Formaldehyde and Hexavalent Chromium Compounds Designated as Higher Hazard Substances Reply

by • EH&S Compliance, EPCRA TRI, EPCRA/TURA, US EPA • Tags: ,

As of January 1, 2012, formaldehyde and hexavalent chromium compounds have become designated as Higher Hazard Substances and are subject to Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) reporting requirements. The deadline for the first reporting period for both chemicals is July 1, 2013 for facilities that have 10 or more employees and that manufacture, process or otherwise use 1,000 pounds or more of either reportable chemical. The first TUR Plan is due July 1, 2014.

Please remember to consider formaldehyde that may be manufactured as a byproduct when processing materials such as resins. Also, it is important that you separate out trivalent chromium compounds from hexavalent chromium compounds when calculating threshold quantities.

If you would like assistance in putting together an effective methodology for threshold and emission calculations, please contact Travis Wheeler at twheeler@capaccio.com or 508.970.0033 ext. 115.

TRI-ME Web Updates

There have been a few minor changes to the Tri-ME Web reporting software. There is now a tool that assists with calculating production ratio. There have been changes to the data quality alerts. You will now receive data quality alerts when large increases or decreases in emissions are noted without an associated change in production or source reduction technique. You will be prompted by the software to fix the error. There are also some interface changes such as pull down menus which will make reporting a little easier.

TRI/TURA Workshops

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Office of Technical Assistance are partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hold four training sessions on calendar year 2012 TURA/Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting requirements. These workshops are designed for experienced reporters and are free, but require registration via email.

Workshop Dates and Locations

Thursday, April 25, 2013
North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
860 South Street, Fitchburg

Thursday, May 2, 2013
Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Co. Learning & Training Conference Center
350 Memorial Drive (Route 33), Chicopee

Tuesday, May 14, 2013
ATMC Conference Center
151 Martine Drive, Fall River

Tuesday, May 21, 2012
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters Building
6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport

For more information or to register, please email Nicholas Leonardi of the EPA at leonardi.nicholas@epa.gov. Toxics Use Reduction Planners who attend one of these training sessions will qualify for six (6) continuing education credits.

CAPACCIO to present “SEC Conflict Minerals Ruling: Ensuring Compliance and Meeting Customer Demands” at SESHA National ESH Symposium In March Reply

by • EH&S Compliance, Product Compliance, Sustainability • Tags: , , ,

Capaccio Environmental Engineering Inc. (CAPACCIO) will present “SEC Conflict Minerals Ruling: Ensuring Compliance and Meeting Customer Demands” at this year’s Semiconductor Environmental Safety and Health Association (SESHA) ESH Symposium and Exhibition March 18-22 in Long Beach, California. SESHA is the premier international organization which promotes the effective communication of safety, health and environmental information on cutting edge high technology ESH topics to the electronics and related high technology industries.

In August 2012, the SEC adopted a ruling mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that requires publically-traded companies to disclose their use of conflict minerals originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or an adjoining country. Conflict minerals, including tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold, are largely found in electronic and semiconductor components. Conducting due diligence and tracing the use of conflict minerals to comply with the ruling will be a substantial undertaking requiring dedicated time, resources, and expertise.

CAPACCIO’s presentation will delve into an overview of the requirements for conflict minerals, how to be prepared to respond to customer surveys inquiring about your supply chain, and ways to identify systems and solutions for streamlining the reporting process. Additionally, effective approaches to incorporating conflict minerals reporting into a sustainability management system or corporate social responsibility program will also be discussed. Although the report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is not due until May 31, 2014, having a plan in place regarding the source and chain of custody of conflict minerals will be of the upmost importance as data will need to be collected for the 2013 reporting year, beginning on January 1.

CAPACCIO has tracked this regulation from the very beginning and has developed a program to assist companies with the conflict minerals process and reporting. For those not attending the SESHA conference, CAPACCIO will be offering a free webinar covering this material in February of 2013. Stay tuned to your email or our website, http://www.capaccio.com, for more information. Subscribe to our EH&S Regulatory and Industrial News blog to receive immediate notification of this webinar and other important news items: http://news.capaccio.com.

For more information on conflict minerals, please contact Julie Muszalski at jmuszalski@capaccio.com or 508.970.0033 ext. 124.

CAPACCIO’s Wayne Bates, PhD, PE, to moderate AIM Sustainability Roundtables Reply

by • Sustainability • Tags: , , , ,

AIM logo
Your customers may soon demand it. Insurers support it. Investors expect it. Join the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Sustainability Roundtable to learn more about It. The “it” is sustainability, which you may know by one of its other names: corporate social responsibility, corporate responsibility, environmental sustainability, or sustainable development. Moderated by Wayne Bates, Ph.D., Vice President at Capaccio Environmental Engineering, Inc., and adjunct professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, upcoming sessions will be held on various dates in Milford and in western Massachusetts.

The elements of sustainability – economic prosperity, social well-being, and environmental stewardship – hold growing importance to customers, employees, investors and regulators. Well-run companies in many industries have been operating in a sustainable manner for years because it’s good business. Today, these companies are requiring their suppliers to do the same. If you’re not already fielding questions from your customers and employees about your sustainability efforts, get ready. It’s only a matter of time.

Where can you turn to get the information you need to create, manage or fine-tune your company’s sustainability program? Register for one or all AIM Sustainability Roundtables for expert analysis, best practices and networking.

Price
AIM Members $50/session, $150/season pass
Non-Members $100/session, $300/season pass

Central Massachusetts Roundtables, Waters Corporation, 34 Maple Street, Milford

Session 1 March 7 – Defining Sustainability and Determining the Three Responsibilities

Session 2 June 6 – Evaluating the Current Sustainability State of an Organization

Session 3 September 12 – Determining the Future Sustainability State of an Organization

Session 4 December 5 – Strategy Mapping/Sustainability Reporting

Register:

http://aimnet.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0yMDM5NjA4JnA9MSZ1PTc1NjA4MDQ1NSZsaT0xMDAzNTA3NQ/index.html

Western Massachusetts Roundtables

Session 1 February 12- Defining Sustainability and Determining the Three Responsibilities
Peoples Bank, Holyoke

Session 2 May 14 – Evaluating the Current Sustainability State of an Organization
Pelican Products, S. Deerfield

Session 3 August 13 – Determining the Future Sustainability State of an Organization
Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Great Barrington

Session 4 November 12 – Strategy Mapping/Sustainability Reporting
Food Bank of Western MA, Hatfield

Register:

http://aimnet.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0yMDM5NjA4JnA9MSZ1PTc1NjA4MDQ1NSZsaT0xMDAzNTA3NQ/index.html

Participation is limited to people who maintain direct responsibility for sustainability at their companies. We welcome your interest, expertise and passion, as AIM introduces a new resource to help Massachusetts businesses.

Questions? Please contact Gloria Fischer at gfischer@aimnet.org or 617.262.1180 or Waynes Bates at wbates@capaccio.com or 508.970.0033 ext. 121.

CAPACCIO’s 2013 Compliance Calendar Available For Download Reply

by • EH&S Compliance, EH&S Systems, Engineering, Industrial Hygiene, Regulatory, Sustainability, Training • Tags: ,

CAPACCIO has just posted its 2013 Compliance Calendar! Always a hot item, our calendar provides 2013 deadlines for meeting regulatory requirements required by the MassDEP, EPA, DOT, and OSHA. In addition to these requirements, there are many non-date specific requirements throughout the year including:

• Initial training and annual or periodic retraining or refresher training required by
  OSHA or other regulatory agencies for affected employees
• Inspections, testing, monitoring, and/or certification of equipment and systems
• Payment of compliance assurance, renewal, or usage fees
• Permit, certificate, and license renewals
• Internal or external program audits and reviews
• Documentation and recordkeeping

Visit http://www.capaccio.com/Resources/DLoads/AnnCal/dload_anncal.html
to download an Adobe pdf version which includes brief summaries of the various health and safety requirements mandated by OSHA in their General Industry Standards and any corresponding timelines. An additional separate version of the calendar, compatible with Microsoft Outlook, is also available for download.

Download your calendar today! For more information on any of these requirements, please contact Lucy Servidio at 508-970-0033 ext. 114 or lservidio@capaccio.com.