NYC-WTC_000153034

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

less than half of the heavy equipment operators regularly used respirators when working on the “pile” at Ground Zero, and often this use decreased to less than one-third of the workers This report, which discussed respiratory protection lessons from the WTC disaster, concluded that the respirators NIOSH recommended for use at the site were correct and sufficiently protective provided that they were properly tested and conscientiously worn.

DRAFT EXCERPTS - FOR REVIEW & DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY

In contrast to the recovery operation at the WTC site, the January 2002 report noted that the WTC debris sorting and inspection process conducted at the Fresh Kills landfill was being handled as a hazardous waste operation with workers wearing half-face respirators, hard hats, eye protection, and Tyvek suits. Respiratory protection compliance by workers at Fresh Kills was approximately 90 percent as opposed to 30-50 percent compliance at the WTC site. The author observed that:

“... debris is pulled by workers from the smoking, twisted wreckage of the World Trade Centers and then wetted and hauled to a site where the debris is carefully sorted by workers wearing more protective clothing, much more consistently^

In other words, the workers at the less hazardous site were more protected than the workers at the more hazardous site. Moreover, the workers at the landfill were officially informed that not wearing respirators would result in disciplinary action. OIG investigators from our New York office who participated in the recovery operations confirmed the report’s conclusions about the difference in respiratory use between the WTC and landfill sites.

Respirator Use

As demonstrated by a fact sheet prepared on September 11, 2001, EPA’s emergency response officials immediately recognized the need for and recommended the use of air purifying respirators^ at Ground Zero (see Appendix S). EPA officials told us this fact sheet was provided to a FEMA official, but was not issued. We contacted a FEMA

1 NIOSH recommended the use of half-face negative pressure respirators with P-100, organic vapor/acid gas (P-IOO/OV/AG) cartridges. Respirators must be properly fitted in order to provide adequate protection against airborne hazards.

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NYC-WTC_000153053