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General Industrial Hygiene
Validating Cleaning Efficacy for Removal of SARS-CoV-2: FACS Update #4
The number of COVID-19 cases in America continues to rise. So have questions regarding keeping families, co-workers and the general public safe. Public health organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide recommendations for cleaning and disinfection related to the virus responsible for COVID-19 infections, SARS-CoV-2. But there is a lack of information regarding how to validate that cleaning and disinfection efforts were effective. Stakeholders want proof the work done made the environment safe. Investigators and restoration contractors alike wrestle with the options and opinions but there is a lack of consensus…
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General Industrial Hygiene
Planning to Reopen an Unoccupied Building – Considerations for Your COVID-19 Safety Plan: FACS Update #3
Shelter-in-place orders, social distancing, working from home, and other epidemic response guidelines implemented on the Federal and State levels can result in secondary issues in commercial buildings such as offices, restaurants, and businesses that may have been vacant or minimally occupied for extended periods of time (i.e., more than a few days). Need for additional building space to provide temporary housing or medical care is also a concern during significant public health emergencies.
As these orders are gradually lifted, businesses come back online, and workers begin to return to work, or when occupying previously vacated buildings for surge capacity support…
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General Industrial Hygiene
Key Considerations for Your COVID-19 Safety Plan: FACS Update #2
The COVID-19 pandemic is in full swing, and even with the current emergency public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus, it is expected to be of concern for an extended period of time. Organizations must prepare for the near-term impacts, but also for a “new normal” of how to include protecting their people and stakeholders while continuing to conduct business with this threat.
The environmental health and medical experts at FACS and Cogency have been continuously reviewing the latest data and providing guidance to clients as they develop infection prevention plans to address immediate challenges and to…
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General Industrial Hygiene
COVID-19 Response: FACS Update
We are providing this communication to inform FACS clients of what we are doing as a company to address the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. It is our plan to provide updates as needed, and at least weekly, during this event.
COVID-19 FACS Expert Team
We have formed a FACS expert team to provide leadership on this issue. They are continuously reviewing the latest data and guideline revisions on this issue to keep our team and clients up to speed with the best science and right perspective on addressing the pandemic.
Sources of Guidance & Information…
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Healthcare
Reducing Risks in Healthcare Occupations
When you visit someone in the hospital, you may take extra care to wash your hands when entering and leaving the building. You are probably also more aware of the surfaces you touch while inside, and you may even be concerned about the cleanliness of your shoes when you get home. Those are normal precautions that occur to most people who have cause to enter a healthcare facility.
If visitors are rightfully concerned about health risks in hospitals and clinics, though, consider the predicament faced by medical personnel: They show up for work and attend dutifully to their jobs in…
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Hazardous Building Materials
PCB Screening Surprises: Don’t Get Caught Unaware
Are you concerned about the new PCB screening requirement affecting building demolitions in the San Francisco Bay area? If you’re a commercial building owner or building construction contractor, you should be — even if you don’t operate in California.
In an effort to reduce the amount of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) pollutants entering San Francisco Bay, the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) studied the issue and developed runoff curtailment guidelines for their members.
Anyone wishing to demolish a building in much of the San Francisco Bay Area must now determine whether a structure covered under the new rule is…
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Mold & Moisture
Mold Control Added to Colorado Residential Rules
Colorado law now includes mold and dampness control as a warrant of habitability requirement. That change is part of the Colorado Residential Tenants Health and Safety Act (HB 19-170). The new rule also shortens the time landlords are given to respond to tenant complaints related to the livability of residential properties.
The move immediately drew two major concerns from property managers and owners:
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- How do the new warrant of habitability regulations affect the management of my Colorado residential rental properties?
- Do the new warrant of habitability regulations signal issues I should be concerned about for residential rental properties outside of
Construction/General Contractor, Hazardous Building Materials
California Lead in Construction Rules Are Changing Soon
These Changes Will Affect Every General Contractor, Trade Contractor, Maintenance Team, and Custodial Crew in California
Cal/OSHA has been working for over eight years to revise its Lead in Construction (8 CCR 1532.1) and Lead in General Industry standards (8 CCR 5198).
The current laws were essentially copied from federal regulations and have been in place since 1979. With the signing of California SB 83 and California AB 35 by Governor Newsome, significant new requirements for worker protection and training are set to be issued in September of 2020. If the changes to Cal/OSHA are adopted …
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Hazardous Building Materials
New EPA Lead Hazard Standards Will Soon Apply
Owners and managers of child-occupied buildings constructed prior to 1978 will soon face more stringent lead hazard reduction requirements from the EPA. The move is meant to help lower the risk of childhood lead exposure and curb the various physical disorders lead can cause.
In this article, we’ll provide an FAQ overview of the final rule and cover the steps FACS environmental scientists recommend facilities managers to take in preparation. The reduction of childhood lead exposure is an EPA priority. Managers of HUD facilities and other child-occupied structures should begin planning now to make sure they are in compliance with…
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Wildfire
California Protection from Wildfire Smoke: An Overview
Are you prepared for a wildfire smoke emergency?
If you’re a California employer, monitoring air quality and taking action to protect the health of your employees against high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during wildfires is no longer an option. You’re now required by law to take certain actions, unless you qualify for an exemption (see below).
If you’re not a California employer, this information is still pertinent and valuable. The time invested in preparation now can save you huge headaches in the future.
Here’s the news:
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board used an emergency action…
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Wildfire
Wildfire Planning for Business: Prepare, Respond, Recover
Despite regular tips and pleas from the United States Forest Service and other agencies, wildfires still happen and wildfire planning is still needed.
Whether ignited by a careless camper or a lightning storm, it’s 100 percent certain that forests are going to burn, highways are going to be closed, and people are going to suffer the effects of the smoke, heat, and flames wildfires produce.
It happens, without fail, every year.
It’s impossible to predict where the next wildfire will start or which cities will be affected. We don’t know how many acres will burn or how many homes and…
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Construction/General Contractor
The Hidden Factor That Can Sink a Construction Project
Put yourself in this situation:
Excavation is underway at the construction site when a recently-hired laborer complains of an “odd smell” in the air. Nobody else on the crew senses anything unusual, so work continues.
The next day, the employee calls in sick with a severe headache. He says he’s afraid it’s related to whatever he was breathing on the job site, and he’s going to see a doctor “to get it checked out.”
The following morning, safety inspectors from OSHA and the EPA show up to investigate. They want to see the Health and Safety Plan. They want to…
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