Environmental Health and Safety Blog | EHSWire

by Paula Kaufmann

On April 15, OSHA announced revisions to the Outreach Training Programs as part of a continuous improvement program. Effective immediately, these new requirements apply to both the trainers and training materials.  The Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, Dr. David Michaels, explained the announcement by stating, " These revisions will serve to tighten the program controls to ensure the best training is provided to the worker participants. Trainer reliability will be enhanced and classes will focus more on fulfilling students' needs for safety and health training."

Here is a snapshot of the revisions:

• The "program guidelines" are now defined as “program requirements" (translation: must be done).


• Separate procedures are provided for each of the Outreach Training Programs, Construction, General Industry, Maritime, and Disaster Site Worker. 


• A trainer Code of Conduct and a Statement of Compliance requires each trainer to verify that the training they conduct will be in accordance with the Outreach Training Program requirements and procedures.


• Classroom size is now limited to a maximum of 40 students.


• Only translators with safety and health experience can be used.


• Videos can be used for only 25 percent of the training period.


• OSHA course completion cards must be provided directly to the students within 90 days of class completion.


• All construction classes are required to include four hours on Focus Four Hazards.


• All 30-hour classes must include two hours on Managing Safety and Health.


• The new requirements and procedures also integrate recent requirements which require training classes to last a maximum of 7½ hours per day and include a new two-hour Introduction to OSHA training module.

The effect of these changes is higher quality OSHA training offered by authorized training groups because, in theory, a better trained worker is a safer worker. As you reviewed the changes to the training program and trainers, what do you think the effect will be? Do you think that the revisions will improve worker safety or are just another paperwork high jump for employers and training institutions?

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Topics: OSHA, General Industry H&S, OSHA Compliance, General EHS, Construction H&S, H&S Training, Compliance, construction, General Industry, Occupational Training, outreach training

By Don Hoeschele, MS, CHMM

In an age where we are reliant on modern technology as a part of our job, it is difficult to imagine not being able to use your cell phone or access the Internet because of topography.  As the Field Safety Manager for a 300-mile electric power transmission power line construction project, one of my first tasks was to address the question “How do you make communication possible across 275 miles of relatively unpopulated, harsh mountainous territory”?  Specifically, I had to meet OSHA’s requirements for communication:  29 CFR 1926.35 “Employee Emergency Action Plans” and 29 CFR 1926.50 “Medical Services and First Aid”.  

For a project health and safety administrator, it is vital to be able to communicate with your team members and with outside resources. How do you keep tabs on who is where and what is happening? How do you find if something has gone wrong or someone needs help?  In fact, these are the reasons that OSHA implemented the Standards listed above – life and death situations may depend upon it!

On this particular project, numerous construction crews were working at different, extremely remote locations with a distance of several miles between each work crew. While the power line tower construction and electric line-stringing companies included requirements for an eventual end-to-end 2-way radio system, the system was not available for at least the first year of the project. And, since cell phones and the average two-way radio systems were not able to be consistently or reliably available to meet the communication needs required for this project, I needed to find an alternative. 

After digging around and countless meetings, calls, and trips to all kinds of communications companies, we settled on a resourceful, cost-conscious and effective method of communicating between the crews, safety personnel, surveyors and managers. The end result was a creative mix of new technologies:

• Cell phone signal boosters in each vehicle in the field


• GPS SPOT locator units for each  crew


• New technology satellite phones for work crews heading into the most remote locations.  

The vendor that built these systems also owned many of the frequencies needed for an end-to-end two-way radio system that would reach across the 275-mile project location.

Of course, the system’s effectiveness had to be proven – we were relying on it! So, I spent hours deep in the mountains field testing the equipment in some of the most remote project locations I have ever seen. Luckily, I was helped by some of the project team members who had spent a great deal of time in this area. Experience also helps communication!

This project had unusual difficulties – a big, remote, mountainous and unpopulated area – that could have thwarted OSHA’s communication requirements.  At any time, it would have been easy to throw in the towel, cross our fingers or perhaps put together a patched-together system and hope it worked.  However, with some tenacious ingenuity and a confidence that a reliable health and safety communication system could be found, we were able to overcome the almost overwhelming challenges and put an effective field communication system into place.

Have you been faced with challenges to provide adequate communication systems for your employees?  What has made a job site seem almost impossible to conquer? What did you do to overcome those challenges?

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Topics: OSHA, health and safety, General Industry H&S, OSHA Compliance, General EHS, Construction H&S, Emergency Response, HazCom, Compliance, worker safety, Occupational Health, Occupational Safety, Hazard Communication Standard, communication

by Ed Pearl

I have been doing on-site environmental health and safety (EHS) work at many types of outdoor job sites for six years.  A big part of the site safety manager at a construction project is air monitoring. When workers have the possibility of exposure to an airborne hazard, it's critical to take frequent measurements of site conditions (often airborne particulates or hydrocarbons) to define worker risk for exposure. When the risk increases, the safety plan kicks in to prevent overexposure. Knowing what is floating in the air at the job site (and how much of it) is why air monitoring is such an important part of any construction site safety program.

For the last several months I have been working at a former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) responsible for, yet again, another air monitoring program.  The difference is, for the first time, I’m using the Greenlight Environmental Monitoring System for air monitoring – a completely new experience.   

How I Used to do Air Monitoring

Maybe this daily process looks familiar to you? Snow, rain, ice, cold…the daily routine didn’t vary much!

• I collected the air monitoring instruments at the end of the day and downloaded each one individually to get the day’s readings.

• I checked through the day’s data to see if there were any problems (maybe a little late?).

A real leap in monitoring technology meant that I was using a laptop for data collection!  I drove or walked to each field station to download data onto the computer. Sunny days, while pleasant, had their own challenges – have you ever tried to look at a laptop screen while combating the glare of full sun? Needless to say, when it came to technology I was open…but skeptical.

My New Perspective

The differences between the fairly standard monitoring equipment setup (even with the laptop addition) and how the Greenlight System works is like night and day. As I worked, my initial impressions were shaped by Greenlight’s ease of setup and operation as the entire system design has been set up from an EHS professional’s perspective:

• All monitoring devices in the field are turned on and off from a central location.


• No tedious end-of-the-day drive and download because the System continuously feeds and records monitoring data to a server in “real time”.  

From the minute the project starts up each day, the monitoring results are displayed in REAL TIME on my operator screen.  I can see ALL of the readings from the entire site’s monitoring stations at the same time, no matter where they are in the field!  In fact, now I see site conditions as they happen so that I can take action as needed. And, if a field station or monitoring device is non-responsive, I am notified almost immediately rather than discovering that there’s no valid data to download at the end of the day.

The Greenlight System that I’m using includes what I consider to be ever-important – a weather station:  temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Having this information corresponding to particulate or hydrocarbon monitoring -- in real time -- is critical when trying to define potential exposures to hazardous materials and implement appropriate controls. Since weather conditions directly affect air monitoring and have a potential to change quickly (and sometimes without much warning), the data pouring in from the weather station is very useful to have at my fingertips.

The Learning Curve Levels Out

Since I am a new operator of the Greenlight System, it has been a learning process for me. Starting out was a little bit scary! After six years of doing it pretty much one way, it’s a new way of both thinking and reacting. But, the ease of operation and the effectiveness of the System have transformed me…allowing me to provide more effective support to the site construction team. 

• Need the entire site air monitoring and weather condition information? With the data on my computer screen and on the server, if anyone needs a snapshot of site conditions at any moment, I can supply that information.


• Want to know what happened last week? I’ve got it the information all ready to go! It no longer takes hours or days to find the right data and put it into a format that is understandable and explainable.


• Concerned that there is a change in airborne contaminant levels at the site?  I’m on top of that, too! Even when a small change occurs, I am notified immediately, and I can quickly investigate. 

The Data Speaks

My sense is that when the construction team experiences how available the air monitoring data is and that with these data we can be very responsive with control implementation, they are more confident that are working in a safe environment.  The workers seem more content, and project managers are pretty happy knowing that they can continue working safely while staying on time and on budget.

What new innovations do you see in particulate and hydrocarbon monitoring at construction sites? Have you found any other tools that will help you be a more effective site safety manager? What other “tools” would you like that would help you monitor airborne contaminants?

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Topics: General EHS, Construction H&S, Air Monitoring, Occupational Safety, Greenlight, Air Sampling, environmental air monitoring, perimeter air monitoring

Dale Wilson, CIH, LEED AP

We all know what Green Buildings are, right? There are various permutations but generally, to be green, the structure is designed, built, maintained and sustained in an environmentally responsible and resource-efficient manner. The end-all objective is to reduce impact of the “built package and system” on both the environment and mankind by

• Using energy, water, and other resources efficiently


• Protecting occupant health


• Improving employee productivity


• Reducing pollution and waste

As a LEED AP-certified professional who specializes in Indoor Environmental issues with a focus on fire and life safety, I was very interested in recent articles that are creating awareness of some critical health and safety problems inherent to the green building movement that 1) use innovative, locally-produced products, and 2) implement new design, construction, and operation approaches intended to reduce energy usage and be environmentally sound.

Green Building Fire Safety

In Megan Grennille’s recent EHSWire article about the seminal Triangle Fire, it noted that building and fire code rules caught up with the high rise construction only after the tragedy of 146 worker deaths highlighted the challenges of safety and rescue in the case of a fire. The same situation recently occurred in Bakersfield where a green-constructed Target store highlighted some new concerns for health and safety for emergency responders:

“The fire at the Bakersfield Target started, firefighters learned, at the photovoltaic array [solar] on the building's roof. Even after the firefighters disconnected the electrical mains, they discovered that the solar panels were still energized, presenting a safety challenge in addition to the fire.”

This brings to light how the integration of green building practices on a seemingly typical commercial building can present new hazards that must be identified to protect building occupants and emergency responders.  Fire fighters responding to an alarm may cut electrical power from the supply grid, but what is the procedure if there is an active solar array or an integrated wind turbine generating power as a part of the building?  Other “new” electrical and fire hazards facing unprepared emergency responders include the unknown level of fire resistance of recycled/green building materials, how to control fire spread on green vegetative roofs, and how to control smoke in wide, open atrium areas.

“ owners of green buildings might have to be aware that the green designs can present previously unconsidered challenges that arise as a direct result of construction choices. ...Because codes — even a decade after green design concepts hit the mainstream — still largely deal with traditional building designs and materials, facility managers have to know how to address the intersection of green design and current codes.”

The bottom line is that "green concepts should be reviewed as part of a fire-protection and life-safety analysis”, because buildings, green or not, must meet building and fire code standards to protect the health and safety of both the occupants and emergency responders.

Moisture and Mold Management in Green Buildings

Another potential hazard of green buildings is the management of moisture within the building and how selection of a green design and materials may be inappropriate if the location and weather are not considered:  “the design-and-construction community must not assume that if one builds green, then one will be building regionally correct or even lower risk buildings”.

A recent article, Hidden Risks of Green Buildings, was written from an insurance underwriter’s perspective and centered on the management of moisture.  The article mentioned the trend of using carbohydrate-based building products instead of petroleum-based building products.  That is where my eyes widened! Any indoor quality consultant knows the formula:  moisture + food source = perfect habitat for mold growth.  Carbohydrate-based building products are food for mold!

Moisture comes from many sources in a building: bulk water from a rook, window, or facade leak; water pipe break; HVAC condensate overflow; condensation on cold surfaces; or vapor (relative humidity) in the air.  Additional humidity can be added to the air by introducing humid outdoor air that has not been properly dehumidified or from other sources such as showers, locker rooms, steam rooms, gyms, kitchen facilities, human respiration (particularly if more people are occupying the space than the original design).  ( More information on these moisture-related potential problems including the risk of LEED “flush-outs” can be found here.)

Moisture meeting carbohydrate-based building materials over time certainly does look like the potential beginning of The Perfect Storm, because, in reality, carbohydrate-based building materials, even treated with the best biocide, would only be “mold resistant” not “mold proof”.  Given food, water, and time… mold will grow.  So as a professional IEQ consultant who has seen it all when it comes to mold contamination, I sincerely believe the article’s foreshadowing that “ the design community would be advised to prioritize the lessons…already learned from the waterproofing, humidity control, and building forensics community”.  When using potential mold “food” within a building, moisture control is ever more critical to the air quality of the building as well as the building material’s life cycle.

Are you interested in green construction? Have you thought of the potential hazards that can be created when using new technologies, new materials and tightening up the envelope?

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Topics: indoor air quality, health and safety, General EHS, Construction H&S, Emergency Response, worker safety, Air Sampling, Mold, Fire Safety, Exposure, Respiratory, green buildings, Working Green

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Topics: OSHA, health and safety, General Industry H&S, OSHA Compliance, General EHS, Construction H&S, Emergency Response, H&S Training, worker safety, Occupational Health, Occupational Safety, regulation, Fire Safety, shirtwaist, fire, triangle

by Paula Kaufmann

What’s the job of a Respiratory Protection Program (RPP) Administrator? 

This individual is officially listed in the site’s written Respiratory Protection Program and is accountable and responsible for the day-to-day operation of the program. Some of those “day-to-day” tasks include

• Maintaining the site Respiratory Protection Program


• Assessing the workplace for potential respiratory hazards


• Defining worker exposure for these hazards


• Selecting appropriate respirators to provide protection from defined hazards


• Ensuring
  
  
  
  • Medical evaluations are conducted of employees required to wear respirators PRIOR to fit testing
  
  
  • Respirators are fit tested for all required users
  
  
  • Proper use of respirators during routine and emergency operations
  
  
  • Respirators are appropriately cleaned, disinfected, stored, inspected, repaired, discarded, and maintained
  
  
  • Adequate air quality air is supplied if supplied air respirators are used.
  
  
  • Respirator users are trained in respiratory hazards, and the proper use and maintenance of respirators
  
  
  • Periodical evaluation of the Respiratory Protection Program implementation
  
  
  • Workers who voluntarily wear respirators (excluding filtering facepieces) comply with the medical evaluation, and cleaning, storing and maintenance requirements of the standard
  
  
  • All voluntary-use respirator users understand Appendix D of the standard
  
  
  
  

Yes, these incessant and critical health and safety tasks can be quite overwhelming!  What’s the big deal? For the company or job site or administrator who does not understand why a qualified and empowered RPP Administrator is a big deal, here is a triple-play of Top 5 facts that illustrate the importance of qualified training for Respiratory Protection Program Administrators!

Top 5 OSHA Violation!

Did you know that the Respiratory Protection Standard was in the Top 5 most frequently cited standards by OSHA compliance officers last year?  Why be a part of that statistic?  More about 2010’s Top 10 cited violations can be found in a recent EHSwire blog by Emilcott’s Sarah Damaskos.

Top 5 Reasons YOU need to be “Qualified”

1. Workers at your site are required to wear respirators for protection from respiratory hazards – and you selected these respirators.


2. You train respirator users on how to put on and take off their respirator – along with the limitations on their use, and their maintenance.


3. Implementation of the site respiratory protection program (which you wrote) is just another one of your jobs!


4. Airline (atmosphere-supplying) respirators are used at your site – and you make sure that an adequate air supply, quantity, and flow of breathing air is available.


5. You coordinate the medical evaluation of employees who must use respirators.

Top 5 OSHA Compliance Indicators!

If you get a visit from an OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer, they review these essential factors to help determine if the Respiratory Protection Program Administrator is “Qualified”:

1. The written Respiratory Protection Program and interviews with the program administrator reveal an understanding of the familiarity with the respirator standard, site respiratory hazards, and the use of the respirators in the workplace.


2. Respiratory fit testing is conducting annually or at assignment and the program administrator maintains.


3. Hazardous airborne contaminants that employees may inhale have been identified.  Reasonable estimates of employee exposures were used in determining the appropriate respirator for employees to use.


4. Recent changes in the workplace such as new processes have been evaluated for necessary respiratory program changes


5. The program administrator keeps a written assessment of the program operations and implements changes that may be considered as efforts toward improvement.

How to Become a Qualified RPP Administrator

Focused, hands-on training with experienced health and safety instructors can make the difference for a Respiratory Protection Program Administrator – clarifying the waters by understanding the objectives of the law and how it applies to each work site!

As Health and Safety consultants to many types of companies, Emilcott staff are on job sites each day and see health and safety violations such respirators perched on foreheads or tissues jammed in the sides to ensure a bitter fit. Are these problems an employee violation or a company-wide result of not understanding the importance of a competent Administrator who can develop, maintain and enforce a respirator protection program that reduces occupation risk?

In these cases, we conduct urgent and immediate on-site RPP Administrator training that often includes high level managers to ensure that there is a top to bottom understanding of the importance of proper respirator usage. In addition to our private training, the Emilcott Training Institute offers public enrollment Respiratory Protection Program Administrator training courses in two formats:  an intense 3-hour course with a small class size and an in-depth two-day course.  In both classes, students learn the level of information required for their sites and are taught by an experienced H&S instructor that can answer questions. 

So if you are unfamiliar with your required duties as an RPP Administrator or you want a better understanding of how to encourage better respirator usage by your site personnel, look around for an effective RPP Administrator training class. Once complete and in practice, you should dicover aTop 5 list that looks more like this:

1. OSHA respirator inspection passed without any problems, fines or additional action.


2. Site personnel actively wear their respirators – the way that they are supposed to!


3. Site workers reinforce the importance of respirator use to their colleagues (even when you’re not around)!


4. Managers understand the need for respirator use and support related site activities such as testing of hazardous airborne contaminants.


5. Written assessments of program changes are treated as a necessity for business to move forward rather than resented.

You ARE a Qualified Respiratory Protection Program Administrator!

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Topics: Emilcott, OSHA, Personal Protective Equipment, health and safety, General Industry H&S, OSHA Compliance, General EHS, Construction H&S, Emergency Response, H&S Training, Compliance, worker safety, Occupational Health, Occupational Safety, Lab Safety & Electrical, emergency response training, Fire Safety, Exposure, Respiratory, Occupational Training, RPP, respirator protection program, administrator

Carrie Bettinger, CHMM, CSP

As a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) I often make recommendations to our “General Industry” clients in an effort to lift their game with dealing with hazardous waste.  There are multiple layers of compliance issues related to hazardous waste handling, and, as with most regulations, a little education (TRAINING!!) goes a long way in understanding the game plan!  The intention of this blog is to provide a brief discussion of the key regulations and their associated training requirements.

The Rules

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has very strict guidelines regarding the generation, transportation, treatment, storage  and disposal of Hazardous Waste, which “ General Industry” businesses (schools, colleges; hospitals; trucking/freight companies; manufacturer; laboratories; …well, just about everyone) needs to know!

OSHA uses the term "general industry" to refer to all industries not included in agriculture, construction or maritime. General industries are regulated by OSHA's general industry standards, directives, and standard interpretations.

Give me an R! Give me a C ! Give me an R! Give me an A! What’s that spell?!  HAZARDOUS WASTE!

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) appeared on the environmental scene in 1976 after Congress decided that people shouldn’t be building homes on top of highly hazardous waste dumps or Farmer Joe shouldn’t have a side business of burying industrial waste on the family farm.   RCRA is a complex law with lots of parts and many industries are affected by its components.  In addition to being complex, the text of the Act with all of its parts and sections is hard to follow.  My primary technical focus tends to be on the Generators of Hazardous Waste (40 CFR Part 262) . RCRA Training requirements for generators can be found in 40 CFR 262.34(a)(4) which conveniently (NOT) refers you to look at 40 CFR 265.16 on Personnel Training.

But the EPA’s RCRA law is not the only player when it comes to the game of shipping hazardous waste off your site.  The other major player is the Department of Transportation (DOT), and its Hazardous Materials shipping training requirements are found in 49 CFR Part 172, Subpart H.   The International Air  Transport Association (IATA) has rules for the air transport of hazardous materials ( http://www.iata.org/) including training requirements.

To simplify, RCRA is all about Hazardous WASTE and the DOT and IATA rules kick in when you’re dealing with hazardous MATERIALS, and guess what hazardous waste is?  That’s right it’s hazardous materials in DOT and IATA eyes.  For those who generate or ship Hazardous Waste, compliance for with EPA RCRA and DOT /IATA rules starts with required and effective training.

The Required Training

So, if you generate hazardous waste and you need to get it off your site, here is a brief summary of the training employees who either generate or handle hazardous waste should have -- per both EPA and DOT/IATA.

All employees at sites that generate hazardous waste need to be trained in how to:

• Properly identify what qualifies as regulated “Hazardous Waste” per federal (EPA) or your state requirements.


• Know where to properly dispose of any hazardous waste you may generate (I will give you a hint:   It’s NOT down the sink drain!).


• Know how to handle and dispose of highly hazardous waste (very toxic, reactive or explosive) to prevent injuries, and who to contact for questions or emergencies.

Employees who are designated as responsible for the management and control of this hazardous waste need additional training. And, depending on the size of the facility, it is prudent to provide this training to a backup employee or two. This additional training includes how to

• Properly label containers


• Implement accumulation area requirements and time-on-site limits


• Inspect hazardous waste accumulation areas for leaking or damaged containers or other problems


• Complete Hazardous Waste shipping manifests


• Ensure proper shipping methods and a qualified transporter are used


• Develop site-specific procedures


• Know and implement emergency procedures and site contingency plans

Refresher Training

A common point of confusion is when refresher training is needed for employees.  The DOT and EPA have two separate requirements:

• The EPA requires annual refresher training for their regulations.


• The DOT requires refresher training every 3 years for their regulations.

And, companies must ensure training for new employees or those newly assigned to the role within 6 months of their new post to be in compliance with both RCRA and DOT regulations .

The Bottom Line

We can all help to ensure clean air, clean soil and clean water in our neighborhoods by understanding and following federal and state hazardous waste/hazardous materials regulations. When accidents happen (and they do), labeling, manifests, emergency plans – everything that DOT/IATA and RCRA training develops for your company – are vital in the cleanup of the environment and protection of employee and public health and safety.

For more information or questions regarding how to handle hazardous waste or where to obtain training, please comment below or contact Emilcott.  As part of  The Emilcott Training Institute, we offer private hazardous communication, hazardous materials and hazardous waste training specific to company or site needs. We also offer public classes for both DOT/IATA and RCRA:

• 4-hour Introduction to RCRA Compliance (40 CFR 260-273)


• 4-hour Introduction to DOT/IATA Compliance (49 CFR 172.704 & DGR 1.5.0)

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Topics: Emilcott, OSHA, DOT, General EHS, EPA, Emergency Response, H&S Training, Hazardous Waste Management, Hazardous Materials, Compliance, Lab Safety & Electrical, regulation, General Industry, emergency response training, Occupational Training, IATA, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Lab Safety, hazwaste, transportation, hazmat, generation, RCRA

Martha Hernandez

When it comes to training, OSHA takes it seriously. With good reason:  training keeps workers safe and reduces incidents.  Many OSHA standards specifically require the employer to train employees in the safety and health aspects of their jobs. Other OSHA standards require the employer to make sure that only certified, competent, or qualified workers are assigned specific tasks--meaning that they have had special previous training.  OSHA compliance officers look to see that employers have provided appropriate training to their employees.  

In an effort to improve the consistency of the quality and content of health and safety training, OSHA has developed a series of “Outreach” training programs.  OSHA Outreach training focuses on segments of labor in the business sectors of General Industry and Construction and Maritime Industries. The courses are either 10 or 30 hours in duration with strict agenda guidelines containing focused and topical material, and must be taught by instructors that have extensive training and are approved to deliver the instruction.  The instructors or “Authorized Providers” must attend OSHA train-the-trainer courses, adhere to rigorous standards, and are subject to unannounced audits by OSHA at any time.  Over 3.2 million workers have participated in this type of training over the last 5 years!

In today’s blog we will look at the General Industry Outreach Training.

What is General Industry Outreach Training?

“General Industry” is defined by OSHA as any industry not directly involved with agriculture, construction, and maritime industries.  The standards applicable to General Industry are contained in Section 29 of the Code of Regulations, Part 1910.  As a result of the broad “General Industry” definition, one of the most popular OSHA Outreach courses is the 10-hr General Industry Training  which teaches safety and health hazard recognition and prevention.   OSHA Outreach training focuses on segments of labor in the business sectors of General Industry and Construction and Maritime Industries.

Who Should Attend a 10-hour General Industry Training Course?

The OSHA 10-hour General Industry course is designed for plant superintendents and engineers, floor foremen, safety professionals, project managers, and any other personnel responsible for workplace safety. Indeed, many organizations include all their plant personnel in this training because EVERYONE is responsible for safety. This course is an excellent introduction to health and safety programs for new employees or when it is time to create a paradigm shift in attitudes about safety at a facility.  The General Industry course can help line management get “safety religion”!  In fact, OSHA recognizes the completion card as an indication of the importance of safety and health at an organization.  Workers’ Compensation insurance providers often will reduce rates for companies that provide this training to their staff.

Emilcott’s OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Course

Based on the firm guidelines provided by OSHA, Emilcott’s 10-hour General Industry course provides important information about how OSHA is involved in the general industry community and how employees can recognize and control common workplace hazards. The training focuses on recognizing and controlling hazards found in the industrial workplace. It assumes no prior training nor requires prerequisite training. Much of our 10-hr General Industry course is interactive and hands-on.  More importantly, our courses are taught by instructors with real-world experience. Credentials and certifications provide a way to verify competency in particular fields but real-world experience should not be discounted. It’s one thing to talk about electrical hazards, it’s quite another to actually work around them. This experience allows our trainers to put the material in perspective and helps students make the connection between theory and practice.

Quality Training Makes a Difference

We have found that the OSHA Outreach Courses for both Construction and General Industry help site management really “get it” when it comes to site safety!  This training has given new life to existing safety programs and initiatives at our client sites.  Have you seen safety training make a difference is program compliance at your sites?

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Topics: Emilcott, OSHA, health and safety, General Industry H&S, OSHA Compliance, General EHS, H&S Training, Compliance, worker safety, Occupational Health, Occupational Safety, General Industry, Occupational Training

by Paula Kaufmann

I have attended some incredibly mind-numbing courses over my lifetime.  The worst course ever was in high school American History when we were “taught” about the FDR Years (1933-45) from an endless series of film strips with audio from a synchronized record. Recently, I attended a full-day, on-demand technical class that immediately transported back to that American History lesson. Needless to say, this comparison does not reflect well for this recent course.

I find I don’t take away much from a course that does not engage me. This could be because the topic is inherently dull, the material is presented in a monotonous or non-engaging manner, or I simply can’t connect with the material or the instructor.  I’ve often joked that I am easily entertained (after all, I am a chemist by training!), but dull, monotonous and distant often leave me with zero recall of the main points, and the details, well, those never seem to penetrate my numb mind!

On-line or Classroom HazWOPER?

In a previous EHSWire blog, Vijay Chintamaneni noted, “ When evaluating the courses based on their published description, Online Training and Instructor Led Training (ILT) may look the same, so it is wise to understand the benefits and drawbacks of both before making a final decision. This is especially important for occupational health and safety training.”

So, when I am asked for my thoughts on whether to attend an on-line or instructor-led HazWOPER training class, my immediate response is clear!  It is CRITICAL to actually learn what is taught in these classes not just fulfill the OSHA requirement.  Why? These workers will be working on a HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE, and the knowledge learned in a HazWOPER class allows them to appropriately protect themselves. Students in a HazWOPER class must be engaged in this particular occupational learning as the material is inherently dry and dull.  The best way to imprint essential HazWOPER components such as risk assessment, hazard information, team emergency response and the practical learning, is from discussion, hands-on and group exercises.  

Training experts insist that hands-on training is the best way to learn!

Consider these situations the next time you consider online training to meet your HazWOPER requirements:

• Would you SCUBA dive in the Florida Keys after completely an on-line SCUBA diving lesson (without ever handling the equipment on land or even in a pool)?


• When you call 911 – would you trust an emergency responder that recently received CPR training on-line  without any practice or instructor guidance?


• Would you lend your car to a friend who just learned to drive by completing an on-line driving class?


• If folks need to be trained to work as a team with a command/response structure – how successful can team training be when individuals are trained in isolation?


• How many other things do you do while you are “attending” an online course?


• Do you really want the guy next to you at the hazardous site to be responsible for your health after taking critical health and safety training…online?

Why the Emilcott Training Institute? Because you will LEARN and be prepared!!

Emilcott offers quality HazWOPER health and safety training that prepares workers for the real world by keeping them engaged and interested in the materials! Our HazWOPER instruction combines classroom knowledge with interactive, hands-on activities, respirator fit-testing, individual and group activities, and a simulated, outdoor hazardous waste operation complete with “what if” scenarios and instructor guidance.

• The Emilcott 40-hour HazWOPER mock drill is chock full of “what if” scenarios such as unidentified hazards, nosy neighbors, health and safety incidents, decontamination exercises, use of instruments, and more.


• We film our mock drill and then evaluate the results in class.


• We have taught thousands of HazWOPER training classes – many of them for the US Armed Forces in the states and Europe.


• Our 8-hour Site Supervisor course concentrates on group exercises and managerial experience to reinforce essential skills needed to ensure the health and safety of the crew while getting project work completed without incident.


• We interview our students to ensure that the materials presented are as applicable to their job function as possible.


• Our annual 8-hour Refresher is revised each year to ensure well-rounded exposure for our repeat students.


• We train students, but we do not pass students who don’t qualify!

What is the importance of a good instructor?

Emilcott HazWOPER instructors are field-experienced health and safety professionals who have seen it all!  In fact many of our instructors have been working on hazardous waste sites and training for over 25 years. Emilcott instructors consist of

• EHS Specialists


• Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH)


• Certified Safety Professionals (CSP)


• Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (CHMM)

As HazWOPER instructors, their job is to review the OSHA-required materials in such a way that students can remember the materials and apply them to their job.  Through a variety of media, discussions and exercises Emilcott ensures that our 24-hour, 40-hour or 8-hour HazWOPER class is as practical and hands-on as possible!

Understand Yourself and the Impact of Effective Training

As a CIH consultant with a family and other obligations, it is always a challenge for me to squeeze in occupational training. After all, time spent learning does compete with project work, and there are only so many hours in the week!  With such a tight schedule, sitting in on a webinar or other type of on-demand learning is easier to squeeze into my schedule. Conversely, I also know that attending a course in a classroom with a qualified instructor is a far better option for learning and applying critical health and safety information that I will need on the job. As a result, whenever I have the option between online or instructor-led, especially for a dreaded or boring topic, the best option is to block out the time for classroom learning; my distractions are reduced, my attendance and alertness is required and, now that I’ve set aside the time, my focus is on learning the most and maximize the opportunity. 

Have you ever taken an online, technical course? What were some of the distracting activities you did while “learning”? My personal favorites are cleaning up my email or wallet! Have you ever taken a technical course for multiple days and walked out of it remembering almost next to nothing and thinking, “Oh, that was a waste!” Has that experience affected your training selection process?

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Topics: Emilcott, OSHA, health and safety, General Industry H&S, OSHA Compliance, General EHS, Construction H&S, H&S Training, Hazardous Waste Management, Compliance, Occupational Health, Occupational Safety, class, Occupational Training, HazWOPER, training

Genya Mallach - CSP

As part of a standard, pre-work permit inspection by the local township, it was discovered the exterior of a church (and local pre-school) had been painted with lead-based paint!  Unfortunately, the estimates to remove and repaint the church were far beyond the church’s budget. At the acrimonious and finger-pointing church review meeting, a voice suddenly called out, “I’ll take care of it for half the cost of the lowest estimate!” Salvation!

However, when the contractor began the job, he learned that the cost of removal and repainting would be much more than he expected. In a panic, he did not remove the old paint and, to save materials cost, he diluted the new paint by 50% with water!

After the job was completed, a joyous church service was held to honor the contractor. In the midst of the service, a thunderstorm broke out and the congregants began to notice that the paint was literally washing off the building. The bewildered minister raised his arms and called out, “Oh, Lord, what are we to do?"  In reply, a booming voice from above called out, “Re-paint! Re-paint!”

I suppose the EPA heard this story as well because, on April 22, 2008, the EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices when engaging in renovation and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978. Under the rule, beginning April 22, 2010, contractors must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Individuals can become certified renovators by taking an eight-hour training course from an EPA-approved training provider.

This rule applies to all renovations performed for compensation in “target housing” (housing constructed prior to 1978, except housing for the elderly or persons with disabilities --unless a child of less than 6 years of age resides or is expected to reside) and child-occupied facilities, except for the following:

1. Renovations in target housing or child-occupied facilities in which a written determination has been made by an inspector or risk assessor that the components affected by the renovation are free of paint or other surface coatings that contain lead equal to or in excess of 1.0 milligrams/per square centimeter (mg/cm2) or 0.5% by weight, where the firm performing the renovation has obtained a copy of the determination.


2. Renovations in target housing or child-occupied facilities in which a certified renovator, using an EPA recognized test kit and following the kit manufacturer's instructions, has tested each component affected by the renovation and determined that the components are free of paint or other surface coatings that contain lead equal to or in excess of 1.0 mg/cm2 or 0.5% by weight.

Lead poisonings in an office or domestic setting are mostly caused by exposure to lead dust. Here are a few facts:

• Lead dust settles quickly on floors, window sills and other surfaces.


• Paint repair can generate lots of lead dust.


• Broom sweep won't clean up lead dust.


• Lead-contaminated dust is invisible to the naked eye.


• Initially, lead poisoning can be hard to detect — even people who seem healthy can have high blood levels of lead. Signs and symptoms usually don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated.


• Lead usually targets the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells (hemoglobin) first. In time, it attacks the nervous system.

BEFORE conducting any renovations on older buildings, it's important to understand the hazards that may be discovered as construction continues. Determining if the interior or exterior paint contains lead, if any materials of construction contain asbestos, and if water intrusion has occurred anywhere in the building during its lifetime (wet building materials are a food source for mold) is the first step toward creating a healthier building.

Emilcott regularly assists clients who face building environment investigations such as indoor environmental quality, asbestos and lead management, microbial contamination and vapor intrusion. Our EHS staff work with building managers to quickly learn how their buildings operate, diagnose conditions, complete inspections of building systems, interview occupants, and advise on the best course of action to ensure that the building is a safe place to live, work or play.

Interested in reading more on keeping buildings healthy? Other EHSWire blog posts about building environments include:

• Water Damage – How to Minimize Mold and Costs 


• 10 Items You Need To Know About Water and Mold Damage In A Commercial Building


• The EPA’s New Year’s Resolutions: Replace PCB-Containing Light Fixtures in Schools and Radon Testing in January


• Vapor Intrusion Air Sampling…Getting the Big Picture

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Topics: Emilcott, health and safety, General EHS, Construction H&S, EPA, H&S Training, Compliance, worker safety, Air Sampling, Mold, asbestos, Exposure, environmental air monitoring, Respiratory, lead, lead-based paint