LAKE COUNTY ? Road crews in Lake County are hard at work, despite a workplace advisory issued Friday by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) for all of Northern California because of smoke in the air from wildfires.
“Employers and employees should follow the advice of the state Air Resources Board and local air quality management districts and avoid being outdoors to the extent they can,” Cal/OSHA Chief Len Welsh said in a Friday press release. He said workers required to be outdoors should minimize strenuous activity.
Roads Superintendent Steve Stangland of the county Public Works Department said poor visibility and air quality isn”t stopping his crews from working regular hours.
“There is no indoor work for our guys, and it”s not like we can change the schedule. Roads still have potholes, brush still grows, so the guys still have to be out there. Even in these smoky conditions, work still has to be done to keep the public roads safe,” Stangland said.
He said crews are encouraged to stay hydrated, take breaks when needed and not overstress themselves.
County Public Works crews were laying asphalt Friday in the Riviera Heights subdivision as part of a cape seal project in the area. Smoke from Lake County”s Walker Fire and approximately 100 fires in Mendocino County make conditions hard for his men, according to Stangland. But he”s heard no complaints or reports of health problems so far.
“It”s made it harder, not only in that it”s hot and muggy and draining on the guys, but also it becomes a safety issue, because visibility is poor and the traveling public can”t always see the crews working and where the guys actually are,” Stangland said.
Stangland urged drivers to slow down and be especially watchful, not just for road crews but for anything in the roadway, while smoke clouds the county”s air.
Caltrans crews are on a regular work schedule as well, according to spokesman Phil Frisbie, including crews working on projects in Middletown, Blue Lakes and on Highway 20 near Walker Ridge Road.
“According to our safety office, Caltrans is monitoring the air quality bulletins from the Lake County management district. That”s part of our normal procedure all year round. They are now sending out advisories saying that the elderly, young people and people who are more susceptible to air pollution should limit outdoor activity. However, the last report we heard was that it is not affecting the normal operations of crews out there from performing normal maintenance duties,” Frisbie said.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District reported Friday that levels of particulate matter were up to 277 percent more than the allowable limit, a level characterized as “moderate” to “unhealthy.” Ozone levels approached but did not exceed the state standard and ramined less than 75 percent of the federal standard, according to a Friday press release.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
