Industrial Hygiene

Enhance the safety of your team, your visitors, and the community.

SynTerra industrial hygienists have worked in a variety of environments and are well-versed in the challenges and requirements imposed by regulations. Our professionals design solutions that meet clients’ business objectives while protecting human health and the environment.

SynTerra provides industrial hygiene support pertaining to asbestos, microbial growth (mold), lead-based paint (LBP), indoor air quality, silica, noise, and risk reduction. Clients get a diverse team of experts, with a single contact for each business project, creating confidence from the start and carrying it all the way through the final reports.

SynTerra capabilities for industrial hygiene

Asbestos

SynTerra conducts asbestos surveys in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and state regulations. We provide:

Detailed reports that include quantities, types, and locations of ACM (asbestos-containing materials) and estimates of abatement costs
Asbestos-abatement design specifications that contain detailed information on the removal of identified ACM
Bid process assistance, project monitoring, and final clearance prior to re-occupancy
Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) management of ACM for K-12 schools

Lead

The presence of lead paint in aging infrastructures is a problem worldwide. SynTerra has conducted successful lead risk assessments for clients ranging from corporations to residential households.

We conduct LBP surveys, collecting paint samples from various painted surfaces within buildings (e.g., walls, wood soffits, trim, door frames) to be analyzed for lead concentration.
Our risk assessments provide recommendations for management of the identified LBP in structures and cost estimates for abatement.
We provide LBP remediation design specifications that contain detailed information on the removal, encapsulation, or enclosure of the LBP.

Our services include:

Oversight of the abatement activities
Final visual inspections
Collection of clearance samples prior to re-occupancy
Monitoring for lead exposure during contractor activities that could disturb LBP

Silica dust

The OSHA final rule for occupational exposure to respirable silica dust (29 CFR 1926.1153) is designed to eliminate the effects of respirable crystalline silica dust on workers in the construction industry. Respirable crystalline silica is produced when materials containing silica are subjected to activities such as drilling, cutting, and grinding. These materials include concrete, stone, slate, tile, asphalt filler, roofing granules, caulking, plaster, and many others.

The final rule requires employers to:

Follow specific engineering controls or measure employee exposure to silica and determine whether engineering controls or personal protective equipment should be implemented.
Use engineering controls (like water or ventilation) to keep silica dust exposure at less than the personal exposure limit (PEL).
Provide respirators to employees when silica concentrations are greater than the PEL and exposure reduction through engineering controls is not possible.
Identify and limit access to areas where respirable silica concentrations are greater than the PEL.
Create a written plan to control exposure and train employees on the risk of silica dust exposure.

To help organizations comply with OSHA’s silica rule, SynTerra experts can:

Develop personal air monitoring data plans.
Conduct exposure assessments.
Create written respirator plans.
Conduct respirator fit testing.
Create written exposure control plans.
Train employees on the risks associated with respirable silica dust exposure.

Indoor air quality

The types of industries and processes for which we have provided indoor air quality assessment services include:

Telecommunications
Textiles
Rubber compounding
Stone products
Brownfields facilities
U.S. Forest Service

Our assessment experience includes:

Collecting indoor air samples for laboratory analyses of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds
Oil mist
Particulate matter using SUMMA® canisters
Portable sample pumps with compound-specific sample collection devices

We compare results with applicable OSHA PELs for worker safety and USEPA screening levels for Brownfields redevelopment. We have also conducted inspections of laboratory fume hoods to determine compliance with the American National Standards Institute/American Industrial Hygiene Association (ANSI/AIHA) Standard Z9.5, Section 3, “Laboratory Chemical Hoods” audit
checklist.

We can conduct indoor air quality assessments to verify conformance with American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62. We also perform vapor-intrusion assessments and design active and passive remediation systems on sites contaminated with chlorinated and petroleum compounds.

At SynTerra, we provide services that address a wide range of indoor air pollutants and hazardous materials, including:

Asbestos
Textiles
Mold
Radon gas
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Organic compounds
Acid fumes
Particulate matter and dust

Mold

SynTerra has conducted numerous mold assessments and completed mold-related projects for clients ranging from large businesses and corporations to local school districts and universities.

SynTerra experts conduct mold inspections in buildings by:

Performing a thorough visual inspection
Collecting moisture readings of building materials
Gathering swab and wipe bulk samples and air samples

We evaluate building ventilation systems using visual inspections and measurements (e.g., temperature and relative humidity). We provide recommendations for corrective actions based on the inspections and measurements.

Kathy Webb, P.G.

Senior Market Leader | Principal

Kathy, a founder of SynTerra (previously The Fletcher Group) in 1992, has completed remedial investigations and regulatory compliance projects associated with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facilities, state and federal Superfund sites, solid waste landfills, brownfield redevelopment, utility coal combustion residual (CCR) management units, and regulated industrial facilities. She has supported litigation as an expert witness related to chlorinated solvents, metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Kathy is known for her practical assessment strategy with the perspective of the client’s business objectives. She routinely evaluates groundwater corrective action systems for effectiveness and progress toward achieving compliance objectives. She has also co-authored a trade journal paper with case studies of low-impact remedial strategies. Kathy is a licensed Professional Geologist in North and South Carolina.

Mark Taylor, P.G.

Principal

Mark has worked more than 40 years in natural-resource based industries. His expertise includes mine geology and mine engineering, hydrogeologic and geotechnical investigations, solid and hazardous waste management, and regulatory negotiations. He has published peer-reviewed papers about coal geology, ore geochemistry, mineralogy, and solid waste management. He is a leading expert in mining and environmental permitting for litigation support.

Mark is licensed as a Professional Geologist in South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Washington. He serves on the boards of the Upstate Red Cross and Upstate Forever. He served on the South Carolina Board of Registration for Geologists for six years. Mark holds a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Science from Harvard University.

Andrea Kehn, P.E.

Vice President of Engineering | Principal

Andrea, leader of our Civil & Environmental Engineering Business Unit, has 28 years of experience in chemical manufacturing and environmental consulting. She leads and supervises staff professionals on multidisciplinary projects for a variety of industrial clients. Andrea’s vast experience and expertise includes: air quality construction and operating permitting; air quality modeling; air permit record-keeping and reporting; Oil Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP); NPDES Permitting; water quality modeling; process safety management; risk management compliance and auditing; and RCRA compliance.

Andrea is registered as a Professional Engineer in South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Ruth Albright, P.E.

Vice President | Principal

Ruth has led projects for major industrial facilities throughout the Southeast and beyond. She built her knowledge of environmental regulations and their application to manufacturing operations while working for the second largest chemical manufacturing company in the United States. At SynTerra, she has expanded both her knowledge and reputation working for chemical manufacturing operations of all sizes. She has also worked extensively with other manufacturing operations, including pulp and paper, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, food, and automotive parts and assembly. Her experience includes air and wastewater permit compliance, solid and hazardous waste management, solid waste construction permitting, hazardous materials transportation, wastewater treatment systems, air pollution control equipment operations and maintenance, and ambient air monitoring systems.

Ruth is a professional engineer registered in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arkansas, and Kentucky. She is an active member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Environmental Technical Committee and serves as the chair of the water subcommittee. She has previously served as the program and committee chair for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce Environmental Affairs committee. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University.