Archive for category: Construction & Remediation

Does Your Project Need a HAZWOPER Supervisor?

When mitigating toxic or hazardous waste, a HAZWOPER supervisor provides the guidance and instruction necessary to maintain compliance with federal regulations for hazardous waste operations and emergency response protocols.

The Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) guidelines are maintained by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to regulate the safe handling of hazardous waste operations and emergency services.

The guidelines apply to employees who are exposed to hazardous substances or who are involved in the clean-up, treatment, storage, and/or disposal of hazardous waste as specified by 1910.120(a)(1)(i-v) and 1926.65(a)(1)(i-v).

Employees responsible for emergency operations handling hazardous or toxic substances must be fully trained on HAZWOPER guidelines.

HAZWOPER Training and Protocol

The need for a HAZWOPER supervisor typically follows a Phase I Environmental Assessment that indicates possible contamination and a Phase II Assessment that confirms the existence of hazardous waste or is necessary during emergency response to unexpected release of hazardous substances due to chemical leaks from storage containers, pipeline breaks, transportation accidents, etc.

Contaminants can include high concentrations of toxic substances, conditions that pose a fire or explosion hazard, Imminent Danger to Life and Health (IDLH) environments, and more. Employees covered by the HAZWOPER standard are required to complete training that includes both a 24 and 40-hour course, along with yearly 8-hour refresher courses.

A HAZWOPER supervisory partner will bring the certifications and expertise necessary to uphold and oversee safety and compliance throughout the operation. Assist with minimizing worker injury or illness due to potential exposure to hazardous substances, establish personal protective equipment requirements, detection and monitor for chemical hazards.

A Trusted and Experienced HAZWOPER Supervisor

At Omega Environmental, we have decades of experience in hazardous materials assessment and remediation and a certified team for serving as site safety officers and HAZWOPER supervisors to monitor construction, demolition, or remediation worksites where known hazardous materials exist.

In the role of HAZWOPER supervisor, our team member will monitor worksite safety, ensuring that exposure levels are within safe and regulated limits. For remediation work, Omega can provide both consulting services for remediation of toxic substances, as well as a HAZWOPER supervisor.

Our services include:

• Toxicology
• Industrial hygiene
• Asbestos and lead removal
• Mold and moisture management
• Health and safety
• Program management

Phases of Safety and Compliance

Omega can assist throughout multiple phases of environmental assessment and remediation under HAZWOPER guidelines, including the identification and mitigation of environmental toxins and control of exposure to potentially hazardous materials.

Recently, an Omega’s client discovered soil contaminated with arsenic and lead while installing a solar array on their property. Omega provided a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) to evaluate the risk and oversee the remediation project in accordance with HAZWOPER guidelines. The work involved removing water and stain-impacted wall systems, sampling areas for asbestos and lead-based paints, and eliminating the contaminated materials.

Throughout the project, Omega’s experts ensured employee safety and adherence to OSHA’s regulations, overseeing the process of hazardous material removal and monitoring exposure levels for safety and compliance.

Over 30 Years of Experience in Environmental Hazards

As a full-service environmental management and hazardous materials consulting firm, Omega has deep expertise in evaluating and providing guidance on the health and safety of projects, helping to mitigate exposure to hazardous materials and maintain your organization’s regulatory compliance.

Our team includes toxicologists, hygienists, and scientists with over 30 years of experience in both private and public sectors, and a proven record of success in providing assessment, remediation and abatement, demolition, and construction services.

Contact us to learn more about our HAZWOPER supervisory services.

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California COVID-19 Prevention Requirements Pose Challenges for Construction Industry

A California law that enhances the enforcement of COVID-19 infection prevention requirements could present challenges for the construction industry.

California’s Assembly Bill 685, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2020, requires employers to notify workers of potential exposures to COVID-19 and provides regulators with enhanced authority to impose penalties for violations for the next two years.

While this law applies to all businesses, it creates particular challenges for the construction industry where subcontractors can change from day to day.

Under the new requirements, employers must notify all employees and subcontractors at a worksite of potential exposure, COVID-19-related benefits and protections, and disinfection and safety measures that will be implemented at the worksite in response to the potential exposure, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations. In addition, the new rule enhances Cal/OSHA’s enforcement of COVID-19 infection prevention requirements by allowing citations for serious violations to be issued quickly.

The law also requires employers to notify local public health agencies of all workplace outbreaks, defined as three or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 among employees who live in different households. On a construction site, where several trades or contractors may be present on a given day, construction managers should make a good-faith effort to notify all individuals who may have been on site at the same time as the infectious individual.

The law states that from Jan. 1, 2021 to Jan. 1, 2023:

• Cal/OSHA can shut down a worksite that exposes employees to an imminent hazard related to COVID-19.
• Cal/OSHA can issue citations for serious COVID-19 violations, without having to provide 15 days’ notice.

Expert Help to Navigate COVID-19 Requirements

An experienced partner can help you navigate the challenges of these new requirements so you can focus on your core business.

Omega Environmental Services has 25 years of experience in environmental management, microbial decontamination, and mitigation of environmental risks. The Omega team includes scientists, infectious disease experts, public health professionals, toxicologists, industrial hygienists, and industry veterans who specialize in mitigating risk, including infectious diseases.

We stay up to date with the evolving disinfection guidance and recommendations provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and can provide a detailed site and industry-specific set of business continuity guidelines for minimizing the health and safety risks in your workplace.

We can help with reopening guidelines and operations and maintenance protocols for COVID-19, including:

• COVID-19 exposure assessment
• Record keeping and risk communication
• Employee and worker protection
• Enhanced cleaning and disinfection
• Testing of HVAC and water systems
• Occupant density control
• Personal protective equipment
• Training
• Risk management
• Project management or consultation

State-of-the-Art Methods for Combating Infectious Diseases

Our staff has expertise in the successful control of threats from many disease outbreaks including SARS, Ebola, Legionella and Norovirus.

Omega uses a rapid, in-field, quantitative testing method to determine the presence of microbes on high-touch surfaces both before and after cleaning to ensure adequate reduction in surface contaminants. Other test methods are available to validate disinfection efficacy.

In addition to utilizing vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP), an EPA-approved viral disinfectant, we can provide high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuuming and ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection.

Contact Omega today to find out more about how our services can help you navigate through COVID-19 requirements with ease.

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How a Century-Old Los Angeles College Saved Almost $1 Million on Environmental Remediation

The wear and tear of more than century had left Occidental College’s Swan Hall in need of a makeover.

In addition to 100 years’ worth of earthquake damage, the building on the campus of the private liberal arts college in Los Angeles had asbestos and lead that had to be removed.

Built in 1914 and deemed one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country by Newsweek, Occidental’s 120 acres features buildings in the Spanish colonial style surrounded by 100-year-old-oak and eucalyptus trees. Swan Hall, a boys dormitory turned into an office building, was designed by noted California architect Myron Hunt.

When renovation bids went out for the project, a project manager noted that Omega’s proposal had better staging and completion times. As a bonus, Omega provided an estimate that was $900,000 less than the other proposals.

For the complete account of how Omega Environmental took on the job and left the college asbestos and lead free and “ecstatic” over the results, click here to access the Swan Hall Case Study.

Omega’s work with Occidental College continues today with ongoing projects that include Johnson Hall and student dormitories.

Partner with the Right Firm for Worry-Free Asbestos Resolution

Omega Environmental is a full-service environmental management and hazardous materials consulting firm with 25 years of project experience and deep expertise in environmental assessment and remediation in preparation for demolition, renovation or construction. We provide assessment and mitigation for a wide variety of hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead, PCBs, mold and moisture and chemical contaminants.

Based in California, Omega has a deep field of expertise that includes nationally known experts in a wide variety of disciplines, including environmental project management, hazardous waste investigations, industrial hygiene, health and safety training, microbial decontamination, indoor air quality, asbestos management and abatement and wildfire mitigation, among others. We work with project managers, architects, engineers and lenders across the country to ensure that their projects move forward safely, cost-effectively and in compliance with regulatory requirements.

To learn more about how we can help you ensure the success of your construction, renovation or demolition project, give us a call or click on the link below.

Read the entire case study and download the (PDF)

Four Key Changes to the OSHA Beryllium Standard

With both long and short-term exposure limits reduced under new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, practice controls and plans for those who work with beryllium-containing products may need updating in order to ensure worker safety and OSHA compliance.

A lightweight but extremely strong metal, beryllium and its related compounds are often found in construction materials as insulation for electric wiring and in products made of ceramic or copper. As an insulation material, beryllium has come to replace polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as the material of choice because it is deemed less harmful to human health and the environment, but it is still highly toxic.

When inhaled, beryllium can cause lung damage and lead to diseases such as pneumonia, lung cancer and chronic beryllium disease (CBD). CBD is a life-threatening pulmonary disease that workers can develop following exposure to beryllium at levels below permissible exposure limits. Workers can also be at risk from skin exposure to airborne beryllium or materials that contain beryllium.

New OSHA Beryllium Standard Designed to Save Lives

In December 2018, OSHA began enforcing its stricter standards for beryllium exposure in industrial settings, including construction. The new standards, which reduce both long-term and short-term exposure limits, are expected to prevent as many as 90 deaths from beryllium-related diseases, including lung cancer, and prevent 46 new cases of chronic beryllium disease (CBD) each year.

So what do property managers and other construction stakeholders need to know about OSHA’s new beryllium standard? Here are four key takeaways.

1. Long-Term Exposure Limits Have Decreased

OSHA’s new rule “reduces the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for beryllium to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air, averaged over 8-hours.” Employers must use engineering and work practice controls to prevent beryllium from becoming airborne where workers can breathe it in.”

2. Short-term Exposure Limits Have Also Decreased

The rule also “establishes a new short term exposure limit for beryllium of 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air, over a 15-minute sampling period.” Even in workplaces where beryllium exposure is minimal and where workers are exposed in small increments, changes in scheduling and other work practice controls may be necessary to meet OSHA’s new standard.

3. Employers May Have to Update or Adopt New Work Practice Controls & Plans

The rule requires employers to utilize engineering controls and best workplace practices to prevent worker exposure to beryllium. These measures include ventilation or enclosure of work spaces, the provision of personal protective equipment such as respirators, the development of a written exposure control plan, and training on the hazards of working with beryllium.

4. Employers May Have to Adopt a New Employee Medical Benefits Policy

The rule requires employers to provide routine medical examinations and proper healthcare surveillance to beryllium-exposed workers, and to provide medical removal protection healthcare benefits for those diagnosed with a disease related to beryllium exposure.

Not Sure How to Address OSHA’s New Beryllium Standard?

Omega Environmental Services can help you expedite the development of new work practice controls, including worker scheduling, to reduce exposure in projects where workers may come into contact with beryllium. We can also help you address other regulatory concerns and ensure you are in compliance.  Contact us to get started today.

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Los Angeles Hotel Rich in History Tackles Remediation with Omega’s Help

The remodeling of L.A.’s Hotel Figueroa, a deteriorating 1920’s era landmark in the city’s newly thriving downtown, revived a rich backstory of 1920s-era women, newly enfranchised and making their way in the world.

Built in 1926 by the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), and managed by a “first of her kind” female general manager whose portrait now hangs in the check-in area, the hotel was originally a Spanish Colonial-style inn dedicated to providing a safe space for female travelers and professionals. According to the Los Angeles Times, the hotel was, at the time, “the largest project of its kind in the United States to be financed, owned, and operated by women” – a substantial feat considering women had won the right to vote only six years prior. According to the hotel’s website, the hotel was women-only for its first two years.

But the restoration of this iconic structure required dealing with the less celebratory historical legacy of 1920s-era construction, which made liberal use of materials now known to be hazardous.

Reviving a Vivid Historical Era – Minus the Asbestos and Lead

Known for its incredible versatility and heat resistance, asbestos was favored in the 19th and early 20th centuries for everything from insulation to pipelines and other building materials. Lead, also a common household and commercial material, was used for things like paint and gasoline.

A year after Hotel Figueroa was erected, the first official workers’ compensation claim for asbestos-related disease in the U.S. was filed, according to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. At the same time, many developed countries such as Australia and Sweden passed lead paint prevention acts, but the United States was not among them. It wasn’t until the early 1970s that national asbestos and lead regulations were enacted.

In 2014, Hotel Figueroa’s new owners undertook a multi-million-dollar renovation. The new owners envisioned a luxury hotel with some of the original 1920s flair. Their initial plan was to remodel certain parts of the hotel, but after Omega conducted a hazardous materials assessment of the property, it was determined that major components and areas of the building required remediation. This entailed a full demolition of the interior – a project that took nearly two years to complete.

Because the hotel is a protected historical landmark, significant portions of the hotel’s original structure had to remain intact. This added to the challenge of remodeling a building that already had unreliable elevators and other safety concerns.

To facilitate the asbestos and lead remediation process, an exterior elevator was installed to move securely between the 14 floors. Some of the ductwork in the building had to be removed to work around the mechanical system, and gaping holes in the floors had to be covered to ensure worker safety. Omega engineered solutions that allowed remediation to proceed safely and effectively.

Assessing, Remediating and Remodeling in Partnership

Property managers and general contractors understand that environmental assessment and remediation are necessary steps in the remodeling process, both to safeguard the environment and the health of the occupants as well as to ensure regulatory compliance. Omega Environmental is a trusted partner in this effort, as much for our broad experience with landmark renovation projects as for our deep expertise in environmental assessment and remediation. We have decades of experience and Ph.D. level expertise in managing the process of lead and asbestos remediation – along with remediation for other hazardous materials – safely, efficiently and cost effectively.

Contact us to earn more about best practices for environmental remediation in historical renovation.

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