One mistake or two will just bring about a whole bunch of trouble.  Below is the video, please watch it and let us know what you think in the comments:

In our classes we have been watching it and discussing the various issues, here is a list:

• In the video you do not see one person wetting anything down.  Wet methods are required by New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP), New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Under EPA regulations not wetting asbestos or dry removal is a criminal violation.
• In the video you do not see a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtered vacuum anywhere.  HEPA vacuuming is required by NYCDEP, NYSDOL, & OSHA.
• Workers in the video are hammering what looks like asbestos containing transite panels.  These panels are considered non-friable and if intact they are not regulated by EPA.  However, that changed as soon as the workers started hammering (crumbling & pulverizing) the materials.  These materials are no longer intact and have become regulated asbestos containing materials (RACM).  Meaning these materials must be placed in labeled asbestos bags or wrappings and sent to an EPA approved landfill for disposal.  In addition, the crumbling & pulverizing of the materials probably means NYCDEP & NYSDOL would require a containment.
• Two workers inside the work area are not wearing suits and respirators, obviously a violation of the PPE requirements for this work.
• Under NYCDEP, NYSDOL, & OSHA materials are required to be bagged or wrapped immediately.  Obviously, the hammering of the materials means they were not bagged or wrapped immediately.
• In the video we can see one air sample station in the work area.  NYCDEP requires four (4) inside work area samples during the abatement.  Since the one sample is located where they were hammering the panel with a crowbar it would be interesting to see the results of that air sample.  Though it may be likely it will show nothing since it would depend on which way the wind was blowing.

These are just some of the ones we have discussed in our classes or have been posted in our New York Asbestos Group on Linked-In.  Let us know if you see anything in the comments below.

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NY Times Article Criticizing OSHA, Doesn't Criticize It Enough!

On March 30, 2013, the New York Times wrote the article "As OSHA Emphasizes Safety, Long Term Health Risks Fester."  You can click on the title of the article to read the article if by chance you have not read it or saw it.  As many of you know I am a sharp critic of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and their inability to protect worker health at Ground Zero, at the BP Oil Spill, Katrina, etc, etc, etc!  Here is another sad case of OSHA failing to do their job and claiming there is nothing they can do!  Are they kidding us!  Lets see the facts in this case:

• The culprit in this chemical exposure story is a chemical known as n-propyl bromide, or nPB.  “Medical researchers, government officials and even chemical companies that once manufactured nPB have warned for over a decade that it causes neurological damage and infertility when inhaled at low levels over long periods…”  So we know that exposure to this chemical is hazardous (fact!).
• 
  



3D diagram of n-propyl bromide molecule. Prepared with Discovery Studio Visualizer 1.7 and GIMP 2.2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


• Did we have an exposure?  “For about five years, Ms. Sheri Farley, 45, stood alongside about a dozen other workers, spray gun in hand, gluing together foam cushions for chairs and couches sold under brand names like Broyhill, Ralph Lauren, and Thomasville.  Fumes from the glue formed a yellowish fog inside the plant, and Ms. Farley’s doctors say that breathing them in eventually ate away at her nerve endings, resulting in what she and her co-workers call “dead foot”."  That sounds like an exposure to us (fact!).
• What did the employer do to protect the workers?  “Even as worker after worker fell ill, records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show that managers at Royale Comfort Seating, where Ms. Farley was employed, repeatedly exposed gluers to nPB levels that exceeded levels federal officials considered safe, failed to provide respirators and turned off fans meant to vent fumes."  So the employer knew the dangers and didn't protect the workers (fact!).
• What's a willfull violation?  According to OSHA, a willfull violation is a violation that the employer intentionally and knowingly commits or a violation that the employer commits with plain indifference to the law.  OSHA may propose penalties of a maximum of $70,000 for each willfull violation (fact!).

So if you buy into this argument that OSHA is powerless to act.  Then why did violations only total, as per the article, "less than $20,000 in OSHA fines related to glue fumes."  That is a travesty!  OSHA needs to wake up and do its job.  

What does the Director of OSHA have to say about this?  “I’m the first to admit this is broken,” said David Michaels, the OSHA director, referring to the agency’s record on dealing with workplace health threats.  “Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people end up on the gurney.”  You're the director and that's your answer.  Get your act together and fix the problem.  You know there's a problem and you're not fixing it.  You should be fired!  You've been the OSHA Director for what four years and we must admit you've done a lot of good.  However, at the same time this issue of protecting worker health has continued to fester and you know its broken and you haven't fixed it.  If you were on Donald Trump's Apprentice program, you would've been fired.


Let's look at the issue that the business claims they can't afford to protect workers.  Based on the article it says Royale "which employs about 100 workers and had around $7.5 million in sales in 2011",  in addition, Royale has also "paid nearly a half-million dollars - in court settlements, required upgrades....".  Where did these business owners get their education on running a business?  Here are some statistics from the article that makes you wonder about business owners and support a need for OSHA to do a better job of protecting worker's health:

• "Chronic ailments caused by toxic workplace air - black lung, stonecutter's disease, asbestosis, grinder's rot, pneumoconiosis, - incapacitate more than 200,000 workers in the United States annually.  More than 40,000 Americans die prematurely each year from exposure to toxic substances at work - 10 times as many as those who die from refinery explosions, mine collapses and other accidents that grab most of the news media attention."
• Occupational illnesses and injuries like Ms. Farley's cost the American economy roughly $250 billion per year because of medical expenses and lost productivity, according to government data analyzed by J. Paul Leigh, an economist at the University of California, Davis, more than the cost of diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  Roughly 40 percent of medical expenses from workplace hazards, or about $27 billion a year, is paid by public programs like Medicare and Medicaid."

In our opinion, it would be more effective to have a respiratory protection program using respirators and proper filters.  The probable cost of a respiratory protection program for 100 workers would be around $40,000.  It seems to us it would be cheaper to provide the workers with respirators than to pay for court settlements, worker's compensation insurance costs, disability insurance costs, etc.  It is way past time we started recognizing the need to push respirator use to handle situations that either the political will, financial will, or just plain indifference is not protecting workers.

Related articles

• Robin Wilson: Cheap Furniture Should Not Kill or Maim U.S. Workers
• Filtering Facepiece Respirator or Dust Mask. Which is it?
• OSHA has dismal record preventing long-term workplace hazards
• When nerve-damaging glue is disabling workers, what can OSHA do? [The Pump Handle]
• A Bill Currently In The House Attempts To Give More Power To OSHA For Workplace Safety
• Worker Protection Too Costly!
• OSHA last inspected Texas fertilizer plant in 1985

Filtering Facepiece Respirator or Dust Mask. Which is it?

Well the answer to the question in the title is similar to you saying tomatoe or tomato.  They are two ways of saying the same thing.  According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) a dust mask is a filtering facepiece respirator.  For those involved in the safety and health field that is not news.  However, for everyone else it is.  In fact, we would argue that the average worker doesn't even consider the dust mask a respirator.  We recently ran into this miscommunication between an employer who was providing filtering facepiece respirators on a voluntary basis and assumed when the OSHA compliance safety and health officer was asking about respirators they were talking about the ones used in the paint booth.  Paint booth respirators were required, but the filtering facepiece respirators were not.  You could imagine the conversation.

Muster einer Atemluft-Einwegmaske (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



What is the consequence of such a miscommunication?  Well once you require the wearing of filtering facepiece respirators in the workplace, these respirators must follow all the requirements of 1910.134 the OSHA respiratory protection standard.  Which means the workers must be medically cleared to wear the respirator, fit tested with the respirator to ensure it fits, and trained on the use of the respirator.  However, if the filtering facepiece respirator is being used voluntarily, all you must provide is Appendix D of standard "Information for Employees Wearing Respirators When Not Required Under The Standard."  A big difference in requirements.  So be very careful when answering this question during an OSHA workplace inspection.

Another problem with dust masks is illustrated by the photo above in an article about Suffolk County's plan to spray pesticides.  What is wrong with the picture?  Well if this worker is spraying pesticides he is wearing the wrong respirator.  Filtering facepiece respirators (dust masks) only protect from dust or particulates.  They do not protect against chemicals that are in the form of mists, vapors, or gases (which is the form that the worker in the picture is spraying).  These forms of chemicals would penetrate through the mask or worse will be absorbed into the filter and potentially concentrate the chemical or allow the chewmical to sit on worker's face.

 

The only reason for wearing a filtering facepiece respirator (dust mask) is for nuisance dusts (i.e., wood dust, pollen, grass clippings, etc.).  Though this respirator is very comfortable, and lighweight, in our view, it is very dangerous because it is readily available, many people are using it improperly, and many people believe it can do more than it was designed to do.  Use this resapirator very carefully and again only for nuisance dusts, nothing more.  Be safe out there!

Related articles

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PACNY Conference New Faces, New Discussions

The 17th Annual Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY) Environmental Conference was a success.  Though this is not surprising given the lineup of speakers and great effort that was made by the conference organizers to bring it together.  We would suspect that the organizers might have been nervous about the event, since Mr. Christopher Alonge would not be a speaker on day two of the event.  If you had not heard, Mr. Alonge is no longer with New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) he is now with Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY).  Mr. Alonge was present at the event, and seemed to be enjoying himself.  However, Dr. Eileen Franco saved the day representing NYSDOL as the acting director for the Division of Safety & Health.  Dr. Franco discussed her unit, and updated us on the progress of the new ICR56, which in her words were "imminent".  She was entertaining and we hope she will take our suggestions regarding the asbestos control program and act on them.

Future Environment Design's New Tradeshow Display.

Like last year, one of the opening presentations was on PACNY's effort to change the notification fees.  The bill they are discussing is Assembly Bill A3675.  As we discussed last year, this bill would change the notification fee structure so demolition of residents impacted by a disaster would be a maximum of $200.  This change would help disaster affected areas and residential projects by allowing properly trained contractors to better compete with non-licensed or untrained contractors for the asbestos work.

The list of speakers included Brian Sampson from Unshackle Upstate; Joe Cantone from Colden Corporation; Paul Watson from Center for Toxicology & Environmental Health; Joe Hogan from Associated General Contractors of New York State; Dr. Dave Duford from CanAm Environmental Safety; Brent Kynoch from the Environmental Information Association; Dr. James Webber, formerly with NYS Department of Health; Marvin Stillman from the University of Rochester; and Mr. Chris Alund, from the NYSDOL Bureau of Public Work.  All the speakers were very good, however, two standout in our mind.  First Dr. Webber's presentation "Vermiculite: Looking for a Needle in a Leaf Pile" was awesome and had many speaking about it throughout the rest of the conference.  Pretty impressive considering after his presentation it was the cocktail hour in the exhibit hall.  Dr. Webber's presentation was our first official 3D presentation.  Towards the end of his presentation he passed out 3D glasses, and it was very impressive seeing vermiculite with Libby asbestos fibers in 3D.  The other presentation that stood out, was Mr. Stillman's regarding "Hazardous Waste at Project Sites".  Mr. Stillman's presentation included a lot of points that we were not aware of and will be included in future training classes regarding hazardous wastes.  During most of the presentations, we posted points we felt were important on Twitter.  Find those tweets at #FEDTCPACNY.

This year the Industry Roundtable Q&A was moderated by Steve Gheen, PE of Gheen Engineering, and included Darren Yehl of Cornerstone Training Institute, John Massa of Midlantic Environmental, and Angelo Garcia, III, of Future Environment Designs (me).  Questions this year were very interesting and brought out some distinctions in regions and how various types of asbestos work was being done.

The Exhibit Hall was a lot of fun, with the cocktail reception and the breaks spent meeting vendors, suppliers, and competitors (the friendly kind).  There were some new exhibitors and some new equipment at the show.  Fiberlock Technologies was exhibiting a new Advanced Peroxide Cleaner (APC) that removes mold & mildew stains on porous & non-porous materials, it seems to be an impressive product.  DiVal & Aramsco had dueling floor tile and mastic removal machines that sell or rent.  In addition, DiVal was showing a Dust Shroud for Reciprocating Saws from Dustless Technologies.  McLaughlin Vacuum Excavation Systems (Vermeer is the dealer network for this equipment) was another exhibitor with some impressive equipment.  Of course, United Rentals was there and we didn't win the toy truck, again!

Overall, the conference was a great time.  Turning Stone Resort & Casino does a great job with the food, drinks, & entertainment.  In the past few years, we've seen more representatives from Long Island based companies attending the PACNY conference.  We were glad to see George Maul of Insight Environmental, Paul Calzolano of Testing Mechanics, Paul Debiase of Dvirka & Bartilucci, Bart Gallagher of Enviroscience, & Travis Irving of H2M.  We look forward to seeing you next year and look forward to the Long Island contingent growing again next year. 

Related articles

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PACNY's 2013 Environmental Conference

Future Environment Designs is proud to be attending and exhibiting at the Professional Abatement Contractors of New York's (PACNY's) 17th Annual Environmental Conference.  The event is being held at the Turning Stone Casino & Resort on Thursday, February 28th & Friday, March 1, 2013.  This year we've updated our trade show booth and look forward to showing it off, assuming its ready in time.  We are also honored to have been selected to be on the industry panel again this year.  We look forward to meeting you in the exhibit hall or at one of the sessions.  For more information or to register for the event visit PACNY's website at http://www.pacny.org/conferences.asp.

We are also happy to announce that on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at Turning Stone Casino we will be holding an Asbestos Project Designer Refresher course together with Cornerstone Training Institute.  Hopefully, that will work with people's schedule and we look forward to seeing you at that event, too.

OSHA 300A Posting Required On Feb.1

Hopefully, you remembered to post your Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300A form on February 1, 2013.  As required by OSHA, the 300A form is the summary of the OSHA 300 form which is the log of injuries and illnesses your company had over the past year.  If your looking for the forms follow this link: http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/new-osha300form1-1-04.pdf.  The form is required to be posted from February 1 to April 30, 2013.  If you have 10 or fewer employees this regulation does not apply to your business.


Proper Scaffold Construction in Ithaca, NY

 The following is posted on the OSHA website:

What is recordable under OSHA's Recordkeeping Regulation?

• Covered employers must record all work-related fatalities.
• Covered employers must record all work-related injuries and illnesses that result in days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, loss of consciousness or medical treatment beyond first aid (see OSHA's definition of first aid below).
• In addition, employers must record significant work-related injuries or illnesses diagnoses by a physician or other licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.
• Injuries include cases such as, but not limited to, a cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation.
• Illnesses include both acute and chronic illnesses, such as, but not limited to, a skin disease (i.e. contact dermatitis), respiratory disorder (i.e. occupational asthma, pneumoconiosis), or poisoning (i.e. lead poisoning, solvent intoxication).
• OSHA's definition of work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities are those in which an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the condition. In addition, if an event or exposure in the work environment significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness, this is also considered work-related.
• For further questions or clarifications, take advantage of the additional resources on this page (under "In Focus") or call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).

4,609 workers died on the job in 2011 (as per OSHA website).

Related articles

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Future Environment Designs Has Published Its 2013 Future Focus Newsletter

Future Environment Designs has published our 2013 newsletter "Future Focus".  As usual the current newsletter will be part of our manuals and handed out in our classes.  If you don't want to wait until you take a class with us, you can find our newsletter at our website at: http://futureenvironmentdesigns.com/newsletter.html. 



Chrysotile Asbestos display at Thetford Mines Mineralogical & Mining Mueseum

In our current newsletter, the lead article is about "Asbestos In Current Building Materials".  We discuss how material safety data sheets (MSDS) and the new safety data sheets (SDS) cannot be used to determine if current building materials contain asbestos, especially when discussing foreign building materials.  We hope this newsletter acts as a warning to asbestos inspectors, facility directors, building managers, architects/engineers, and building owners, etc. in determining whether current and new building materials have asbestos.

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