ANDRE GONZALEZ, C.I.H.
Senior Industrial Hygienist

Education

B.A. Biology, University of Iowa, 1987

Registration, Certification and Accreditation

Certified Industrial Hygienist (6895)
EPA-accredited and CDPHE-Certified in the following Asbestos disciplines:
AHERA Project Designer
AHERA Building Inspector
AHERA Management Planner
Colorado Air Monitoring Specialist
EPA-accredited in the following Lead Based Paint disciplines:
Lead Inspector
Lead Assessor

Experience

Senior Associate, Slosky & Company, Inc. 2012 - Present

President, Foothills Environmental, Inc., 1998 - Present

Senior Industrial Hygienist, Morrison Knudsen Corporation, 1991 - 1998 

Senior Project Manager, ATC Associates, 1988 - 1991

Project Experience

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Foothills Environmental, Livermore, California, 2009 - 2012

This project required the Beryllium decontamination of three machine shops in Building 321C at LLNL.  Each machine shop is roughly 30” feet high and between 7,000 ft2 and 10,000 ft2.  The contract required decontamination of all surfaces to levels below 0.2 micrograms/100cm2.  This included all machines, interior supply/return ducts, the overhead crane, walls, floor, ceiling, structural steel, and lighting systems.  Mr. Gonzalez was responsible for contract management in addition to all industrial hygiene/safety issues.  This included the collection of Beryllium air samples from 100% of the workers; Beryllium quality assurance swipe sampling; establishing work controls to minimize exposure risk; PPE/respirator selection, and generation of all written reports summarizing daily exposure results.  In addition, Mr. Gonzalez wrote the Health and Safety Plan and Activity Hazard Analysis for the project. 

Martin Marietta (Lockheed Martin), ATC Associates, Littleton, Colorado, 1987 - 1991

Mr. Gonzales provided oversight during asbestos abatement projects.  Utilizing the NIOSH 7400 methodology, he collected and analyzed asbestos air samples.  He served as project asbestos inspector during comprehensive asbestos characterization of the entire facility, and assisted with the integration of field inspection data and the final asbestos inspection report.  Gonzales directed and assisted the inspection crew with identifying and labeling asbestos containing materials.  All inspection data was integrated to a management database to assist facility employees with asbestos identification and their operations and maintenance program.

Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Foothills Environmental, Golden, Colorado, 1998 - 2005

Mr. Gonzales served as manager of the Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program for Rocky Mountain Remediation Services (RMRS), and health and safety manager of Buildings 444, 881, 865, 886 and 883.  He performed health and safety oversight of craft personnel during deactivation and clean-up operations.  In addition, he prepared activity hazard analyses (AHA) for all work activities, and provided activity specific training for craft personnel.  During this project, Mr. Gonzales conducted asbestos inspections of over 200 structures at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site and provided technical oversight for most asbestos abatement activities at the facility. 

Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Foothills Environmental, Commerce City, Colorado, 1991 - 1998, 2007 - 2009

While at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Gonzales developed and implemented health and safety plans and procedures during site investigation and remediation.  Site activities included core drilling to determine extent of contamination; characterization of unknown liquids remaining in abandon pipelines, vessels, and tanks; and dismantling, demolition, and decontamination of characterized pipelines, vessels and tanks. He was responsible for health and safety oversight and monitoring of personnel operating water pump and treatment facilities. Mr. Gonzales managed training and medical surveillance records of over 80 employees and provided all necessary training for site activities, which included hazard communication, respiratory protection, fall protection, lock-out/tag-out, and 8-hour hazardous waste refresher training.  He investigated all accidents/incidents to determine the ‘root cause,’ and implemented corrective actions.

He served as the Health and Safety Officer during asbestos abatement of the White House (Building 111) at the RMA, and conducted daily safety briefings to ensure a safe work environment.  The work involved removal of 20,000 square feet of contaminated asbestos soil from the crawl space beneath the building.  In addition, all asbestos thermal system insulation was removed from the building prior to demolition.

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Morrison Knudson, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1992 - 1994

While at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Gonzales implemented the Health and Safety Plan during field investigations for radiation and hazardous waste contamination.  He provided oversight of the drilling subcontractor and sampling team.  Work activities included sampling sludge and sediment from the bottom of waste water ponds.

PANTEX Facility, Morrison Knudson, Amarillo, Texas, 1995

Mr. Gonzales served as the site health and safety officer during drilling activities to determine the extent of radiation and hazardous waste contamination.  He monitored personnel, equipment, and environmental samples to prevent the spread of radioactive contamination.

U.S. Army Materials Technology Laboratory, Morrison Knudson, Watertown, Massachusetts, 1992 - 1995

Mr. Gonzales conducted asbestos inspections of all buildings and developed asbestos removal plans and procedures; managed abatement contractors to ensure proper removal and regulatory compliance and collected work zone and final clearance air samples; and collected personal air samples for beryllium, silica, and lead and interpreted results to ensure adequate worker protection.  He managed the inspection of over 70 chemical and sanitary sewers for radiation contamination, and monitored work zones during drilling activities. He provided safety support during decommissioning and demolition of a nuclear test facility, and associated laboratories.

Various Military Bases, Morrison Knudson, Hawaii, 1995

Andre Gonzales developed and implemented the Health and Safety Plan during the removal of over 200 underground storage tanks (USTs).  He monitored confined spaces for hazardous atmospheres during removal of USTs, and oversaw the activities to ensure compliance with the work plans and to verify completion of all work activities.  He collected soil samples as required for tank closure and interpreted the analytical results.
 
Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Foothills Environmental, Denver, Colorado, 2002

Gonzales provided health and safety support during waste minimization, and classified parts re-packaging activities.  Work activities included Level B characterization of unknown waste items; preparation of activity hazard analysis (AHA) for all projects; implementation of the Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program (CBDPP); and safety oversight of all maintenance work activities.

Specialized Training

NIOSH 582 “Sampling and Evaluating Airborne Asbestos Dust”

OSHA 1910.120 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response               Training (40 hour training, current 8-hour annual refresher training)

OSHA 1910.120 Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response               Supervisor Training

AIHA/ACGIH sponsored courses include:

Safe Handling of Compressed Gases
Surface Sampling for Metals
Occupation Ergonomics: Control of Musculoskeletal Disorders
Welding Health and Safety
Noise Exposure Measurement for Experienced Professionals
Indoor Air Quality – Advanced Diagnostics
Indoor Air Quality Solutions
Assessing and Remediation of Microbial Contamination in the Indoor Environment
            Fire Protection
            Niton XL-309 and XL-700 Series for Lead Paint Inspections
            Community Noise
            Health, Science and Law

Award

1998 RFETS Kaiser-Hill Individual Safety Award

Professional Affiliations

American Industrial Hygiene Association
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist
American Board of Industrial Hygiene