Region 10 News Release  01-172
Date: October 5, 2001
Contact: Jeannine Lupton
Phone: 206-553-7620

Boise OSHA Employees Assist in the World Trade Center Response

SEATTLE -- Safety and health professionals from the Boise Area Office of the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration are working in New York as part of the around-the-clock effort to ensure the safety and health of workers involved in the World Trade Center rescue and recovery effort.

Since the September 11 terrorist attack, OSHA has been working with federal, state, and local government agencies to minimize the risks of injury and death to the hundreds of workers involved in the rescue. Three industrial hygienists and a safety specialist from Boise are part of a contingent of OSHA employees from the northwest, and from around the country, who are providing on-site assistance.

Approximately 200 OSHA personnel -- of which more than 150 are from the New York region alone -- are directly involved in the rescue and recovery efforts in lower Manhattan. In OSHA's role of consultation and assistance, the agency is conducting air monitoring to characterize possible air contaminant exposures; distributing and fit-checking respirators and other personal protective equipment; and conducting safety monitoring in conjunction with the New York City Department of Design and Construction to address the physical safety of construction and rescue personnel on-site.

For further information please contact OSHA's Regional Office in Seattle at 206-553-5930.