Meet the EHS Employee Safety Oversight Unit (ESOU)

The Environmental Health and Safety Department’s (EHS) Employee Safety Oversight Unit (ESOU) monitors NYCHA’s compliance with regulations and standards governing employee safety. ESOU also investigates reports of unsafe conditions at workplaces. 

As a part of their work, ESOU performs activities such as: 

  • Assessing compactor room safety throughout the Authority and providing appropriate guidance to property management for improvement, conducting follow-up assessments to monitor improvements; 
  • Attending Safety Congresses and events and creating task forces that provide technical guidance; 
  • Providing an annual respiratory protection program training and ensuring that program participants are properly fit-tested for personal protective equipment; and 
  • Overseeing the industrial hygienist consultants as they conduct exposure assessments, reviewing the results, and presenting data to relevant departments to ensure compliance with OSHA’s respiratory protection program and NYCHA’s standard procedures. 

One of NYCHA’s critical safety programs is its Confined Space Safety Program. Confined spaces are enclosed or partially enclosed spaces that are not primarily designed or intended for human occupancy for a prolonged period. Such spaces are configured so that workers can enter and perform assigned tasks; however, they have limited or restricted entries. To help staff recognize the potential hazards and the precautions needed to safely work in these areas, ESOU’s safety trainers provide confined space training for relevant employees. 

This photo essay involves photos taken from a confined space inspection at Pelham Parkway Houses.

Senior Employee Oversight Specialist Larry Pucciarelli meets with the Pelham Houses Property Manager to inspect the air monitoring equipment and confined space folder.

ESOU Specialists explain the gas monitor calibration process to the Property Manager and Property Maintenance Supervisor.

An Occupational Health Specialist photographs an area with missing signage and documents the findings.

ESOU Specialists document where the signage should be at the entry point.

The Senior Employee Safety Oversight Specialist shows the property managers how to locate the confined space section on the SafeNYCHA webpage, makes recommendations on the proper signage to be posted, and provides guidance on ordering the correct parts for the GX2012 4-gas monitor.

The ESOU verifies that data entered on the handheld is in the system. 

EHS encourages NYCHA employees and residents to report any unaddressed, previously reported safety conditions by calling the Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771 (select menu option 7, then option 3) or by visiting on.nyc.gov/submit-concern