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The Environmental Contractors Association of New York City (ECA) advances the needs of professional environmental contractors by adhering to high professional, safety and integrity standards. Founded in 1996 by a small group of contractors, the Association has grown to include over 50 members that are committed to raising industry standards. The contractors specialize in hazardous material’s removal, emergency response, asbestos removal, infectious clean up, oil, sewage and chemical spills, brownfields, and contaminated water and reinsulating work.
Green building has a significant impact on the environment, economy and the overall health of communities, but sustainable building practices don’t just include new construction. The ECA’s environmental remediation services are geared specifically toward increasing the efficiency and sustainability of all new construction and retrofitting projects. Environmental remediation carries with it many benefits, including improved air and water quality, conserved natural resources, reduced operating costs, enhanced occupant comfort and health, as well as a minimized strain on local infrastructure.
Membership in the ECA provides contractors with networking opportunities, legislative support, and professional development programs, in addition to mediation and arbitration of jurisdictional disputes. ECA members participate in the larger unionized construction industry and have strong relationships with numerous city, state, and federal agencies. We also work with our members as collective bargaining representatives in the negotiation of labor agreements with our affiliated trade unions and help these unions achieve efficiency, safety, and professionalism on all ECA member projects.
The Environmental Contractors Association’s Charitable Fund for Disaster Relief and Recovery was established by environmental remediation experts to marshal the resources of local firms and mitigate the environmental impact of natural disasters and emergencies. Serving as a unifying force, the foundation organizes the financial resources, manpower, and equipment in the community to coordinate post-disaster assessment and clean-up. The Charitable Fund for Disaster Relief and Recovery is committed to developing and educating communities regarding best practices for clean-up and recovery of the urban and green environment.
The content in the Landmark Safety Program and the Management-Labor Safety Initiative is very repetitive. Can you please remove the landmark safety program completely and instead use this below the paragraph that takes that information and combines it with the management-labor safety initiative so everything goes under that tab instead?
Providing unprecedented value for real estate owners, the ECA launched a management-labor safety initiative designed to raise standards throughout the environmental construction industry. The program was implemented to protect the public and ensure worker safety and compliance with regulations during the abatement of toxic materials. Following the announcement of the industry’s new Safety & Compliance Program, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) have both offered their assistance and participation.
The ECA is committed to top compliance with new regulations, ensuring that member firms are up-to-date on the latest environmental policies with access to state-of-the-art training that develops the most qualified labor force, so clients know that when they choose ECA members, they are selecting from the very best companies in the environmental remediation industry.
Many of our contractors have LEED-certified professionals on staff. In addition, we work closely with our clients to achieve LEED ratings on sustainable construction projects. Our wide range of environmental services includes erosion control, green waste management, green materials and resources, indoor air quality, and blower door and air quality testing.
The program’s elements are simple: 1) Safety 2) compliance, and 3) cooperation. Training has already begun for company supervisors, foremen, handlers, and union shop stewards to ensure their full understanding of DEP regulations, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements, and OSHA standards. Contractors are expected to strive for state-of-the-art safety practices, and all foremen, shop stewards, and supervisors consistently monitor all work practices within the work area. Program enforcement is simple: those who ignore or evade their obligations are sanctioned, and those who achieve full compliance are rewarded.
The program details the responsibilities of both management and labor professionals and is designed to provide improved training and education for all levels of the environmental industry and, ultimately, to provide new jobs for ECA contractors. Management and labor continue to jointly train the environmental contracting workforce—both shop stewards and superintendents—and the result has been new industry-wide standards and increased worker awareness. The training aims to raise the bar on safety standards and regulation compliance and to develop the most qualified labor workforce through safety innovation and superior training. Courses are offered in English with translations to Spanish, Polish, and Russian.
We invite you to learn more about the Environmental Contractors Association and its member organizations. We look forward to working with you on your next construction project.