Hazard Communication Plans (HCPs) are a required, and often overlooked, element of any company’s workplace health and safety plan. Failure to communicate hazards appropriately has steep costs in terms of worker health, both in the short and the long term. Yet in the past year, OSHA has issued more than 5,000 citations for violations of…
Despite being outlawed in 1978, lead-based paint continues to be the main way people in the U.S. become exposed to lead. Lead exposure causes a variety of health problems, including behavioral disorders, seizures, and death. Children under the age of 6 are most at risk, but even adults can suffer health consequences. It’s no wonder,…
No property owner wants to hear that one of their buildings has a mold problem. Unfortunately, any building can be susceptible under the right conditions. All a mold outbreak needs is moisture, warmth, and organic matter to grow on. Moisture can be caused by a natural disaster, a leaky pipe, or even simply excess humidity…
Hurricane Harvey flood waters have largely receded from Houston, and Hurricane Irma has long since passed through Florida, both leaving massive water damage in their wakes. Many people continue to be homeless or displaced, and many businesses are unable to operate. Hundreds of residential and commercial buildings remain unusable due to water damage. Our teams…
In the aftermath of the Houston flooding and the havoc wreaked by Irma, water damage is on everyone’s mind. And with water damage, comes mold growth. In fact, you don’t have to be hit by a hurricane to run into a mold problem. Even a small-scale issue such as a window leak or a dripping…
Everybody knows that air pollution is bad for your health. Many cities issue air quality alerts to encourage people to stay indoors on poor outdoor air quality days. But that may not always be the best advice, as indoor air quality can often be worse in summer than the smog. In fact, according to the…
A March report from the CDC shows that people are still dying in large numbers from a building-related threat most people think belongs to history: Asbestos. According to the report, more than 45,000 people died between 1999 and 2015 from malignant mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. The EPA,…
If you’ve been in the insurance or catastrophe response business for long, you understand the importance of addressing water loss remediation quickly and effectively. From the moment of the incident, you have about 72 hours to get a team in to assess, plan remediation, and get those materials dry. If it takes longer than that,…
There are not many places where indoor air quality (IAQ) is as important as it is in a hospital setting. Whether you’re undergoing a renovation, building a new wing, or experiencing a potential IAQ problem, you need to know that the air your staff and patients breathe is safe. When hiring an environmental consultant may…
There are few things in life quite as satisfying as the moment a new building or renovation opens for business. After all the months and perhaps years of planning, demolishing, constructing, and finishing, it’s finally time. The last thing you want to have to worry about at this moment, is whether the air inside the…
