Thursday, August 11, 2016

8-inch gas main on fire in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey after a live electric wire came in contact with a guard rail.







A gas main fire has forced a road closure near the Garden State Parkway in Atlantic County. (WPVI)

Thursday, August 11, 2016 05:36PM

EGG HARBOR TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- A gas main fire has forced a road closure near the Garden State Parkway in Atlantic County.

At approximately 1:45 p.m. Thursday, South Jersey Gas received a call regarding a fire on Ocean Heights Avenue.








Crews work to contain a gas main fire in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey on August 11, 2016.
The caller said a live electric wire came in contact with a guard rail.



Officials say the electric current apparently went through the guard rail and traveled to a nearby 8" gas main, causing it to ignite.

South Jersey Gas crews are on site.

No South Jersey Gas customers are affected at this time.

As a precaution, one nearby building was evacuated.

No injuries have reported.

Worker severely burned by corrosive lubricant at the Delta Companies Group plant in Deer Park






Man suffers chemical burn at Delta Comp. facility in Deer Park, Kevin Quinn reports. (KTRK)


  A 51-year-old man who sustained chemical burns to his face, chest, back and waist was airlifted to Memorial Herman Hospital via LifeFlight after he was sprayed by about gallon of a corrosive lubricant substance at a chemical plant in Deer Park.

Deer Park Fire Department responded to the Delta Companies Group plant on Tidal Road before 12:00pm Thursday. No one else was hurt.

The corrosive lubricant is called Hexamethylenediane.

Delta Companies Group is conducting a review of the incident to determine the cause.

Motiva's Convent Refinery experienced a fire in the H-Oil unit in Louisiana






An explosion and fire rocked a Louisiana plant on Thursday (KTRK)

Thursday, August 11, 2016 03:17PM
CONVENT, LA -- Firefighters at a refinery along the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge are fighting a fire inside the plant.

Chief Ryan Louque (luke) of the neighboring St. James Fire Department tells The Associated Press the Motiva refinery is dealing with the fire itself, and no public fire departments are involved.

Officials with the St. James Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness told WAFB-TV there have been no reports of injuries.

Television video from the scene show flames in the center of the plant.

Motiva released the following statement to Eyewitness News:

At approximately 10:50 a.m. on Thursday, August 11, 2016, Motiva's Convent Refinery experienced a fire in the H-Oil unit. Motiva emergency response teams are containing the fire and the cause of the incident is under investigation. Other units in the refinery were not impacted and remain operational. Air monitoring confirms there is no impact to the community.

All employees are accounted for and there are no injuries. Employees not directly involved in the operation or response have been released for the day.

Motiva has notified all appropriate agencies and appreciates the support of the Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, St. James and Ascension Parish Sheriff's Offices, other local agencies, and our own emergency responders for their efforts in the incident response.

The refinery produces a full slate of conventional petroleum products including regular, premium and low-sulfur gasoline.

Motiva is owned equally by subsidiaries of Saudi Aramco and Shell Oil Company.

One civilian and one firefighter sustained non-life threatening injuries in an explosion and fire at a factory in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood.


2 injured in fire, explosion at Little Village factory






Updated 20 mins ago
CHICAGO (WLS) -- One civilian and one firefighter sustained non-life threatening injuries in a reported explosion and fire at a factory in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood.

Chicago fire officials say the incident occurred in the 2800-block of West 31st Street and is in a small pile of metal. Fire officials said they do not expect the fire to spread. One civilian was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition; a firefighter was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, officials said.

A level one hazmat was called due to chemicals in the factory. The fire department said it is waiting on special extinguishers to put out the chemical fire.

5 firefighters hurt battling 2-alarm house fire in Brooklyn, plus extreme heat








Eyewitness News
Updated 33 mins ago

MIDWOOD, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A two-alarm fire burned through a three-story home in Brooklyn on Thursday evening, leaving five firefighters hurt.

The fire started in the attic of the home on E. 18th Street in the Midwood section around 6:30 p.m. It was brought under control by 8 p.m.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the scene.

One firefighter was seriously injured and four others suffered minor injuries. The seriously injured firefighter is said to have suffered from heat exhaustion.

Mounting evidence suggests exposure to low levels of methane and other combustible gases can be catastrophic for helicopters traveling to and from offshore platforms


Even Low Levels of Combustible Gas Endanger Offshore Helicopters










WASHINGTON, DC- Mounting evidence suggests exposure to low levels of methane and other combustible gases can be catastrophic for helicopters traveling to and from offshore platforms, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s (BSEE) Doug Morris stated today. “We have been out sending alerts on the issue of aviation safety and methane releases for some time,” Morris said, “but we are now concerned that even low levels of gases can be extremely dangerous.” Morris, BSEE’s Chief of Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs, explained that “the intake of a highly combustible gas can result in a sudden change in helicopter engine performance.”

Morris pointed to a recent BSEE supported study in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers that found the presence of methane gas may cause power loss in turbo-shaft engines at much lower concentrations than originally estimated. The study identified mechanisms by which methane ingestion can cause sudden and significant degradation of turbo-shaft engine performance. Prior recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and experts from many parts of affected industries also point to the dangers of helicopter flights in areas where combustible gases may be present. “This issue impacts both offshore oil workers and BSEE’s own personnel,” Morris noted, adding that BSEE staff log “more than 9,000 flight hours each year during inspection and investigation activities.”

BSEE inspectors and engineers travel offshore on helicopters daily as part of the Bureau’s mission to regulate oil and gas activities. According to Morris, BSEE is evaluating options for future research and the applications of new technology that may reduce the risk of exposure to combustible gas by helicopters operating on the Outer Continental Shelf. For more information and to download the report, click here.

Griffin Pipe Products worker killed in industrial accident in Lynchburg after he was entrapped by a fallen piece of scrap metal.




















Griffin Pipe worker killed in industrial accident identified




Contributed

Jesse Horsley

Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2016 2:07 pm

Eleanor Roy

Lynchburg, Virginia

 The family of a man killed in an industrial accident Wednesday night at a city foundry described him as hard working and full of life Thursday as they struggled to come to terms with his death.

Jesse Horsley, 56, of Fenwick Drive in Lynchburg, died Wednesday night following an incident at Griffin Pipe Products Co., according his family and Lynchburg Police.


The Lynchburg Police Department responded to the company’s downtown location, 10 Adams St., at about 9 p.m., Lt. Malcolm Booker said.


“There does not appear to be any foul play at this time,” Booker said in a phone interview Thursday morning.


A police department news issued Thursday night said Horsley was entrapped by a fallen piece of scrap metal. An autopsy revealed Horsley’s cause of death was mechanical asphyxia and the manner of death was accidental, according to Traci Cooper, district administrator for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Roanoke.


A representative for the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry did not respond to an inquiry Thursday about a possible investigation. No one responded to phone messages left at U.S. Pipe Co., the company that owns Griffin Pipe.


Sheila Horsley, 61, said her husband Jesse Horsley worked at Griffin Pipe and contracted as a newspaper carrier for The News & Advance for several years. She learned of his death late Wednesday.


“He was such a good husband,” Sheila Horsley said Thursday afternoon at her home, surrounded by friends and family who came to console her. “Even when he was tired or something, he was still smiling.”


The Horsley residence’s phone practically rang off the hook as condolences poured in, some from people Sheila Horsley said she has not spoken to in years.


“He was full of life. Everybody loved him,” she said.


The couple would have celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary March 7, 2017. They had no children together, but Sheila Horsley said her husband treated her four children like his own.


Sheila Horsley’s sister, Gail Scott, and her longtime friend Priscilla Giles described Jesse Horsley as a man with an unwavering work ethic. Over the years, Jesse Horsley was employed at several local companies, including Westover Dairy, Flowers Bakery, Tri Tech Laboratories, Shakers Restaurant and McDonald’s.


“We’re the baby boomers, and that’s the way we were raised to work,” Giles said. “You work for your own. You take care of your family.”


The last time she saw Jesse Horsley was during one of many cookouts the group had together.


“It was just a joy to sit there and watch Jesse eat, because he loved eating,” Giles recalled, laughing.


Bishop Motley G. Davis of Higher Heights Cathedral of Deliverance on Lakeside Drive, where the Horsleys attended church, said he appreciated how Jesse Horsley would greet him on Sundays — always dressed in a snappy suit that matched his wife.


“I never saw this man with his clothes out of place,” Davis said.


Giles chimed in that the matching outfits were a sign of the couple’s helpless romanticism.


“They were still in love!” Giles exclaimed as several others nodded in agreement. “They were still in that sweetheart love.”


The last time Davis saw Jesse Horsley was two Sundays ago during church service.


“We had a time. Hands lifted, praising, the worship,” Davis said. “He gave me the greatest hug after.”


Sheila Horsley’s last interaction with her husband was when he left for work Wednesday.


“He kissed me and went on to work,” she recalled, reaching for her cell phone. “I keep wanting to call him.”


Sheila Horsley pulled up a text message with a few lines of scripture she sent her husband every day.


The last line read, “love u baby.”


She smiled, explaining she felt like God prepared her for Jesse Horsley’s death by allowing her to have so much time with him.


“He was such a loving man, I tell you what.”

EPA orders the Village of Tarrytown, New York to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Lead and Copper Rule.


EPA Takes Action to Address Lead in Drinking Water Problems in Tarrytown, New York
08/11/2016
Contact Information:
John Martin (martin.johnj@epa.gov)
212-637-3662

(New York, N.Y. – August 11, 2016) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a legal order directing the Village of Tarrytown, New York to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Lead and Copper Rule. A recent investigation by the EPA revealed that Tarrytown had violated numerous provisions of the rule, including failing to properly evaluate the village’s water distribution system before establishing tap sampling locations and failing to meet requirements for properly identifying tap monitoring locations. The EPA has issued a legal order requiring the Village of Tarrytown to deliver consumer notices and conduct public education activities for individuals and organizations using the village’s water supply.

“Providing clean drinking water is one of the most important functions of government,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “It is essential that the Village of Tarrytown fully comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act so the health of residents is protected.”

In April 2016, the EPA conducted an audit at Tarrytown Water Supply’s offices to review Lead and Copper Rule data and also conducted a site visit of treatment facilities used by the village. In June 2016, Tarrytown Water Supply provided additional information in response to a request by the EPA.

Tarrytown was inspected because recent sampling results by the village showed action level exceedances for lead in drinking water. Out of 31 samples, four exceeded the EPA’s action level for lead.

Tarrytown has 15 days from receipt of the EPA order to send results to homeowners whose taps were sampled for lead and copper from 2013 to 2015. These notices must include: sample testing results; an explanation of the health effects of lead; steps consumers can take to reduce lead exposure in drinking water; contact information for the utility; and information on and definitions of the maximum contaminant level goal and the lead action level.

Tarrytown must also submit public education material to the EPA, the New York State Department of Health and the Westchester County Department of Health within 15 days of receipt of the order for these agencies’ approval, and comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act’s public education delivery requirements for these materials within 30 days, including posting the material on the village’s website. Tarrytown must also submit a plan to provide for other public outreach activities within 30 days, including hosting at least one public meeting for village residents.

The EPA is working with the New York State Department of Health and the Westchester County Department of Health to bring Tarrytown into compliance with other provisions of the Lead and Copper Rule, including: requirements that proper sampling protocols be followed; a requirement that all sampling results be reported; and a requirement that the Westchester County Department of Health approve the village’s corrosion control treatment.

The Safe Drinking Water Act’s Lead and Copper Rule requires Public Water Systems to sample drinking water in a representative selection of taps in their distribution system to determine if their water exceeds the EPA’s action level of 15 parts per billion for lead. If water systems exceed this action level, various follow-up actions need to be taken, such as public education, corrosion control treatment and replacement of lead service lines. The failure to take such follow-up actions results in violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act.

For more information on the Lead and Copper Rule, visit:

https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-and-copper-rule.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook at http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

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EPA and IESI MO Champ Landfill, LLC of Maryland Heights, Mo., Reach Settlement to Improve Landfill’s Compliance with Clean Air Act



EPA and
IESI MO Champ Landfill, LLC of Maryland Heights, Mo., Reach Settlement to Improve Landfill’s Compliance with Clean Air Act
08/11/2016
Contact Information:
David Bryan (bryan.david@epa.gov)
913-551-7433

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., Aug. 11, 2016) - In a settlement announced today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), IESI MO Champ Landfill, LLC, has agreed to implement numerous measures at its Maryland Heights Landfill. The measures are designed to minimize odors and air emissions from the landfill and ensure ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

An EPA inspection of Champ Landfill, conducted on May 18, 2016, was part of an initiative by EPA to identify noncompliance and reduce air emissions from sources in the greater St. Louis area. The inspection identified deficiencies related to Champ Landfill’s surface emission monitoring and surface integrity monitoring, required by the CAA’s New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). These standards impose controls on emissions of landfill gas, as well as monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements to ensure that landfill gas emissions are minimized.

Landfills use gas collection systems, a network of wells and piping, to collect landfill gas created by the decomposition of solid waste, which consists primarily of methane and carbon dioxide. Under the terms of this settlement, Champ Landfill has agreed to conduct a comprehensive third-party audit of its gas collection system and to implement all of the auditor’s recommended corrective actions in less than one year. Champ will also install 21 additional landfill gas extraction wells. These modifications to the gas collection system are expected to significantly improve its ability to collect gases generated by the landfill, resulting in lower emissions of landfill gas and odors to the surrounding community. Overall, Champ Landfill will spend up to an estimated $1.6 million to implement the improvements at the landfill, including the additional wells, implementing the independent third-party audit recommendations, and other expenditures.

“This agreement shows how constructive negotiations between a company and EPA can produce positive results leading to air quality improvements that benefit communities,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Mark Hague. “The immediate actions taken required by this agreement will improve the landfill’s operations and minimize air emissions and odors. This is an important step in EPA’s efforts to ensure sources of air pollution in the area are in compliance.”

As part of the settlement, Champ Landfill has also agreed to spend nearly $1.3 million to purchase four compressed natural gas (CNG) trash collection trucks to replace existing diesel-fueled vehicles as a voluntary Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP). These CNG trash collection vehicles are expected to result in a significant reduction of particulate matter emissions, compared to conventional diesel-fueled trucks currently being used.

# # #

Report on Facility Safety Culture following a Series of Sulfuric Acid Releases at the Tesoro Martinez Refinery in California





CSB Releases Final Report on Facility Safety Culture following a Series of Sulfuric Acid Releases at the Tesoro Martinez Refinery in California 
 
Emeryville, CA, August 2, 2016 - Today, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board released its final report into multiple sulfuric acid releases that occurred in 2014 at the Tesoro Refinery in Martinez, CA. The report includes key process safety findings related to safety culture, safety indicators, and the continued need for a proactive regulator to conduct preventive inspections.

On February 12, 2014, an incident occurred at the Tesoro Refinery in Martinez, which burned two workers and released an estimated 84,000 pounds of sulfuric acid. Less than a month later, on March 10, 2014, sulfuric acid sprayed and burned two contract workers during the removal of piping. Both incidents occurred in the refinery’s alkylation unit – where high-octane blending components are produced for gasoline.

Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, “The CSB urges all refineries to review the key findings and conclusions of the board’s case study and to apply those learnings to their own facilities. It is imperative that companies continually work towards improving their operations in an effort to prevent future incidents and ensure the safety of their workforce.”

The CSB’s case study examines the Tesoro Martinez Refinery through the evaluation of previous incidents, worker statements, gaps in safety standards, deviations from established procedures and practices, and past efforts to assess and strengthen site safety culture.

The investigation found a number of safety culture concerns at the refinery, such as:

o Characterization of the February 2014 incident as a minor injury while the incident should have been classified as the most serious type of process safety incident under industry guidelines;
o Exposure of alkylation unit workers to hazardous materials including vapors, acids, and corrosives;
o Removal of safer sulfuric acid sampling systems from service and reliance on inadequate temporary alkylation unit equipment;
o Failure to provide alkylation unit workers with necessary protective equipment;
o Existence of site-specific safety policies that were less protective than corporate policies and established industry good practice;
o Failure to develop an action plan to address concerns identified in a 2007 safety culture survey;
o Withdrawal from key national safety programs that workers believed were effective; and
o Perceived pressure on alkylation unit workers to expedite training and reduce cost.

Following recent CSB investigations into other accidents at petroleum refineries such as the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, California, and the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes, Washington, the CSB recommended changes to strengthen refinery regulations in California and Washington.

The state of California has issued a draft refinery process safety management standard containing more rigorous safety regulations for the oversight of petroleum refineries, and the CSB is encouraged by these proactive changes to improve safety for workers and communities. The CSB’s case study underscores the need for the proposed refinery safety reforms as well as individual refineries to continually assess and improve their process safety programs.

The CSB’s case study emphasizes that regulators can use what are known as lagging process safety indicators, such as spills, fires, or gas releases, as well as leading indicators such as timely maintenance on safety critical equipment to focus inspections, audits, and timely closure of action items resulting from incident investigations to help drive process safety improvement.

“The continued recurrence of sulfuric acid incidents demonstrates the need for improvements at the Tesoro refinery. We recommend that the refinery report process safety indicators to the regulator, said Lead Investigator Dan Tillema. “Regulators should monitor these indicators and conduct preventive inspections that lead to corrective actions --this is a critical component of an effective safety program - the ultimate goal is to ensure that risk is continually reduced.”

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating significant chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.

The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies. Visit our website, www.csb.gov.

CSB Safety Alert: Preventing High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)


CSB Issues Safety Alert Stemming from Fatal Tesoro Anacortes Investigation



Washington, DC August 11, 2016 – Today the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) issued a safety alert entitled “CSB Safety Alert: Preventing High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)” focused on preventing accidents similar to the fatal 2010 explosion and fire at the Tesoro Refinery in Anacortes, WA that fatally injured 7 workers.

The CSB’s investigation into the catastrophic failure of a forty-year-old heat exchanger at the Tesoro Refinery determined that the fatal explosion and fire was caused by a damage mechanism known as high temperature hydrogen attack, or HTHA, which severely cracked and weakened the carbon steel heat exchanger over time, leading to a rupture. The CSB’s report released in May 2014 concluded that the standard industry uses for determining vulnerability of equipment to HTHA is inadequate. To address its findings, the CSB made recommendations intended to prevent HTHA to the industry group that issues guidance on HTHA, the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, “The CSB is concerned that the risk of equipment failure due to HTHA may not be fully known or appreciated within the industry. Our goal is to help inform and educate industry of potential risk in order to prevent future accidents and to protect workers and the public.”

Updated guidance covering this issue - recently published by API - provides incremental improvements, but it fails to address important elements of the CSB’s recommendations. The standard uses what are referred to as “Nelson Curves” to predict the operating conditions where HTHA can occur in different types of steels. The curves are based on process data voluntarily reported to API, and are drawn beneath reported occurrences of HTHA to indicate the “safe” and “unsafe” operating regions.

API’s updated carbon steel Nelson Curves do not take into account all of the estimated process conditions where the catastrophic failure occurred due to HTHA at the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery. As a result, the new curves allow refinery equipment to operate at conditions where HTHA severely damaged the Tesoro heat exchanger. The use of a curve not incorporating significant failure data could result in future catastrophic equipment ruptures.

Because of these noted deficiencies, the Board voted on July 13, 2016, to designate the Recommendation 2010-08-I-WA-R10 with the status of Closed – Unacceptable Action. The CSB’s “Status Change Summary” provides additional detail on the board’s rationale.

Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, “In the absence of industry guidance that incorporates findings from the Tesoro Anacortes failure, the CSB is issuing a safety alert to provide additional direction for industry.” The Safety Alert provides the following guidance for industry:

1. Identify all carbon steel equipment in hydrogen service that has the potential to harm workers or communities due to catastrophic failure;
2. Verify actual operating conditions (hydrogen partial pressure and temperature) for the identified carbon steel equipment;
3. Replace carbon steel process equipment that operates above 400 °F and greater than 50 psia hydrogen partial pressure; and
4. Use inherently safer materials, such as steels with higher chromium and molybdenum content.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.

The Board does not issue citations or fines but does make safety recommendations to plants, industry organizations, labor groups, and regulatory agencies. Visit our website, www.csb.gov.

Motiva Enterprises refinery in Convent, Louisiana evacuated after fire



Motiva
Enterprises refinery in Convent, Louisiana evacuated after fire




F. Carter Smith | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Motiva Enterprises LLC oil refinery in Convent, Louisiana


Motiva Enterprises' 235,000 barrel per day Convent, Louisiana, refinery was evacuated due to a fire around midday on Thursday, according to the local sheriff's office.


There were no evacuations outside of the plant and no injuries yet reported.

Motiva could not be immediately reached for comment.

The news appeared to boost oil product futures prices, with heating oil futures up more than 5 percent in the day.

Faulty valve causes a semi tanker truck carrying 37,000 pounds of sodium hydroxide to explode in Shelby County, Ohio





Chemical leak to close I-75 ramp in Shelby Co. for 24 hours



SHELBY COUNTY —

UPDATE @ 11:46 a.m.

Emergency crews have cleared the scene where a chemical spill occurred. But the entrance ramp to Interstate 75 south in Anna will remain closed for 24-36 hours for clean up supervised by the EPA.

The chemicals did not get into the waterway and there was no contamination.

The truck driver has gotten praise for finding a leak in the tank and preventing an explosion in moving traffic, officials said.

UPDATE @ 8:10 a.m.

A tanker was hauling sodium hydroxide when it exploded in Anna Thursday morning, officials said.

The tanker driver said he had just filled up with fuel and was getting on southbound Interstate 75 when he heard a hissing sound. He got out of the tanker, and then it reportedly exploded. There was no fire, officials said.

The tanker was carrying 37,000 pounds of sodium hydroxide, and 3,400 pounds is now on the ground, officials said.

No one was evacuated from the area and no one was hurt.

The ramp from Ohio 119 to southbound Interstate 75 and Ohio 119 are closed in the area.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, sodium hydroxide is very corrosive to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract.

UPDATE @ 7:36 a.m.

A semi fire that prompted a HAZMAT callout is out.

We have a crew on scene and this story will be updated as additional information becomes available.

UPDATE @ 7 a.m.

All lanes of southbound I-75 have been reopened, following a temporary shut down for a HAZMAT situation.

The entry ramp from Ohio 119 to southbound Interstate 75 remains closed.

Scanner traffic from state troopers indicate the incident was caused by a vehicle fire.

We’ll update this page when new information is available.

FIRST REPORT

Dispatchers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said all lanes of southbound Interstate 75 are shut down in Shelby County for a ‘situation’ with a hazardous materials team requested to the scene.

State troopers said the incident occurred at the 99 mile marker of southbound I-75, near the exit to Ohio 119 to Anna.

A HAZMAT team was requested to the scene, but additional details were not immediately available.

We have a crew heading to the scene and we’ll update this page when new information is available.

2 killed, 31 injured after a massive explosion and fire leveled an apartment complex in Silver Spring, MD






Two dead, 31 injured in huge fire, explosion at Md. apartment complex





By Clarence Williams, Justin Jouvenal and Keith L. Alexander August 11 at 1:22 PM


The scene after a massive explosion and fire leveled an apartment complex in Md.
Five to seven residents are reported missing after a blast destroyed an apartment complex in Silver Spring.

Two people died and 34 were injured after a massive blast and fire leveled a Silver Spring, Md. apartment complex, forcing residents to toss children from upper floors and flee collapsing buildings, fire officials said Thursday.

Authorities said at lunchtime press conference they were still working to identify the dead and uncover the cause of the overnight blast and fire, which tore through the Flower Branch Apartments displacing more than 90 residents.

“Firefighters were met with heavy fire conditions and multiple rescues to be made,” said David Steckel, division chief of the Montgomery County Fire Department during the news conference

Firefighters continued to search for “some” missing residents of the Piney Branch Road apartments on Thursday afternoon, but backed off figures released earlier that five to seven people were still unaccounted for.

Montgomery County executive Isiah Leggett said “Our heart goes out to those affected.”

Leggett said at the news conference that officials had received a call on July 25 about the smell of gas at the complex, but it remained unclear if a leak played a role in the blast and fire.

Tim Firestine, the county’s chief administrative officer, said the county received a call at 10:16 p.m. July 25 about a smell of gas at 8701 Arliss St. and fire and rescue personnel responded at 10:20 p.m. They cleared the scene at 10:32 p.m., Firestine said, and the county is still trying to determine who responded, what tests if any were conducted and why the scene was cleared,

On Wednesday, a resounding blast occurred shortly before midnight that could be heard over a mile away and shook the affected buildings, 8701 and 8703 Arliss, like an earthquake, some residents said. An off-duty police officer was the first to report the blast at 11:52 or 11:54 p.m., officials said.

The explosion sent a door across the street, left clothes in trees and shoes strewn across a road. The two buildings resembled the site of a bomb blast with a gaping hole left in them. The flames that followed created a desperate scene.

“People were dropping children and jumping out of other windows,” Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said of the fire at an early morning briefing on Thursday. “Everybody was getting out of the building as rapidly as possible.”

Goldstein said that a K-9 team searching the rubble of the apartment complex had a “hit.” He said it could indicate someone is trapped in the debris. It was unclear if that hit turned out to be one of the people confirmed dead.




Massive explosion and fire devastates Silver Spring apartment complex
Play Video0:55
A three-alarm explosion and fire erupted in a Silver Spring, Md., apartment complex in the early hours of Aug. 11. At least two people were killed and more than 30 injured. (Jenny Starrs, Clarence Williams, Deirdra O'Regan/The Washington Post)

Clara Mazunder said she woke up to a loud “boom,” looked out her bedroom window and saw flames. The 39-year-old yelled to her two sons, ages 18 and 10, to get out of the apartment.

As she was running out of the building, she frantically pounded on her neighbors’ doors yelling “Fuego. Fuego,” she said, using the Spanish word for fire.

On Thursday morning, she stood outside a temporary shelter at a recreation center with all she had left: a wool jacket, her nightgown, pink flip-flops and her large white purse.

“It was so scary,” Mazunder said. “But I am grateful.”

Montgomery County Fire Battalion chief Dorcus Howard Richards said several of those injured were transported to local hospitals. The residents’ injuries ranged from minor to serious, Goldstein said. Some had respiratory injuries from smoke, and others had burns and fractures from jumping out of windows. The firefighters suffered non life-threatening injuries.



By 7 a.m., Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring said 11 patients had been treated and released after suffering minor injuries. Medstar Washington Hospital Center said they were also treating five patients, but declined to release their conditions. Some had already gone home.

Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Md. said it had received nine patients and several had been treated and released as of 10:30 a.m. One was transferred and one was admitted for observation as a precaution. The hospital declined to release the conditions of the patients still in its care.

About 120 firefighters and EMS workers, from Montgomery County and beyond, were on the scene at the mass casualty incident. Firefighters made many rescues of people trapped inside the apartment buildings, including deploying a lader truck to rescue residents trapped on upper floors of one of the buildings, officials said.

By Thursday morning, some firefighters lay in the road next to the apartment building, exhausted from their efforts.

Howard Richards said firefighters arrived on the scene shortly after midnight, near the intersection of Piney Branch Road and Arliss Street. The fire quickly grew from two to three alarms. She said firefighters in a nearby station heard the explosion.

“It’s going to be a long, extended investigation to figure out what caused this fire,” Howard Richards said.

Goldstein, the fire chief, said that there were natural gas furnaces and stoves in each of the units, but authorities don’t know what might have caused the blaze. It took at least an hour and 45 minutes for the fire be brought under control with the assistance of Washington Gas helping to turn off gas to the building.

He said building managers and the fire department had not received reports of problems before the blast and fire occurred.

A debris field outside the collapsed buildings extended about 50 yards to a parking lot across the street, and included shattered glass, bricks, concrete and wood. The debris appeared to include an apartment door that was sitting on a knoll and the smell of burning wood still hung in the air Thursday morning.

An overnight fire and explosion at an apartment building in Silver Spring, Md., injured more than 30 people. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

Corey Price, who lives in an apartment building next to the location of the explosion, said he woke up after someone frantically knocked on his window.

“People were screaming for help and crying and screaming. It was really bad,” Price said.

Howard Richards said the fire department was working with apartment managers to determine the names of residents of each affected apartment and confirm they were accounted for. She said it was too early to say the missing residents were dead, because some may have been out of town, working a nightshift or otherwise away.

One woman at the scene told NBC4 she was trying to reach her uncle by phone, but was unable to do so.

Willie Morales, a resident of the apartment complex, was walking across Piney Branch Road from a chicken restaurant when he collapsed to the ground on his stomach in fear from the loudest explosion he ever heard.

“It was one big boom, like nothing I’d ever heard,” Morales said. When he decided it was safe to rise to his feet, he saw flames coming from the basement and first floor of the apartment building in front of him.

Morales said he tried to bang on windows and to tell people to get out. He said he was screaming: “Fire! Fire! You have to get out!” in English and Spanish. “I tried to knock on the door and windows,” he said. “I’ve never seen a fire like this in my life.”


An overnight fire and explosion at an apartment building in Silver Spring, Md., injured more than 30 people. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

Emergency crews respond to a three-alarm apartment complex explosion and fire in Silver Spring, Md. (Clarence Williams/The Washington Post)

Those who fled the fire stood in grassy areas of nearby apartments and on sidewalks, and in bus shelters as parents held onto small children. Some onlookers took videos and pictures with their cell phones of the massive emergency response. A huge plume of gray smoke billowed from at least one burning building.

Goldstein said commuters should expect delays in the area because Piney Branch Road and Arliss Street are expected to be blocked for most of the day. Firefighters began to allow residents from surrounding buildings back inside, but power remained out in the area.

“The daylight will make our operation safer,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein said the fire department will bring in heavy equipment to shore up the damage buildings and sift through the rubble.


Washington Gas spokesman Jim Monroe declined to say if the utility company had gotten calls about smells or gas leaks at the building or if any problems had been reported before the fire.

“We are supporting the investigation,” he said. “Information will be shared publicly at the appropriate time.”

Monroe said Washington Gas is providing that information to local, state and federal officials “in support of their determination of cause.”

Washington Gas was on the scene and workers helped control the gas-fed fire, fire officials said. By about 1:45 a.m., firefighters had knocked down most of the fire, but the flames continued to smolder into the daylight hours.

The building is part of a densely populated area of Silver Spring’s Long Branch community. Flower Branch is among the area’s largest multi-family apartment complexes, with 362 units spread across 11 garden-style apartment buildings and 10 acres.

A woman who answered the phone Thursday morning at Kay Apartment Communities, the corporate owner of Flower Branch Apartments, said the company had no immediate comment on the explosion and that the owner was at the scene assessing damage. A call to the company’s president, Clark Melillo, was not immediately returned.

Officials from Montgomery County and the American Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at the Long Branch Recreation Center, near the scene of the fire. Paul Carden, regional disaster officer for the Red Cross, said there were about 60 to 70 people at the location.

He said the Red Cross had set up cots in the gymnasium and was preparing to begin helping people find more permanent shelter. Red Cross expected to be on the scene for several days.

“The number of households impacted is significant,” Carden said. “And the impact is more emotional because it was an explosion. I was at the scene and there’s someone’s shoe here, someone’s sock there and someone’s papers over there.”

Chuck Crisostomo, operations chief of Montgomery County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said many families have gone back to the apartments to see if they can recover belongings, though Crisostomo said up 24 units have been completely destroyed.

“When I ask them their address and I hear the address that is completely demolished, I have to break the news to them that [they] may not have any belongings to salvage whatsoever,” Crisostomo said.






Bill Turque, Luz Lazo, Fenit Nirrapil and LaVendrick Smith contributed to this report.

Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting, Forensics, and Environmental Remediation Services. Construction, Investigation, Remediation and Forensic Expert Engineers


Construction Defects, Construction Claims, Engineering, Property & Casualty Investigations, Assessment, Site Investigation, Remediation, Litigation and Indoor-Air Expert Engineers

Bill Stephan, PhD, PE, CIH, CHMM, JD, MBA
Principal Engineer

P.O. Box 520
Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520
Phone: (973) 897-8162
Fax: (973) 810-0440



__________________________________________________



Firm Overview


The engineering and forensic firm of Metropolitan Forensics and Consulting Engineering and Environmental Services was established for the purpose of providing a high value service to the insurance industry and to the insured companies or individuals. Our founding principal (Bill Stephan) is a licensed professional engineer in several states, including, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.



We specialize in the in-situ remediation of petroleum and chlorinated spills, the defense of liability claims, the investigation and defense of first or third party insurance claims and the handling of subrogation claims.  We are also experts on oil and gas energy sector issues (design, investigations, construction oversight), renewable energy sector (wind turbines, solar panels, biofuels, etc), vapor intrusion evaluation, vapor phase and transport and in design on vapor mitigation systems.  Additionally, we offer forensic engineering services, including age-dating of contaminant releases, construction defects, oversight, evaluation of remedial alternatives, sub-slab ventilation system design and installation.  The list of our core services is:



  • Cause and Origin Investigations
  • Construction Failure Analysis (Residential, Industrial and Commercial)
  • Structural Integrity Evaluation
  • Site Investigation
  • Tank removals and tank installations; licensed and insured to perform entire UST work
  • In-Situ Remediation of Soil and Groundwater
  • Vapor intrusion, indoor air evaluation and mitigation
  • Causation
  • Forensic Investigations (age-dating)
  • Oversight
  • Review of Remedial Action Work Plans
  • Reserve Estimation
  • Cost Allocation
  • RAWP Preparation
  • Site Remediation
  • Cleanup Level Development and Negotiation
  • Subrogation
  • Expert Witness/Litigation Support
  • Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) Services
  • Construction Claims (Delay, Differing Site Conditions, Loss of Productivity, Acceleration, and others)

 





















Additional Specialty Service Areas

Age Dating
Boilers & Burners
Bridges
Building Codes
Building Inspections


Construction Accident
   Reconstruction
Construction Defects
Construction Delay Claims

Construction Surety Claims
Construction Disputes
Construction Differing Condition Claims
Construction Oversight
Construction Management
Construction Acceleration Claims

Construction Failures
Construction Injuries
Contractor Performance Issues
Corrosion


Defective Designs
Defective Roadway Design
   Evaluations


Earthquake
Electrical Accidents/Injuries
Electrical Equipment Failures
Electrical Fires
Elevators, Escalators
   & Conveyors
Embedded Software Hazards
   & Analysis
Equipment Failures
Errors and Omissions
Explosions

Failure Analysis
Fire
Fire Codes
Fire Protection Systems
Fire Suppression Systems

Flood Damage Assessment

Foundation Systems

Gas Systems

Hailstorm damage

Heating & Ventilation Systems
Heavy Construction
Highway/Roadway Design
Human Factors


Indoor Air Quality
Laboratory Services
Ladders, Scaffolding Falls
   & Failures
Lightning

Mechanical Defect Evaluations
Metallurgical Age Dating
Mold Causation
Natural Disasters/Weather
   Related Issues
Nuclear Energy
Occupational Hazards
   & Illness

Piping
Playground Equipment Injuries
Plumbing
Product Failures
Roofing Problems & Failures
Safety Codes
Safety & Human Factors
   Engineering
Scalding
Scene Mapping and Photographs
Sick Building Syndrome
Sports Equipment Injuries
Standardized Codes
Steam Systems
Subrogation Issues


Transportation Issues
Trips, Slips & Falls
Underground Storage Tanks
Utilities Expertise
Vibration
Water Damage
Windstorm



Mission Statement


Our mission is to work as an extension of our clients to expeditiously achieve the most economically favorable resolution of claims on their behalf and on behalf of their insured. We have developed and will continue to create new solutions to the technical problems and issues which are facing the insurance industry and the insureds today.  

Metropolitan provides forensic engineering work (age-dating or fingerprinting), site remediation, auditing, cost control and litigation support services to insurance carriers, their insureds and to private or public companies.  In its risk management role, examines, manages and audits environmental claims to ensure that assessment and remediation services provided to both carriers and policy holders are reasonable and necessary, properly rendered and appropriately charged. 



In its litigation support role, Metropolitan assists carriers and their counsel to ensure that litigious disputes are resolved fairly and reimbursement benefits are provided when appropriate.  The corporations service area includes the entire United States, with our corporate office located in Northern New Jersey.  The Firm's professional staff also travels regularly throughout the United States on assignment.


Forensics at Metropolitan


There are many issues associated with disputes over responsibility for cleanup. Who, what, when, where, and how chemicals were released can be investigated. The tools of forensic investigation include mathematical models, statistical models, fate and transport calculations, chromatography, lead isotope analyses, time of travel assessments, library search site characterization, tracer additives, and recently developed software applications.



Effective forensic project management should include an evaluation of multiple forensic tools based on site specific circumstances. The process of evaluation and the ultimate selection of the forensic tool are critical to a successful outcome. When project budgets allow, combining forensic methods for corroborative evidence can substantially strengthen your client’s position in an effort to prevent or support litigation. The effective forensic consultant must be well acquainted with an ever expanding list of analytical methods, environmental regulations, assessment procedures and remedial technologies.



The forensic field is one that utilizes a wide range of scientific tools to identify and characterize complex adverse environmental events. Some of the scientific disciplines involved in forensics include engineering principles (biological, physical and chemical), hydrology, lithology, geology, site history, site practices, mathematics, and statistics. These areas may be combined with technologies such as respiratory analyses, chromatography/mass spectrometry and chemical fingerprinting methods to answer complex questions with the ultimate goal of establishing responsibility for a particular event. Accurate, defensible forensic analyses are an essential component of any strategy that attempts to resolve the extent of the insurer or insured client responsibilities in the cleanup of contaminants.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic services.



Property Damage Services at Metropolitan

Metropolitan assists property owners, claims professionals, businesses, and attorneys in   the assessment of the cause & origin (C&O), extent of damage and required restoration after pipe bursts, settlements, manufacturing and construction failures, fire, flood, earthquake, or storm damage.  Our teams of engineers have extensive experience in the many systems that make up a building including structural, mechanical and electrical systems.   We also have the necessary background to evaluate property damage to items such as communications towers or solar panels. We can help determine alternative, appropriate, and cost effective solutions for repair or restoration of any damaged property, both commercial and residential. 

Providing Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services.

Our experts are multi-skilled, competent, and objective professionals who apply their analytical and common sense skills to reconstruct, determine the root cause, and document the events that give rise to property, casualty, and liability claims.  Thorough investigations and detailed measurements/research help us distinguish between pre-existing conditions and sudden and accidental losses.



 






























Our investigations are:

·         Comprehensive & Accurate

·         Legible & Easy to Understand

·         Timely Performed

·         Delivered Quickly

·         Cost Effective

·         Clear & Concise

·         Developed by Professionals

·         Dependable

·         Our own uniform reporting system saves time and money.


Our Fast Track Investigation and Uniform Format Reporting systems allow us to conduct and deliver a comprehensive response to the assigned claim.  In most cases, we will obtain findings based on a site visit, visual observations, photographs, interviews, and field measurements.  Further investigations and testing will be provided upon request and approval by the client.



Forensic Investigation of Property Damage Claims

Metropolitan Consulting, Engineering & Forensics understands your need to complete a claim investigation accurately and efficiently as possible.  Whether it is accident reconstruction, damage due to environmental forces such as wind, water, hail, snow, tornado, etc.; fire origin & cause investigation or any other claim, the engineers at Metropolitan understand both you and your client want to resolve the claim.  The analysis you receive from Metropolitan will be accurate and complete, giving you the information needed in the claim adjustment and analysis.

Our services have extended beyond the forensic analysis phase into the remediation and repair phase of many large loss claims.  Upon the completion of the cause and origin (C&O) investigation, Metropolitan can provide our clients with complete working drawings and specifications needed to repair or rebuilt damaged buildings or other structures.  Metropolitan Consulting & Engineering’ staff possesses many-many years of experience in rehabilitation design, construction management, and project oversight to ensure the loss is restored in a timely and cost-effective manner without sacrificing quality.  Building code knowledge allows us to identify possible code upgrades as needed.  Metropolitan understands constructability and realizes making an insured whole goes beyond forensic investigation and design. We pride ourselves in providing practical solutions contractors can understand and follow.

At the forefront of available technology, we provide professionals and staff capable of handling a variety of engineering evaluations.  Our reports are clear, concise, complete and efficiently produced.  Our engineering objectives are achieved in an ethical manner consistent with the traditions and character of engineering professionals.

Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our property damage services.


Extensive Experience helping Sureties

Metropolitan also has extensive experience helping sureties fulfill their bond obligations resolve disputes after a contractor has defaulted.  This work includes the evaluation of contractor bid pricing, evaluation of the contractor’s ability to perform work, risk assessment, evaluation of termination, construction completion services, claim and litigation support services, loss recovery services, evaluation of payment bond claims, negotiation and settlement of payment bond claims, and construction defects investigation services.  Metropolitan has provided these services for commercial, development, educational, and assisted living projects.


Construction is a business fraught with risk.  Disputes over even the smallest of issues can quickly escalate, with crippling consequences to the project and the parties.  Over the years, the construction industry has developed various methods of contractually allocating the risk of project delay and disruption.  Some of these methods include liquidated damages provisions, "no damages for delay" clauses, mutual waivers of consequential damages, provisions that limit liability, claims notice provisions, and provisions addressing responsibility for the adequacy of the construction plans and specifications.  Parties frequently litigate the sufficiency of these risk-shifting efforts in conjunction with the underlying merits of delay and disruption disputes.
Construction Claims & Disputes
The most frequently encountered claims include:
1.            Construction Delay Claims
2.            Disruption and Loss of Labor Productivity Claims
3.            Design and Construction Defect Claims
4.            Force Majeure Claims
5.            Acceleration or Compression of the Schedule Claims
6.            Suspension, Termination and Default Claims
7.            Differing Site Conditions Claims
8.            Change Order and Extra Work Claims
9.            Cost Overrun Claims
10.         Unacceptable Workmanship or Substituted Material Claims
11.         Non-payment Claims (stop notice (or Notice to Withhold) claims, mechanics’ lien (only for private construction projects) and payment bond claims)



Forensic Engineering Experience Case Studies


Metropolitan staff has developed and utilized scientific methods to assist clients in a variety of ways related to their claim issues. The following is a partial list of such projects:

  • Provided expert witness services for plaintiff seeking remediation of contaminated groundwater that caused indoor air inhalation problems;
  • Testified that engineering and scientific evidence was improperly collected and analyzed and was inadequate to show the age of the release;
  • Origin and cause of retaining wall failures.  
  • Lightning damage to structures or electrical systems and equipment
  • Roof failure or collapse as a result of accumulated load, additional weight and snow drift at hundreds of commercial and residential properties.
  • Demonstrated that solvents in groundwater at client's property originated from off-site dry-cleaner and that client's site actually provided remediation for the off-site release of dry cleaning solvent;
  • Expert witness for property owner impacted by industrial waste disposal from industrial manufacturer;
  • Demonstrated that environmental analysis by a previous consultant for a manufacturing site was inadequate; as a result, the lender's concerns were alleviated and financing proceeded;
  • Chemical "age-dating" and contaminant transport analyses of petroleum in groundwater at a gas station showed that contaminants originated from other parties;
  • Age-dated petroleum release at a former gas station to show that the previous owner of the gas station caused groundwater contamination;
  • Age-dated petroleum releases at an industrial facility to show that the on-site plume was the result of an off-site source;
  • Prepared age-dating reports for over one-hundred residential fuel oil spills;
  • Assisted insurance companies attorneys in defending subrogation claims; was able to demonstrate that the forensic data collected by the first party consultant were collected and analyzed using invalid methods;
  • Demonstrated that structural damage to a residence was from a source other than the alleged high lake level
  • Collected evidence (for the primary responsible party) that identified other responsible parties to share in the cost of a Superfund cleanup;
  • Review of the site data at a bulk petroleum facility indicated that the site releases were not the result of regular oil transfer operations and that they were caused by the negligent actions of the insured’s agents; the case was settled in favor of the insurance company;
  • Was able to demonstrate that the majority of the removal actions at petroleum release sites were neither reasonable nor necessary; as a result of our opinion, the insurance client settled the claim in favorable terms;
  • At several drycleaner sites we were able to demonstrate that the age of the release was much earlier than the parties originally believed; as a result, the insurance client settled the claim at a fraction of the alleged liability;
  • We performed numerous flood and wind damage assessments at commercial and residential properties.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic engineering services.




Site Remediation Services


 Characterizing and remediating contaminated sites involve some of the most complex and difficult issues for environmental lawyers and their clients. Problem areas include responding to regulators; negotiating enforcement settlements; negotiating or litigating cost allocation and recovery claims; working with the insured or insurer client, lawyers and regulators to develop efficient, cost-effective remediation approaches; and selling, buying, or developing contaminated properties.



Metropolitan staff has developed and applied an innovative approach to the use of sodium persulfate for the sequential in-situ treatment of subsurface contaminants through chemical oxidation followed by enhanced biological degradation through sulfate reduction. This approach has broad applicability to a wide range of contaminants, and shows strong cost-saving benefits through reducing the initial volume of chemical oxidant necessary and enhancing the in-situ biological degradation of contaminants.



Through proper subsurface geochemical characterization and chemical dosing design, the approach focuses on utilizing the oxidant for immediate mass reduction at the source area, followed by degradation or polishing of the residual contamination using sulfate reducing bacteria.  Depending upon the oxidant activation method, this approach is applicable to petroleum hydrocarbons including both volatiles and PAHs, chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) including chlorinated ethene, ethane and methane groups, as well as PCBs.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Site Remediation Services.





Vapor Intrusion and Indoor-Air Studies


Vapor intrusion has received increased attention over the last few years near contaminated sites because some contaminants have the potential to migrate into nearby buildings and negatively affect indoor air quality. The accumulation of these volatile vapors in buildings can result in significant safety and health concerns.
To properly evaluate vapor intrusion a thorough evaluation of the building's ventilation system and subsurface conditions needs to be conducted by a knowledgeable professional in accordance with state and federal established procedures. 
The evaluation process typically includes a thorough building chemical inventory, the advancement of soil gas probes and the collection of soil gas samples. When indoor air quality problems are identified they can normally be resolved through the modification/installation of a properly designed ventilation system.
Metropolitan is well experienced with U.S. EPA and State vapor intrusion investigation techniques. We have completed numerous vapor intrusion and indoor air quality studies at commercial and residential properties. We have the experience to identify and resolve indoor vapor intrusion problems and the practical know-how to resolve indoor quality issues in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Vapor Intrusion and Indoor Air Studies.




Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting, Forensics, and Environmental Remediation Services.


Construction, Investigation, Remediation and Forensic Expert  Engineers

P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520

Ph.: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440



Contact: Dr. Bill N. Stephan, PhD, PE, JD, CIH, MBA, CHMM






Insurance claim examiners, insureds, insurers, insurance adjusters and risk managers use Metropolitan for determining cause, evaluating the extent of damage, determining the age of the release, separating unrelated damage, analyzing loss scopes and managing restoration data, determining costs to repair, restore or replace, and preparing for insurance appraisals.



Attorneys call on Metropolitan for help when preparing for Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution such as arbitration and mediation