LOS ANGELES—Douglas Lawson has joined Partner Engineering and Science as the technical director of industrial hygiene. In his new role, Lawson will lead the program's departments, such as health and safety compliance, hazardous materials management and industrial hygiene consulting, and he will expand and grow the firm's industrial hygiene practice.

The 40-year industry veteran brings regulatory, industrial and consulting experience to Partner's industrial hygiene practice. Prior to joining the firm, Lawson worked at the multinational engineering, construction and technical services firm URS Corp. In his lofty career he has helped to develop industrial hygiene programs for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and has worked with more than 2,000 US Postal Service offices and 1,700 military base housing facilities to reduce the risk of asbestos, lead paint and mold and to improve air quality.

Lawson will be able to leverage this extensive experience in growing Partner's health and safety practice. The uptick in renovation projects in particular has led to an increase in health and safety issues, like risks of asbestos, lead paint and mold, as mentioned above. Hygiene reports will help owners discover these issues early on and ensure the health of tenants and workers. According to Joseph Derhake, president of Partner, real estate owners expect due diligence firms to solve the problems unearthed during inspections. The addition of Lawson as well as the expansion of the hygiene practice will help Partner provide those services to its clients. Doug Lawson did not respond to our request for comment prior to the publication of this story.

Partner is also expanding its risk management team. Recently, the firm hired Bill Tyron as director of strategic development, where he will help the firm to expand its environmental, engineering and construction risk management initiatives.