“In the first part of this series, I identified the steps to create a respiratory protection program. This second article will cover how to implement and follow your program. Once everything is implemented, you will have an OSHA-compliant program tailored to your company and designed to protect employees from the hazards in the Restoration Industry,” Barry Rice, CSP, writes.

In this first article of a two-part series on respiratory hazards and protections, Barry Rice, CSP, shares steps to correctly set up a respiratory protection program. In the second article, next month, he will cover how to implement and follow the program.

Barry Rice, CSP, reviews successful methods for preventing hand injuries, one of the most common injuries in restoration work. He provides advice on choosing the right glove and glove training implementation.

“Maybe you have difficulty getting your restoration technicians to wear safety boots, even with the vast selection of types and brands. So how do you, as a restoration company owner or project manager, change this mindset? Let me provide seven basic ways to do this,” writes Barry Rice, CSP.

In each edition of ANSI/IICRC’s S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration, dating back to 1994, the mitigation contractor’s stated first priority on a loss site has remained clear: “Eliminate safety hazards”. I am certain that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus) or COVID-19 (the disease) are not what the authors of the standard had in mind.

To better understand how toxic TCDD is, one needs to understand how it and other toxins are measured. In toxicology, the median lethal dose is identified as LD₅₀ (abbreviation for “lethal dose, 50%”).