CCAR's S/P2 e-learning in Safety and Pollution Prevention, which is provided free of charge to automotive training programs, added 11 new schools in April. "These schools and their automotive instructors recognize the value of a safe and environmentally-friendly learning environment," commented Rod Enlow, CCAR Director of Industry Relations. "The students will become productive employees in the near future seeking to maintain safe working conditions for not only themselves, but all who work within their respective organizations."

The new schools are:

• Atlanta Technical College, Atlanta, Ga.
• Automotive Training Center, Warminster, Pa.
• Brigham Young University-Idaho, Rexburg, Idaho
• Erie One BOCES, West Seneca, N.Y.
• First Coast Technical Institute, St. Augustine, Fla.
• Hutchison High School, Fairbanks, Alaska
• Manistee High School, Manistee, Mich.
• Muscatine High School, Muscatine, Idaho
• North Lamar High School, Paris, Texas
• Upper Banks County Vocational Technical School, Perkasie, Pa.
• Warren County Vocational Technical, Washington, N.J.

More than 2,000 schools across the U.S. now have free access to S/P2, which was developed in keeping with U.S. EPA and OSHA standards that require shop personnel and students to be trained at least annually on safety and environmental issues.

Is your school - or your company's school partner - signed up for S/P2? Call toll-free to 1-888-772-3535 for complete information.

CCAR extends its congratulations to all 36 teams that took part in the 2007 National Automotive Technology Competition, held last month in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show and sponsored by the Greater New York Auto Dealers Association. The top three finishers were:

First Place

Team Toyota
Wisconsin Automobile & Truck Dealers Association
School: Green Bay Area Consortium, Green Bay, Wis.
Students: Jon Dethardt, Sam Thiel
Instructor: Tyson Larson

Second Place

Team Mazda
Pennsylvania Automotive Association
School: Dauphin County Technical School, Harrisburg, Pa.
Students: Tyler A. Thomas, Jeremy A. Wilt
Instructor: Barry L. Kercher

Third Place

Team Chevrolet
New Car Dealers Association of San Diego County
School: Ramona High School, Ramona, Calif.
Students: Brandon Freeman, Nick Grassilli
Instructor: Robert Grace

The U.S. EPA has issued a final rule to extend the compliance dates for facilities affected by the Oil Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations. EPA has extended the compliance dates in order to provide the time necessary for the regulated community to comply with the revised requirements that EPA expects to propose later this year.

For facilities (other than a farm) that started operations on or before Aug. 16, 2002, the facility must maintain its existing SPCC plan and amend and implement the plan no later than July 1, 2009. If the facility began operations after Aug. 16, 2002 through July 1, 2009, it must prepare and implement an SPCC plan no later than July 1, 2009. If the facility starts operations after July 1, 2009, it must prepare and implement an SPCC plan before beginning operations.

Question of Quality

Road testing your customer's vehicle after completing repair work is generally considered to be a good idea, for many reasons. Obviously it is very important to ensure that the work you've done on that vehicle is complete, correct, safe and satisfactory to the customer.

Safety Concerns

The safety factor deserves additional attention. Test driving after completing work on brakes, tires, front end components and other safety-related parts helps to ensure that you are returning a fully functional vehicle to your customer. This is important not only from a safety standpoint, but also for "customer satisfaction" and quality control. The worst case scenario, from a loss prevention and public relations standpoint, would be to allow your customer to drive off in an unsafe vehicle that causes an accident. Protecting your customer and the public at large must be a primary concern for you as a business owner.

Information courtesy of Zurich American Insurance Company

The mission of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is "to protect and manage the state's vital natural resources, protect public health and safety, provide quality outdoor recreation and to serve and educate the citizens of the First State about the wise use, conservation and enhancement of Delaware's Environment."

In recent years, Delaware has adopted an "Environmental Results Program" [ERP] approach to educate facilities about their environmental impacts and obligations, require them to certify as to their compliance with environmental requirements, and track them to evaluate their environmental performance. The DNREC's "Auto Body Self-Certification Program" is a voluntary opportunity for auto body shops in the state to identify which environmental requirements apply to their businesses and commit to fixing any problems so they fully comply with the law. More information about the program, including a downloadable workbook, is available at:

Delaware Auto Body Self-Certification Program

In addition, these pages from the DNERC deal with common pollution prevention issues in automotive repair shops.

• Pollution Prevention Guide for Automotive Repair Shops
• Automotive Repair Shop Waste

posted by permission of Modern Car Care Magazine
by Keith Duplessie

All workplaces, and even most homes, use products that contain solvents. Solvents are some of the most useful substances, but can be very dangerous if not used carefully.

Technically, solvents are used to dissolve other materials. They are used, for example, for degreasing, corrosion removal and heavy cleaning. In fact, they're a mainstay in most detail operations as a component of many other chemicals.

There's no doubt that you have used solvents in your detail business without even being aware of it. Some might have been alcohol, turpentine, acetone, formaldehyde, toluene, ethylene chloride and trichloroethylene. While these are all solvents, they all have different uses, which means there are different hazards you need to be aware of when using them.

Health issues are a major concern when working with solvents. Eye contact can cause irritation, burning or conjunctivitis (pink eye). Solvents can damage the eyes and even lead to blindness. Contact with the skin also poses problems, including rashes, skin burns or dry skin. The biggest concerns when working with solvents, however, are inhalation and ingestion. Many solvents evaporate quickly and have no color or noticeable smell. Therefore, it is easy to inhale solvent vapors without even realizing it. And if inhaled, they can move quickly into the bloodstream. This can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, a sore throat, respiratory irritation, tremors and even blurred vision. Inhaling some solvents, such as trichloroethylene, can make you feel as if you're drunk, triggering the same loss of mental focus and physical coordination.

Prolonged or heavy exposure to many solvents can be life-threatening. Some of the serious side effects are permanent damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. Some solvents can cause cancer. Serious overexposure can cause one to lose consciousness or even die. With all these potential health problems - plus the risks of fire, explosion and pollution from careless waste disposal - it's critical that you know what you and your employees are doing when working with solvents.

Environmental stewardship is the responsibility for environmental quality shared by all those whose actions affect the environment. Everyday, more than 300 million Americans make countless choices that can impact our environment. By being an active environmental steward you can reduce those impacts and make a difference in the kind of world we live in today and pass on to future generations.

The new EPA Web site on stewardship programs, launched this month, can help business, government and private citizens make intelligent choices on sustainable environmental benefits. Simple everyday decisions by organizations and individuals on such issues as recycling, reuse or choice of fuel support pollution prevention and environmental stewardship

The Web site will enable users to find EPA partnership programs, such as the Energy Star energy saving program, which best align with their needs and interests. Businesses can search for EPA programs based on their industrial category, environmental issue of interest, and geographic area. One specific Web site, for example, shows businesses how they can help employees reduce the environmental impacts of commuting.

Two of the site's features are:

• Find Stewardship Opportunities-Businesses and Institutions
• Tips for Practicing Environmental Stewardship at Work

OSHA Issues Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Update Personal Protective Equipment Standards
Source: OSHA

EPA Encourages New Owners of Companies to Disclose Violations
Source: U.S. EPA

EPA Reaches $44,600 Settlement with Alaska Auto Dealer for Used Oil Violations
Source: U.S. EPA

Delaware Company Penalized $50,000 for UST Violations
Source: Delware DNREC

EPA Fines Company For Tainted Fuel
Source: U.S. EPA

Pennsylvania DEP Order Accelerated Clean-up of Delaware County Gas Station
Source: Pennsylvania DEP

email: newsletter@ccar-greenlink.org

phone: 888-772-3535 (toll-free)

web: http://www.sp2.org