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Greetings!
Welcome to our year-end issue for 2008.
Before we embark on a new year and new training initiatives for the industry, we want to again thank you for counting on S/P2 for your environmental and safety awareness training needs. We'll continue to keep you updated, both in our e-learning programs and in this newsletter, with the most current information possible to help you meet your compliance requirements.
Best wishes for 2009!
Regards,
DAREN FRISTOE
CCAR President
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Include New S/P2 Modules in
Your 2009 Training Plans!
 As you review your facility's training needs for 2009, don't overlook the latest additions to CCAR's S/P2 e-learning program: a "Paint Rule" module for the S/P2 Collision Repair training, and a "Hybrid Electric Vehicle Safety" module for the S/P2 Pollution Prevention courses.
Even if your S/P2 certificate of completion is current, it's a good idea to re-enter the training to review the new modules and complete the brief quiz that concludes each section.
Both new modules are available at no additional cost to current subscribers of S/P2.
Read more on the "Paint Rule" module
Read more on the "Hybrid Electric Vehicles" module
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 Balancing Wheels and the Environment
by Matt Hale, Director,
Office of Solid Waste, U.S. EPA
EPA is teaming up with auto manufacturers, distributors, retailers, recyclers, and consumers to put the brakes on the use of lead wheel weights in tires. EPA's new National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative (NLFWWI) is working to reduce the amount of hazardous lead in the manufacture, use, and sale of wheel weights.
The Hazards of Lead Wheel Weights
Many Americans don't realize that the wheel weights used to balance their tires may contain hazardous materials that can be released into the environment. For years, tire weights have commonly been made of lead. These weights aren't dangerous when they're on the tire, but when a car hits a pothole or stops suddenly, lead weights can shake loose and end up on roads and in streams and lakes. Furthermore, lead wheel weights that fall off of cars are sometimes picked up by children, exposing them to lead. Lead is also attractive to some hobbyists due to its low melting point; projects involving lead can expose everyone in a home to lead fumes. A significant amount of lead enters the environment in this way. Every year, an estimated 50 million pounds of lead are used to manufacture lead wheel weights in the United States.
Lead is one of the 31 priority chemicals EPA is working to reduce in the environment. Eliminating the use of lead in wheel weights and replacing them with steel weights takes millions of tons of lead out of the waste stream, preventing its release into the environment.
Lead-Free Wheel Weights and the National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative
EPA is encouraging auto manufacturers, distributors, retailers, recyclers, and consumers to make the switch to lead-free wheel weights, which are widely available and affordable. Announced last month at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, the NLFWWI has agreements with 40 partners, who have committed to phasing in the use of lead-free alternative wheel weights and reducing the amount of lead released into the environment by 2011.
The NLFWWI carries responsibilities and benefits. NLFWWI partners must agree to phase-in the use of lead-free alternative wheel weights by 2011. Partners are responsible for providing information, education, and outreach to the public regarding the use of lead-free wheel weights, and for properly collecting and recycling them. In return, partners benefit by being able to market products that contribute to a healthier environment.
State governments are also doing their part to encourage the switch to lead-free wheel weights. The Environmental Council of States (ECOS) passed a resolution in April 2008 fully supporting the initiative, and several states have committed to including requirements for lead-free weights into the purchase requirements for new vehicles and replacement tires. The federal government is leading the change by using its purchasing power to require lead-free wheel weights for many federal fleets. Citizens can also do their part by requesting lead-free weights each time they have their tires balanced or replaced.
For more information, a list of partners, and how to join, please visit the NLFWWI web site.
Read more
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 OSHA Issues Final Rule on Clarifying Employers' Duty to Provide Personal Protective Equipment and Train Each Employee
The final rule on Clarification of Employers' Duty to Provide Personal Protective Equipment and Train Each Employee was published in the Federal Register on December 12. The rule revises OSHA standards to clarify that, for employers to be in compliance, they must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and hazards training for each employee covered by the standards.
Each employee not protected may be considered a separate violation and penalties assessed accordingly. This revised language is consistent with language in other standards for which per-employee citations have been upheld.
The final rule amendments do not add new compliance obligations. Employers are not required to provide new kinds of PPE or hazards training or use a different approach than what is already required. Additionally, employers are not required to provide PPE or training to employees not already covered by existing requirements.
"This technical correction to the PPE standard brings it in line with other OSHA safety and health standards," said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler. "By making this change, those few employers who egregiously violate the OSHA PPE standard can be held fully accountable for violations affecting each employee who is not provided proper PPE. This kind of vigorous enforcement is a vital component of OSHA's balanced approach to workplace safety and health."
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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S/P2 Monthly Meeting Topic:
Winter Driving Safety
(courtesy of Zurich North America)
Skidding, slipping, sliding and spinning.
Driving in bad weather can be challenging and costly. Property damage, disability payments, workers' compensation claims and lawsuits can result from vehicle collisions. Keep in mind that winter driving can be hazardous in any part of the country and that conditions vary depending on geographical region. In the northern and northeastern regions winter means snow and ice. In the southeast and southern regions, it can mean heavy rain and occasional ice. In the
far west and northwest, fog and rain can make for dangerous commuting.
However, inclement weather does not cause accidents. Accidents happen when drivers fail to adjust their vehicle's speed and stopping distance on wet, muddy, icy or snow-covered roads. The key to safe winter driving is preparation. Both the driver and the vehicle must be ready for adverse weather conditions. It is your responsibility as owner or manager to make sure your employees are ready for the worst.
Read more
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 Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Rule Gains New Amendments
New amendments to the SPCC rule announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will clarify regulatory requirements, tailor requirements to particular industry sectors, and streamline certain requirements for facility owners or operators subject to the rule. With these changes, EPA expects to encourage greater compliance with the SPCC regulations, resulting in increased protection of human health and the environment.
The amendments do not remove any regulatory requirement for owners or operators of facilities in operation before August 16, 2002 to develop, implement and maintain an SPCC plan in accordance with the SPCC regulations then in effect. Such facilities continue to be required to maintain their plans during the interim until the applicable date for revising and implementing their plans under the new amendments.
EPA also is announcing a proposed rule to extend the compliance dates for all facilities to November 2009 and to establish new compliance dates for farms (November 2009), certain qualified farms (November 2010) and marginal oil production facilities (November 2013) subject to SPCC. These revised compliance dates will provide owners or operators of the various kinds of facilities the opportunity to fully understand the regulatory amendments offered by revisions to the SPCC rule from 2006 and 2008.
Finally, EPA is announcing a final rule that vacates the July 17, 2002 definition of "navigable waters" and restores the definition of "navigable waters" that EPA promulgated in 1973. This is in accordance with an order issued by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (D.D.C) in American Petroleum Institute v. Johnson, 571 F. Supp.2d 165 (D.D.C. 2008). This final rule does not amend the definition of "navigable waters" in any other regulation that EPA has promulgated.
For more information about the SPCC Rule, go to http://www.epa.gov/oilspill.
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 Instructors:
Take Your Best Shot -
Then Send it to Us!
Attention: All Automotive Instructors
We want to include a photo of your students with their S/P2 Certificates of Completion in upcoming issues of this newsletter.
As the new semester begins, we invite you to send us a group photo of your students when they complete their training. Attach your photo to an e-mail message and send it to: newsletter@ccar-greenlink.org
Thank you!
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| Environmental/Safety/Industry News
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