Insights and Updates from Day 1 of PACNY’s Environmental Conference: A Must-Attend Event for Industry Leaders
The Professional Abatement Contractors of New York’s (PACNY’s) 28th Annual Environmental Conference started with an action-packed first day (February 28th, 2025) at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York, setting the stage for a dynamic exchange of ideas, regulatory updates, and thought leadership. Attendees were treated to a robust lineup of expert speakers covering various critical topics, from asbestos and lead regulations to safety leadership and mental health in the workplace. The morning session began with side-by-side presentations with Frank Ehrenfield, from Eurofins, and Tom Laubenthal, from TGL Consulting, Inc., delivering an essential update on “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead Rule Update from November 2024″ in the Mohawk room. Their presentation discussed the EPA’s November 2024, published new Lead-Based Paint rules regarding various definitions, dust levels for risk determination, and “clearance” values (which are now called “action levels”). Once again, these values will be lowered to further lower risks to children in pre-1978 target housing and child-occupied facilities. The new dust values are very low to “at reporting limits” (similar to a detection limit for simplicity), and the presentation also described in terms of the difficulties that may exist for some National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP)-accredited labs, in meeting reporting limits. All stakeholders must read these regulations to understand the details and various applicability dates (see Lead and Environmental Hazards Association (LEHA) fact sheet). While in the Cayuga room, Mary Parish, Principal Worker’s Compensation Examiner in the office of the Advocate for Business, presented “Protecting Yourself and Your Team,” shifting the focus to workers’ compensation and the legal framework protecting both employers and workers. A key point from her talk was a reminder to make sure you are a certificate holder on your subcontractor’s workmen’s compensation insurance. The next speakers in the Mohawk Room, David Duford, from CanAm
