Every day, Clark Seif Clark professionals are deployed across the nation helping both large and small customers resolve health & safety, industrial hygiene, environmental and indoor air quality issues.
At a moment's notice, Clark Seif Clark can send their experts anywhere they are needed. No matter if it's in response to a hurricane, wildfire, flood, tornado or other natural disaster, Clark Seif Clark is ready to help and can respond in no time at all.
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Indoor Air Quality Testing and Consulting Services Support the Efforts of Clean Air Month
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Back in May of 1972, the American Lung Association (ALA) sponsored Clean Air Week for the first time to educate the public about the connection between clean air and respiratory health. In 1994, Clean Air Week was expanded to become Clean Air Month which is still recognized in May.
Clean air is important for all humans since breathing polluted air, whether from an outdoor or indoor environment, can have a number of negative health effects. Worldwide, the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently stated, "Air pollution, which kills more than 6 million people every year, is the biggest environmental health risk of our time." The UNEP goes on to report, "Airborne pollutants are responsible for about one third of deaths from stroke, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer, as well as one quarter of deaths from heart attack."
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Clean Air Month is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of air quality in our lives, whether at home, school or at work," said
Derrick A. Denis, Vice President of Indoor Environmental Quality for Clark Seif Clark (CSC). "While it can be a challenge for individuals to control what they are exposed to in the air outdoors, people have significantly more control of their indoor air quality (IAQ). Considering many of us spend up to 90% of our time indoors, the air we breathe in homes and buildings has a major impact on our well-being."
To help in these efforts, the air quality and building science professionals at Clark Seif Clark offer testing and consulting services for a wide range of airborne pollutants and air quality issues. The list of IAQ culprits their experts are regularly called upon to investigate is extensive. CSC offers everything from mystery odor and mold investigations to services to identify and mitigate exposure risks to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, asbestos, lead and
Legionella. CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about Clean Air Month and indoor air quality to help spread awareness. The video can be seen below:
To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, building science, industrial hygiene, environmental, health and safety services,
please visit
www.csceng.com
, email
[email protected]
or call (800) 807-1118.
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Company Cited for Failure to Protect Workers from Valley Fever Exposure Risks
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In late March of this year, California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA, issued serious health and safety citations to a construction company after two of its employees contracted Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis). Both employees were hospitalized after being diagnosed with the infection.
According to Cal/OSHA, the workers were exposed to the fungus that causes the disease while using hand tools to dig trenches in Kings, Fresno and Merced counties. It also stated that the company "...did not evaluate the hazard of performing digging work in areas known to contain the Coccidioides fungal spores. The employer did not suppress or control harmful dusts and failed to provide employees with respiratory protection. Cal/OSHA issued three citations to the employer with $27,000 in proposed penalties."
Coccidioides
live in the soil in the southwestern United States and was recently found in south-central Washington. While most workers do not get sick from worksite exposures, some may after breathing in the microscopic fungal spores from the air.
"Digging or disturbing soil in areas known to have this type of fungus increases the risk of workers becoming infected," said Franco Seif, President of Clark Seif Clark. "The State of California Department of Industrial Relations reports that these fungal spores are more likely to be present in the soils of the Central Valley, but they may also be present in other areas of California. Employers have a legal responsibility to control worker exposure to this and other harmful materials. Applicable regulations found in the California Code of Regulations, Title 8, include Sections 342 (Reporting Work-Connected Fatalities and Serious Injuries), 3203 (Injury and Illness Prevention), 5141 (Control of Harmful Exposures), 5144 (Respiratory Protection) and 14300 (Employer Records-Log 300)."
In California and throughout the Southwest, Clark Seif Clark's industrial hygiene and environmental professionals provide worksite assessments to
identify microbial and chemical exposure risks. They also offer personal protective equipment (PPE) training. These services help to keep companies in regulatory compliance and protect workers from these types of hazards.
To learn more about this or other occupational, air quality, environmental, health and safety testing services,
please visit
www.csceng.com
, email
[email protected]
or call (800) 807-1118.
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About Clark Seif Clark: CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both the public and private sectors address environmental issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering making them the preferred environmental consultants to healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.
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