By Alissa Arford-Leyl
Web Wise
Environmental and Legislative Web Sites
With ever-changing government standards, it is hard to keep up with the latest laws and regulations affecting the automotive service industry. From air bags to emissions, these topics are not just hot industry topics, they are regularly discussed in mainstream media. Visit various government and educational Web sites for the latest information on issues facing the industry.
EPA
The EPA Web site (http://www.epa.gov) is full of useful information for the automotive service professional. Under "Business and Industry," be sure to check out the "Publications" and "Regulations and Legislation" sections. The EPA National Publications Catalog is online and allows you to search through more than 5,000 publications on various environmental topics. You can then request the publications that interest you.
EPA's National Environmental Publications Information System (NEPIS) allows you to search, view and print from over 6,000 archival and current documents. Some of these documents may no longer be available in print form.
EPA's Office of Mobile Sources (OMS) (http://www.epa.gov/oms) has information on inspection/maintenance, on-board diagnostics and detailed test procedure descriptions. The "Transportation Air Quality Center" section has information about voluntary pollution control measures and other related issues. Look through the "Regulations" section for Federal Register Notices dealing with the automotive industry. The OMS home page includes links to other pertinent EPA pages.
The EPA also offers many electronic mailing lists. One automotive-related list is "The Emission Factor and Inventory Group and CHIEF Newsletter" mailing list. Each quarter, the Emission Factor and Inventory Group publishes The CHIEF Newsletter, which keeps the public informed about new emission estimation tools, conferences, and other information relating to emission factors and inventories. (CHIEF stands for Clearinghouse for Inventories and Emission Factors.)
To join, send e-mail to: listserver@unixmail.rtpnc.epa.gov. Leave the subject line blank, or put a period in the subject area. Then type the following in the body of the message: subscribe CHIEF first-last-name.
More Sites
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) introduced the FedWorld site (http://www.fedworld.gov) in November 1992 to help with the challenge of accessing U.S. government information online. The goal of FedWorld is to provide a one-stop location for the public to locate and retrieve U.S. government information.
The Environmental Compliance Assistance Center Web site (http://www.hazmat.frcc.cccoes.edu) is a product of a partnership between the industry, Front Range Community College and the EPA Region VIII office. The initial focus of this site is the automotive service industry. The site contains fact sheets on: generators of hazardous waste, used oil management standards, collision repair/automotive painting, solvents, antifreeze, air conditioning, brakes, tires, batteries, floor drains, automotive pollution prevention/waste minimization and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Another helpful feature is self-audit checklists for: spent solvents, paint waste, VOC/CFC, hazardous waste and used oil generator.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Web site (http://www.osha.gov) has a section on auto body repair and refinishing (http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/autobody/index.html ). Go directly to the section, or look under "Outreach; Technical Links; Industries" from the OSHA home page. The section contains information on industry hazards, controls and compliance.
State Laws and Regulatory Issues
In the "Members Only" area of the ASA Web site, there is a legislation section that lists laws and regulatory issues for each state in the following categories: automotive refinish, aftermarket parts, fraud, direct repair, air bags, vehicle scrappage, inspections, licensing, salvage titling, paints-materials-labor caps, taxes, theft, insurance reform, training, refrigerants and environment. The information is provided by the ASA-Washington, D.C., office and is updated weekly.
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ASA Web Ways
This year, convenient online registration is available for the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) and the International Autobody Congress and Exposition (NACE) (http://www.NACE-98.com). All NACE details can be found at the NACE '98 Web site, along with the NACE-Network electronic mailing list and the NACE Pressroom. Send questions to NACE-info@NACE-98.com.
Does your shop have a Web site? If you would like to be considered for a spot in the Top 10 Web Sites for the January 1999 issue of AutoInc., please send your shop name, Web site address, physical address and phone number to alissa@asashop.org along with a brief description of what makes your shop's Web site unique. Call (800) 272-7467, ext. 234 for more information.
Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
Copyright (c) 1996-2008. Automotive Service Association. All rights reserved.
