Environmental, Health an Safety Issues

Environmental, Health an Safety Issues

Posted 10/12/2004
By Jessica Levy

Do You Cover Environmental, Health And Safety Issues In Your Shop Training, Policies and Procedures?

Recently, an automotive small business was charged $400,000 in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fines and cleanup fees due to a leaking wastewater tank. This is a true story. The fines and fees could have been avoided if the business had a better understanding of environmental compliance regulations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Right to Know Standard is the most cited standard for automotive small businesses. In the past two years, 178 shops were cited with more than $48,000 in fines. Plus, being cited means extra time working with OSHA.

Unfortunately, many businesses do not pay attention to the environmental and health and safety issues that can affect them, their bottom line and their employees. There are some regulations and safety training that is important for the industry, however, some automotive businesses do not follow them.

When asked about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and OSHA compliance, the most common comments of shop owners and managers are "OSHA hasn't been here yet," and "I do not have the time to do this." My response to these statements is this: It is relatively easy to add the required activities. Some of the material that most shops don't cover should be of great concern as it involves training and information that is required by regulation and government standards. The lack of this information has caused people in the industry to harm the environment, be fined and injured.

Some people in the automotive industry aren't too happy about having to learn about environmental and health and safety issues. They would rather be repairing vehicles and learning the newest technical information. But ... the reality is, there are environmental and safety regulations that affect this industry and you! People are getting hurt, being exposed to major risks, and yes, even dying on the job.

Environmental awareness and compliance with regulations limit fines and costly cleanups. It also helps businesses prevent damage to the land, air and water around them, and preserve them for the next generation. Following are some examples that help illustrate why you need to be concerned about environmental issues in your workplace.

In preparing to sell a dealership, it was discovered during the required environmental land audit that hazardous wastes had been dumped down the shop drain that emptied into a septic tank. The whole community now has to use special water treatment because the hazardous wastes contaminated their drinking water. It will take approximately $500,000 to clean up the land before the property can be sold.

Automotive businesses that are conditionally exempt stand less chance of an EPA visit.

Many banks and insurance companies require that businesses pass an environmental audit before they are given loans, transfer titles or environmental insurance. This means if a business contaminates their land, it may be costly or impossible to sell the business.

If technicians know how to properly dispose of used oil, antifreeze, solvents, paints, batteries and tires, they can save their employer money.

An increasing number of customers prefer to give "green" shops their business.

Shop safety programs and meetings help limit injuries, accidents and fines.

If a business is cited, there is a time-consuming process that has to be followed including fixing the problems. The failure to fix problems can cost thousands of dollars per day. Following are some facts that help illustrate why workplace health and safety should concern you.

Shops with safety programs can obtain lower insurance rates.

Lack of shop safety meetings and procedures have helped cause the following types of injuries: dermatitis, bad backs, hernias, carpal tunnel, eye injuries, foot injuries, crushings, chemical poisonings, respiratory disorders, fractures, vision loss and more.

Hepatitis B and C viruses stay alive in dried blood for several days. Technicians need to be aware of how to work around blood from cuts, injuries and customers' cars that have been in an accident.

Employers are required to provide personal protective equipment and certain training. Owners, managers and technicians tend to ignore personal protective equipment and injuries and fines are occurring.

The bottom line is this: automotive small businesses are required to follow EPA and OSHA regulations the same as large corporations. They need to designate at least one person to pay attention to the EPA and OSHA regulations. Environmental and safety "audits" should be done each year. It is also important to your bottom line, worker's compensation rates and employees' health and safety to have regularly scheduled safety meetings and a safety program.

Jessica Levy is the owner of Fun and Easy Learning LLC, a company that provides safety and environmental compliance training materials designed to meet the needs of automotive businesses. Based in Albuquerque, N.M., Levy has spent the past eight years working on EPA and OSHA issues, and is a certified OSHA instructor.

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