Construction Safety

What are the storage requirements for acetylene and oxygen compressed gas cylinders on a construction site?

Except when in use, oxygen cylinders must be separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials (especially oil or grease), by a minimum distance of 20 feet (6.1 meters) or by a noncombustible barrier at least five feet (1.5 meters) high with a fire-resistance rating of at least one-half hour. Store cylinders upright and secure them with a chain, strap or cable to a stationary building support (e.g., structural beam). Regulators must be removed and valve protection caps in place and secured whenever cylinders are not in use.

Inside of buildings, cylinders must be stored in a well-protected, well-ventilated, dry location. Compressed gas cylinders are to be stored in assigned places away from elevators, stairs, or gangways. Assigned storage places shall be located where cylinders will not be knocked over or damaged by passing or falling objects, or subject to tampering by unauthorized persons. Cylinders shall not be kept in unventilated enclosures such as lockers or cupboards.

What should I do if I see dust coming from the construction areas into corridors or other areas?

Contractors are required to provide dust barriers to contain construction dust inside the work area. Sometimes, even with precautions in place, dust gets outside the work site into adjacent occupied areas. If you notice dirt or dust coming from a construction area, please contact EHS to report the condition. EHS will conduct an assessment of the condition and follow up with the contractor representatives and WCMC project manager to ensure the issue is resolved.

What is ASHRAE 110 fume hood certification and who can provide ASHRAE 110 certification?

ASHRAE 110 is a quantitative method of certifying laboratory fume hood capture efficiency. As per the EHS laboratory design specifications, all newly installed fume hoods must be ASHRAE-110-certified by a third party vendor. For your convenience, several vendors are listed below.

Laboratory Safety Services

Laboratory Safety Services provides ASHRAE 110 fume hood certification and biological safety cabinet certification for the college.

Contact

Susan LaPointe
6 Maple Court
Butler, NJ 07405
Phone: (973) 283-1900
Fax: (973) 283-1960
smlapointe@optonline.net

ENV Services (formerly MRL Laboratories)

ENV Services provides discount services to WCMC for ASHRAE 110 fume hood certification and biological safety cabinet certification.

Contact

Larry Hafkin or Ron Benoit
(800) 292-5255
www.envservices.com

TSS

TSS provides discount services to WCMC for ASHRAE 110 fume hood certification and biological safety cabinet certification.

Contact

John Dalto
(866) 536-5656
www.techsafety.com

Why do I see construction workers wearing hard hats, safety glasses and yellow vests as well as fall protection full body harnesses throughout WCM construction sites?

These are OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) required PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and PFP (Personal Fall Protection) standards for the protection of workers. More importantly, WCM requires workers working within our facilities to be safe and protected from injury, as we have required these workers be trained to be observant of the safety policies and standards set forth for projects. Trainings include OSHA 10-Hour, FDNY certificates of fitness, scaffold safety cards and HAZWOPER, among others. A safe worker creates a safe environment for pedestrians, staff and patients walking adjacent to WCM construction locations

Weill Cornell Medicine Environmental Health and Safety 402 East 67th Street
Room LA-0020
New York, NY 10065 Phone: (646) 962-7233 Fax: (646) 962-0288

Contact Us

Go to the staff directory for individual contacts within EHS. You may also use the Weill Cornell Medicine online directory to search for faculty and staff.

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