The EPA requires that facilities that are subject to the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) submit a report between June 1, 2016 and September 30, 2016 (see 40 CFR 711.8) on the chemicals they manufacture and import into the U.S. According to EPA’s Fact Sheets “Reporting Thresholds for 2016” and “Chemical Substances which are the Subject of Certain TSCA Actions” dated January 2016, manufacturers must consider production volume from 2012 to 2015 as well as the effect of certain TSCA actions on reporting thresholds when determining whether to report. The highlights of reporting requirements for 2016 include: 1. There is a new reduced reporting thre
To further develop Baron's project management structure, our goals for constant improvement, and our overall company alignment, we have implemented and become experts with a framework called Scrum. Our process has been instrumental with creating transparency, efficiency, and teamwork plus it now represents the backbone of our company culture. Scrum is a process framework for agile values and principles that promotes collaboration and continuous improvement in order to boost productivity. Within Scrum, every aspect of a project is broken down into tasks, which are kept on hardcopy or electronic tasks boards to visually keep track of the team’s progress and help motivate the team. Scrum wor
Respiratory protection is important to consider for facilities where contaminated or oxygen deficient air is present, in the form of dusts, fogs, fumes, gases and smokes. Contaminants, especially those from industrial products and chemicals, can cause irritation and damage to lungs. According to OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134, employers are required to supply their employees with respirators when the conditions mentioned above are met and engineering controls are not practical. A written respiratory protection program would need to be developed and implemented when respirators are in use in a workplace. An annual respiratory protection training program is required an
Many Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) that have aged 20 or more years are subject to a lot of wear and have potential leaks. A study conducted in October 2014 by a workgroup of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) found the potential affect of aging USTs to owners, operators, and State UST programs. The purpose of the study was to do determine if there was a correlation between older UST infrastructures and a larger risk of leaks. As shown in Figure 1 below, the study found that in eight states 59% of the tanks are older than 20 years. During this study it was also found that the collection and maintenance data collected by each state about USTs
