Restoration Roundup is a regular feature here on www.randrmagonline.com meant to help keep you abreast of headlines and news affected the restoration and remediation industry. You won't find it in your print or digital issue, so keep a close eye on our web-exclusive content!
Grizzly Island Fire Pours Strong-Smelling Smoke into Bay Area
Many around the San Francisco Bay Area woke up to a strong smell of smoke Monday morning, as sooty air from the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County and the Grizzly Island grass fire outside Suisun City swept into the region. The air quality was especially poor in the East Bay at sunrise ... San Pablo was at an "unhealthy level," meaning people who stay outside may experience health effects.
NYT Op Ed: The E.P.A., on Asbestos
The claims of Gina McCarthy and William K. Reilly, former administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency, regarding its recent actions on asbestos are misleading. Earlier this year, for the first time in 30 years, the agency issued a rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act that strengthened safeguards related to products containing asbestos. When Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Reilly say that “we thought we had relieved America” of asbestos, they gloss over the fact that neither of them achieved that goal while leading the E.P.A.
OSHA Adds to Enforcement Weighting System
As of Oct. 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has begun using a new system for weighing and measuring its enforcement priorities that now includes added emphases depending on the type of hazard inspected and whether the actions were taken in pursuit of agency enforcement initiatives.
Students Complain UNC-Chapel Hill Not Addressing Mold in On-Campus Dorms
Emili Potts first noticed the mold outside of Craige dorm on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, trailing the wall below her leaky air conditioning unit. When the junior began having trouble breathing, she looked inside her AC unit and saw mold growing on the vents. She went to the doctor because her throat hurt and she couldn’t stop coughing. The doctor told her she had bacterial pneumonia, most likely linked to the AC unit. She was hospitalized for two days in February, missing classes and two exams.
Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Construction Industry Employee Verification Act
Pennsylvania House Bill 1170, known as the Construction Industry Employee Verification Act (the Act) was recently passed which will require all construction-industry employers, both public and private, to use E-Verify to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. The Act was passed in both the House and Senate with bipartisan support but was not signed by Governor Tom Wolf.1 Construction companies with state contracts in Pennsylvania were already required to E-Verify new hires. The Act now makes the law statewide for the entire industry. The Act will take effect October 6, 2020.
