SAFETY/ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT
Principal
Masters of Science – Environmental Engineering: University of New Haven
Bachelor of Science – Marine Engineering: United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York
Registered Environmental Professional
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager
Certified Infrastructure Preparedness Specialist
Certified Environmental & Safety Compliance Officer
Post-Blast Investigator – Interior
Mr. Errico is a graduate from the United States Merchant Marine Academy with a degree in Engineering and a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Haven. Upon graduation from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Paul served time in the U.S. Navy as Chief Engineer aboard a destroyer and continued on active reserve status for eight (8) years. Paul Errico is a results-oriented professional with thirty (30) years of experience working with OSHA (General Industry, Maritime Industry and Construction), EPA and USDOT regulations and diverse industries.
Served as a 3rd Assistant Engineer for El Paso Natural Gas on a 1200 foot 125,000 cubic meter Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Carrier. Trained and certified in LNG Operations at the MEBA Engineering School in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1981, he was hired as a mechanical engineer for ITT Corporation with EHS and hazardous waste management responsibilities. In 1982, he was promoted to Director of Health and Safety for several facilities in Connecticut, including the Advanced Technology Center and a major semiconductor manufacturing operation. As Plant Engineer and Safety Director for the ITT’s Advanced Technology Center in Shelton, Connecticut he developed programs for the research & development and semiconductor facilities and was tasked with developing their first hazardous waste program. In addition, due to the nature of ITT’s operations, he developed an accident prevention and investigation program to deal with workers’ comp accidents (injuries, toxic exposures and fatalities).
In 1991 he became the first Corporate Safety Director for Ogden Services, developing their Corporate EHS Policies and Procedures manual, training programs and inspection protocols for diversified clients (NYU Medical, World Trade Center, Trash-to-Energy plants, chemical facilities, R&D labs) across the country. The day after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing he was involved in the development of safety protocols for workers during cleanup operations and the review of all accident reports with respect to Ogden workers. As Corporate Safety Director, as with ITT, he developed another accident prevention and investigation program to deal with the numerous diverse industries (commercial, R&D, pharmaceutical, trash-to-energy plants, higher education institutions, chemical plants, medical facilities, etc.) Ogden Services was contracted to.
When the facilities closed down, Mr. Errico changed careers to concentrate in the area of safety compliance and became the first Corporate Director of Health and Safety for Ogden Services, a nationwide corporation. Among his accomplishments, he developed Ogden’s first corporate-wide safety manual; numerous OSHA compliant training programs; managed reduction, elimination and/or control of hazards in manufacturing, R&D facilities and a major international airport to ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations and standards; developed safety and health training programs for diverse industries (healthcare, higher education, trash-to-energy facilities, construction projects, etc.) around the country. In 1993, he was involved in the response efforts for the World Trade Center bombing and was responsible for developing safety protocols, regarding hazardous materials, for workers in the aftermath. With changes in the world, he was chosen to attend the U.S. Army Chemical School’s COBRA (Chemical, Ordinance, Biological and Radiological) Operations course at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and was certified as a COBRA instructor/WMD Technician, and has since presented numerous classes addressing chemical/biological agents and threats, decontamination operations, response actions and recognition of dissemination devices. Mr. Errico’s certifications include: EPA responder/instructor in WMD: Domestic Preparedness, an instructor and technician in Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings from New Mexico Tech certified by the USDOJ, and a Post Blast Investigator certified by the USDOJ and Connecticut State Police Bomb Squad.
In 1985, he established Paul L. Errico Associates, Incorporated, a safety and environmental consulting firm. Initial projects included modifying plant operating procedures, designing safety and environmental programs for both large and small corporations, setting up training programs and conducting environmental audits. As the safety and environmental spheres evolved, he expanded the firm’s areas of expertise. Mr. Errico was instrumental in the development of numerous new programs in the fields of safety engineering, chemical safety management, hazardous waste management, and hazard communication for the general and construction industries. Disciplines to which he has provided his services include: chemical industry, circuit board manufacturing, petroleum industry, construction, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, real estate firms and the legal profession. He is presently a security advisor for two major petroleum facilities for which he has developed security plans and trained essential personnel. Mr. Errico has conducted numerous comprehensive safety inspections and compliance training.
As an OSHA compliance specialist, environmental investigations, hazardous materials specialist and accident prevention/ workers’ comp investigations (OSHA, EPA, USDOT) for very diverse clientele, he has been retained by attorneys as an expert witness for conducting investigations, giving depositions, providing expertise during discovery phases and testifying in court in the previously mentioned disciplines. In addition, he has trained employees in various industrial and construction disciplines, consulting firms and police and fire personnel in the skills needed for recognizing and complying with Federal OSHA Standards (29 CFR 1910 & 1926), recognizing safety hazards and reacting to hazardous materials incidents, ranging from minor spills to transportation incidents.
Mr. Errico developed new procedures for conducting industrial accident investigations, thus reducing workers’ compensation costs for clients. In addition, he created new approaches to conducting fire, safety and environmental audits through which he utilized NFPA, OSHA and EPA guidelines, standards and regulations. He also conducts environmental investigations with regards to illegal dumping, hazardous waste mismanagement and environmental site assessments.
Two of Mr. Errico’s most notable accomplishments were:
1) working on an environmental remediation project collecting evidence for the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office of Criminal Justice. The evidence he gathered and his experience in the environmental field successfully linked a contractor providing illegal fill material from a demolition site as a built up base for a new building that was to be erected;
2) as a safety engineer on a $1.5 billion Ultra-violet disinfection facility construction project. There his responsibilities included ensuring compliance of all contractors with both OSHA 1910 (General Industry) and 1926 (Construction) standards, hazardous materials issues, training (OSHA Outreach, OSHA Compliance training, HAZWOPER, etc.), accident investigations (workers’ comp, vehicular, environmental, hazmat) and site safety audits. Due to his engineering education and diving experience, he was responsible for safety during specific deep dive projects involving professional divers going into a water shaft (~440’) to install, repair, grout and demolish various areas during shutdowns of the shaft. His engineering background has been very useful for solutions to various safety and engineering issues.
Mr. Errico has given more than 300 lectures, classes and presentations to both general and construction industries, healthcare facilities, educational institutes, law enforcement and fire service, and for forensic science and criminal justice programs.
Paul has been called upon by various attorneys and insurance companies as an expert witness, (investigations, depositions and court appearances) on workers’ compensation cases (injuries, fatalities and toxic exposures) and environmental investigations. Paul conducts the investigations including photographing the accident scenes and interviews. Environmental investigations include illegal dumping, contamination, hazardous waste handling and remediation. One such case involved Paul working with a Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, Environmental Crimes Division, investigating the use of illegal landfill on a large parcel of land. Paul was instrumental in successfully gathering evidence and connecting it to a specific site that contained material not suitable for fill material.
Legal Experience & Services – typical cases
Evaluation of Facility Safety, Hazardous Communication and MSDS Programs
Industrial accidents:
Exposure to hazardous chemicals
Improper respiratory protection – beryllium
Asphyxiation by inert gas
Confined space
Electrical burn
Failure to use personal protection equipment
Construction:
Radial saw amputation
Lack of fall protection training
Fall – scissor lift
Aerial lift fatality
Caught-in: rock crusher
Fall –working under a piece of earth moving equipment
Environmental:
Illegal dumping of hazardous waste – several cases
Environmental investigations
Personal injuries:
Slip and fall – stairs
Struck by – 2×4
Product Liability:
Improper employee training – severe burn injury
Professional Experience
- Development of Safety policies and procedures for diversified industries
• Conducted over 20 environmental investigations
• Worked on several high profile construction projects
• 1993 World Trade Center Bombing – developed safety protocols for emergency clean-up personnel - Developed and In-charge of Naugatuck Valley Hazmat Team (Recognized on State & Local levels by various agencies
- Numerous industrial/construction accident investigations (I.e. personal injury, exposure to hazardous materials, equipment, unsafe acts, fatalities, etc.)
• Conducted numerous training sessions & lectured on various standards of OSHA General Industry & Construction; hazardous materials; environmental investigations; workers’ compensation investigations
• Worked on a remediation project collecting evidence, for the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office of Criminal Justice, in an attempt to link illegal landfill material to a demolition site
• Lectures at the Henry Lee Institute of Forensic Science, University of New Haven, CT., in terrorism, WMD, Explosives: Forensics and Evidence
• Serves as an expert witness for various attorneys on accident cases related to OSHA compliance, general/construction safety, hazardous materials & environmental cases
Education
MS Environmental Engineering – University of New Haven, West Haven, Connecticut
BS Marine Engineering – United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York
Other Certifications: Certified OSHA Haz/Mat Specialist, Incident Commander & Instructor; Critical Incident Stress Management; Instructor/Technician in WMD, Awareness, Recognition and Identification of Explosives, Response, COBRA; OSHA Compliance Training Instructor; OSHA Outreach Construction 10/30 Hour Trainer; Accident Investigations; Critical Incident Stress Management; Hazardous Waste Operations & Emergency Response – All Levels; Expert Witness
Professional Organizations
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
American Society of Safety Engineers – Senior Level
ARCCA – A forensic engineering firm of experts
Connecticut Safety Society
Douglas G. Peterson & Associates, Inc.
DGPA Engineers
HG Experts – Expert witness firm
Institute of Hazardous Materials Management
Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers –
Certified Hazardous Materials Manager – Master Level
Member New England Regional Chapter
International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation
National Registry of Environmental Professionals:
Registered Environmental Professional
Certified Infrastructure preparedness Specialist (CIPS)
Certified Environmental and Safety Compliance Officer (CESCO)
Office of Infrastructure Preparedness
Executive Board Member
Professional Member/Instructor
OSHA Training Institute Region I:
OSHA Outreach Construction 10 Hr. – Exp. 2019
OSHA Outreach Construction Certified Trainer – Expiration 20 Feb 2019
State of Connecticut Critical Incident Stress Management Team
Southport Fire Department HazMat Instructor/Responder
State Connecticut Critical Incident Stress Management Team
TASA – Technical Advisory Services for Attorneys (expert witnesses)
Professional Papers:
Developing a Hazardous Waste Management Program
Chemicals and Their Effects on the Semiconductor Industry
1993 World Trade Center Bombing Investigation
Investigating Illegal Hazardous Waste Disposal (Midnight Dumping)
Articles/Interviews:
Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Weapons & Improvised Explosive Devices: An Interview with Paul Errico, American College of Forensic Examiners International, Forensic Examiner Magazine, August, 2003
Honors:
United Who’s Who of Professionals;
National Registry of Environmental Professionals’ Who’s Who of Environmental Professionals – Safety and Environmental.
Magazine: Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Weapons & Improvised Explosive Devices: An Interview with Paul Errico was well received by his peers in the industry.
Professional Papers:
Developing a Hazardous Waste Management Program
Chemicals and Their Effects on the Semiconductor Industry
1993 World Trade Center Bombing Investigation
Investigating Illegal Hazardous Waste Disposal (Midnight Dumping)
(Technical addendum and References Upon Request)