Content created by Program Support Center (PSC)
PSC’s Federal Occupational Health (FOH) Environmental Health and Safety Services team provides environmental health services using an integrated approach that helps agencies comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and environmental health regulations. We respond to safety, environmental, or health incidents to provide support and expert consultation. Services also include the expertise and experience needed to anticipate, evaluate, and control hazards in the federal workplace while also maintaining and improving employee health, productivity, and morale.
FOH can integrate its services with your existing programs, enhancing their impact and ensuring that your agency meets its obligation to provide a safe and healthy workplace. Among the environmental health and industrial hygiene services FOH offers are:
Agency Safety and Health Programs
FOH will help you identify ways in which to improve your safety and health programs, educate managers about the importance of and requirements for ensuring that employees are safe and healthy in the workplace, and develop abatement strategies to ensure agency compliance with existing regulations.
Industrial Hygiene Hazard Assessment
FOH’s experts provide personal exposure assessments and abatement strategies for physical, chemical, radiological, and biological stressors. Assessments can be based on evaluating data from prior studies or sampling may be conducted as needed. Results are compared to current standards and recommended values. Abatement strategies will be practical, economical, and designed to fit your organization’s specific needs.
Environmental Surveys
FOH’s experts can assist you in meeting the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), as well as the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). FOH can also provide preliminary assessments, site investigations, and facility assessments, as may be required by federal, state, or local government agencies.
Indoor Air Quality Evaluations
FOH can investigate and evaluate situations where building occupants experience health problems that appear to be linked to the building. Evaluations may consist of performing building assessments, conducting tenant meetings to identify and discuss potential problem areas and address concerns, and analyzing clinical and epidemiological data to identify and address complex problems.
Personal Protective Equipment
FOH can evaluate current or help develop and implement new personal protective equipment (PPE) programs, including a respiratory protection program as required in 29 CFR 1910.134 and 1910.139. FOH’s environmental and industrial hygiene experts can help develop or suggest improvements to PPE Program elements including hazard assessments, fit testing, training on the selection, use, limitations, and maintenance of equipment.
Hearing Conservation
FOH’s professionals can develop and assist in the implementation of your agency-specific hearing conservation program. In accordance with OSHA’s standard 1910.95, FOH will provide noise exposure assessments, noise exposure monitoring, octave band analyses, noise engineering surveys, consultation on the procurement, fitting, and training in the use of hearing protective devices, and audiometric testing.
Asbestos
FOH’s certified inspectors provide a variety of asbestos-related services, including management plans, building profiles, training, air monitoring, abatement oversight, sample analysis and recordkeeping, all in accordance with OSHA and EPA standards.
Hazard Communication
FOH’s professionals can help you meet the requirements of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) by providing personnel training, inventory of hazardous materials, material safety data sheets, inventory data management, program evaluations, and hazardous material control.
Lead
FOH can educate your Agency’s managers and employees about the hazards of lead in drinking water, working safely with lead, and the safe removal of lead-based paint. In addition, FOH can conduct air monitoring and blood lead sample analyses to determine possible lead exposure. If your agency must comply with Title X of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (Section 403), FOH can help develop lead abatement programs, design lead management plans, and provide lead abatement oversight.
Download the FOH Environmental Health and Safety Services Fact Sheet for more information
Contact Us
CDR William Bird
William.Bird@foh.hhs.gov
(214) 551-5964