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.
|
Emergency Regulation to Protect Workers in California from Wildfire Smoke Exposure Risks is in Effect
|
The frequency and severity of wildfires across California have increased in recent years. Tragically, a number of residents have been impacted, losing homes and businesses to these natural and manmade disasters. Many others have had to deal with exposure to wildfire smoke, ash and residues that can travel a tremendous distances from the actual fire.
Earlier this year, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued a proposed emergency regulation. Protection from Wildfire Smoke was specifically designed to safeguard both indoor and outdoor workers from exposure to elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) created by wildfires. On July 30th, Cal/OSHA announced that the emergency regulation had become effective through January 28, 2020, with two possible 90 day extensions.
The emergency regulation is based on the Air Quality Index (AQI) and requires employers to check the current and future index for conditions where PM 2.5 is 151 or greater. PM 2.5 are ultrafine inhalable particles that can normally reach deep into the lungs. While there are exceptions, the regulation also requires employers to take action, under certain conditions, to measure PM 2.5 levels at the worksite. The current regulation of wildfire smoke is
California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 8 5141.1.
"There are hundreds of thousands of workers in California that are exposed to wildfire smoke each year,"
said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). "Other requirements of the emergency regulation meant to protect them include controlling harmful worker exposures through training, education, engineering and administrative controls, and providing suitable respirators when PM 2.5 levels reach 151 or greater.
Our industrial hygiene and air testing experts are available to provide air testing, monitoring, training, consulting and respirator fit testing. These services help businesses and institutions comply with the new emergency regulation and protect workers against exposure risks."
To learn more about this or other occupational, air quality, environmental, health and safety testing, training and consulting services,
please visit
www.csceng.com
, email
csc@csceng.com
or call (800) 807-1118.
|
Children's Health Month and Avoiding Environmental Exposure Hazards
|
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes October as Children's Health Month. To spread public awareness of this important topic and provide information about ways people can protect children from a number of potential environmental exposure risks, the agency has created a list of online educational resources. The list covers topics ranging from mold and indoor air quality (IAQ) to lead in drinking water and protecting children from pesticides.
In many cases, children are more vulnerable to chemical and microbial substances due to differences in behavior and biology that can lead to greater exposure and/or unique windows of susceptibility during development. The EPA states that children's nervous, immune response, digestive and other bodily systems are still developing and are more easily harmed by exposure. Children also eat more food, drink more fluids and breathe more air than adults in proportion to their body size. The behavior of children, such as crawling and placing objects in their mouths, can also increase their risk of environmental exposures.
In some indoor and outdoor environments, children and adults could come in contact with everything from PCBs, lead, asbestos and volatile organic compounds to mold and bacteria. Other agents in the environment could be asthma triggers and/or allergens due to the air they breathe, substances they touch, and the food and beverages they consume.
For children, the risk is typically where they spend the most time. This may include the home, yard, daycare center, school or even a favorite playground.
To help protect children, families and workers from exposure to potentially hazardous substances, CSC's industrial hygiene, building science and indoor environmental quality professionals offer their expertise to identify these and many other exposure concerns. If testing identifies an issue, their experts can help clients take the necessary steps to mitigate or eliminate exposure risks.
To support the efforts of Children's Health Month, CSC recently sponsored an educational video on the topic that includes many common environmental exposure risks. The video can be seen here:
|
|
| Children's Health Month & Environmental Exposure Risks |
To learn more about this or other environmental, air quality, industrial hygiene, building science, or health and safety testing and consulting services,
please visit
www.csceng.com
, email
csc@csceng.com
or call (800) 807-1118.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Is It Safe?
|
|
|
