Law Department notice on WTC document preservation, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Respiratory Protection at the World Trade Center: Lessons From the Other Disaster, Bruce Lippy, CIH, CSP, January 15, 2002:

• The chosen respirators were correct. • Compliance with the requirements was poor at Ground Zero. • Workers received mixed messages about the importance of wearing respiratory protection. • Achieving high compliance with respiratory requirements in not unrealistic in these situations.

Safety and Health of Heavy Equipment Operators at Ground Zero, Bruce Lippy, CIH, CSP, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, December 2002:

• Except for asbestos, the few excess pollutant readings at the site were almost always associated with specific tasks. • In the eagerness to declare the New York Financial District safe for re-occupancy. Government communications blurred the distinctions between the OSHA and EPA asbestos standards. • The lack of a clear command structure at the site thwarted efforts to enforce the use of personal support equipment and other risk-reduction measures. • Need to consider the use of OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard in responding to terrorist incidents.

Firefighter Safety and Health Issues at the World Trade Center Site, Ronald Spadafora, Deputy Assistant Chief, Fire Department of New York, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, December 2002:

• Safety controls must be instituted by the uniformed services for the protection of the rescuers no matter how great the life hazard, • The Site Safety Officer role in the FDNYs Incident Command Structure is a crucial one. This position must be filled immediately at the scene of a terrorist attack or similar event, • Schedule an adequate number of Safety Chiefs on duty at any given time, • Firefighters must be informed of the dangers in their work environment prior to the start of the detail, when possible, • A universal-fit respirator cartridge should be available to rescue workers, • Respirators should have built-in voice emitters to enhance communication, and • Lighter personal protective equipment (hard hat, military fatigues/boots, safety glasses/goggles) for rescue and recovery workers must be made readily available.

112 Report No. 2003-P-00012

NYC-WTC_000145467