OSHA seeks comments on combustible dust regulation

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is seeking public input through January 19, 2010, in developing regulations to reduce the potential for disasters resulting from combustible dust, according to the Northwest Times.

OSHA started its Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program October 18, 2007, to inspect facilities generating or handling combustible dusts that pose an explosion or other fire hazard and there continues to be a high number of employers not taking adequate steps to reduce harm to employees, proving the need for a comprehensive combustible dust standard, the story stated.

Since 1980, more than 130 workers have been killed and more than 780 injured in combustible dust explosions, the story noted.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said: "It's time for workers to stop dying in preventable combustible dust explosions. Workplace safety is not a slogan. It's a priority clearly embodied in our laws."

Online comments can be sent electronically through www.regulations.gov by clicking on the "submit a comment" tab and typing "1218-AC41" in the keyword search field; faxed submissions less than 10 pages can be sent to (202) 693-1648, the story added.

To view the proposed combustible dust regulation, click here.

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ASHRAE headquarters receives LEED Platinum-certification

ATLANTA — The headquarters of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Platinum level under the New Construction 2.2 rating system, according to Environmental Protection.

The ASHRAE headquarters is one of only six buildings in the state of Georgia to achieve certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) at the highest level offered, the story stated.

Sustainable aspects of the building include: A reflective white roof equipped with solar panels to minimize heat island effects and reduce carbon footprints; landscaping that eliminates the need for irrigation; preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles; and reducing water consumption per year by almost 50 percent by utilizing low-flow fixtures throughout building, the story noted.

The building also received additional LEED points for innovation and design, the story added.

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The LEED-EB Gold-certified Frito-Lay North America headquarters

PLANO, TX — The Frito-Lay North America headquarters was recently awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification at the Gold level from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and had the designation verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), according to Reuters.

According to the story, the Frito-Lay North America headquarters is the only existing building in the state of Texas to receive this distinction and one of only 12 corporate headquarters to receive this distinction nationally.

To achieve LEED-EB certification, Frito-Lay's sustainability strategy included implementing a number of green design and construction features, water reduction technologies and practices, as well as improved waste management, the story stated.

Rick Fedrizzi, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the USGBC, said: "With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC's vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation. As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, Frito-Lay is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement."

Sustainable features of the facility include: A solar thermal water heating system that reduces energy consumption by 130,000 kilowatt hours (KWH) and eliminates more than 154,000 pounds of greenhouse gases; using native plants in landscaping and retrofitting low-flow fixtures to drastically reduce water consumption; and implementing a recycling program that diverts 70 percent of waste from landfills, the story noted.

Frito-Lay has also increased employee education efforts to teach best practices for cleaning, maintenance and energy consumption, the story added.

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Chemical manufacturer fined $270,000

DALTON, GA — The U.S. Department of Justice says MFG Chemical Inc. has agreed to pay $270,000 in civil penalties for a 2004 plant explosion, according to WSAV-TV.

The $270,000 payment will be used to resolve claims resulting from a toxic release of hazardous chemicals at the plant in April 2004, the story stated.

According to the story, a reactor at MFG Chemical Inc. overheated and exploded, causing a cloud of hydrochloric acid — a highly corrosive substance commonly used for cleaning — to be released over the area, killing all aquatic and plant life.

Roughly 154 people were treated for minor symptoms following the incident and hundreds of residents and workers from several nearby factories were evacuated as a precaution, the story noted.

A complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia alleges that MFG Chemical Inc. failed to adhere to guidelines under the Clean Air Act, the story added.

Lawsuit filed against moldy hotel with latent asbestos

TAMPA, FL — A former employee at the Westshore Hotel has filed a lawsuit in Hillsborough Circuit Court, claiming he was wrongfully dismissed for blowing the whistle on moldy and unsanitary conditions inside the hotel, according to WFLA-TV.

Tom Voorhees, the former hotel engineer who seeks lost pay, medical expenses and punitive damages for possible health issues, alleges the hotel knowingly allowed employees to work and guests to stay in mold-infested, asbestos-contaminated rooms, the story stated.

Voorhees said: "Nobody in that hotel during that whole time was protected from anything, children and families from mold and mildew, sleeping on moldy mattresses that were covered up. Some of the mattresses were thrown out, most of them are back in the rooms and guests are sleeping on them. I was definitely directly handling asbestos with no protection because I didn't know it was there. We re-did the ceilings in a lot of bathrooms. Some of the bathrooms came crashing down from water leaks. We pick that stuff up and all the broken material, it's all asbestos. I'm not there anymore, so maybe that's a good thing, maybe that's a bad thing. Out of a job is better than being dead."

According to the story, the previous owner of the hotel, who lost the rights due to a property foreclosure, failed to maintain the hotel and at least 40 of the 235 guest rooms were infested with mold.

Although UBS Real Estate Securities owns the property, the court appointed Janus Hotels and Resorts Inc. to run the hotel; Janus hired a licensed mold remediation company when it took over management of the hotel in January, the story noted.

Voorhees and other hotel maintenance workers claim the mold contamination, which they tried to remedy with a diluted bleach solutions, was so bad that it covered furniture, televisions, ceilings and mattresses, the story added.

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Stony Brook unveils LEED-certified library

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Stony Brook University recently unveiled its new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified library, according to Newsday.

Located on the university's Southampton campus, the two-story, 30,000-square-foot building allows for studying, conversing, lounging and consuming caffeinated beverages at the student-run cafe, the story stated.

Sustainable elements of the building include: Skylights and windows that provide natural lighting to 75 percent of the building; a stormwater collection system; controls to ensure minimal energy use; and low volatile organic compound (VOC) furnishings certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), the story noted.

Southampton Dean and Vice President Mary Pearl said: "It will be the heart of campus. It is the right thing to do to commit to green building standards. It's the responsibility of individuals and institutions to minimize our carbon impact."

The official opening of the multipurpose building, which was last Saturday, was well-attended by students, parents, staff and local residents, the story added.

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FEA and the IFMA Foundation release first in Sustainability 'How-To Guide' Series

FAIRFAX, VA — Facility Engineering Associates (FEA), in partnership with the International Facility Management Association Foundation (IFMA), recently released the first of the Sustainability “How-To Guide” Series, according to a press release.

According to the release, Chris Hodges, principal of FEA and an active member of IFMA, has authored this first guide, entitled Getting Started.

The Getting Started guide was created to assist facility managers with a step-by-step process for assessing an organization; finding a starting point; identifying initiatives; evaluating their value; and implementing, measuring and monitoring their effectiveness, the release stated.

By the end of the current calendar year, there will be a minimum of four additional guides hosted on the foundation's website, www.ifmafoundation.org, with another eight scheduled for completion in 2010, the release noted.

Teena Shouse, senior facility management consultant at FEA and a past IFMA chair, said: "In IFMA's quest to equip and enable facility management professionals through education, this guide will clarify and lead them through what can be a very complex issue. Now, when someone asks you 'How do I get started?' you can refer them to this informative and well-designed guide to sustainability."

To obtain your own copy of the Getting Started guide, please visit FEA's website at www.feapc.com, the release added.