New Guide Clarifies EPA/OSHA Compliance Issues for Automotive Workplaces

Blue Gavel Press has just released the newly updated Automotive Workplace Guide to EPA & OSHA, 18th Edition. Updated annually, the book addresses the hazardous waste and safety concerns of car dealerships with repair facilities, car rental agencies, paint and body shops, gasoline service stations, lube/oil change shops and other automotive workplaces.

"Operating a business and staying compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration isn’t an easy task,” says Theresa Jones, CEO of Blue Gavel Press, a national information resource for America’s business community. “When your business also needs to stay compliant with the Environmental Protection Agency, that makes your workload even heavier. That’s a situation that most automotive workplaces must handle on a daily basis. The Automotive Workplace Guide to EPA & OSHA exists expressly to help those businesses."

"This information is important to know," Jones said, "since businesses that generate hazardous waste remain subject to government fines which can be as much as $25,000 a day."

"Legalese" Not Spoken Here
According to Jones, the Automotive Workplace Guide to EPA & OSHA is free of "legalese." "Nothing is more off-putting than reams of legal jargon. You won’t find it in this guide because we want people to feel enlightened when they read it, not mired down and confused."

The guide offers an overview of major federal laws addressing hazardous waste, but concentrates mainly on the two most important laws – the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Conservation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA).

The guide also discusses waste identification, waste minimization, emergency planning and response, and recordkeeping and audits. Sample safety plans required or suggested by EPA and/or OSHA are included, as are EPA and OSHA regulatory compliance checklists. Highlights of the new edition include:

• Vital new EPA information on underground storage tanks (UST) and new or expanded checklists on UST recordkeeping.
• EPA information on international shipments of hazardous waste, and how to submit Toxics Release Inventory forms.
• New sample Emergency Action Plan (OSHA) and Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan (EPA).
• New information on determining whether to record an injury on OSHA logs if the injury occurs during a break.
• Money-saving information on minimizing waste.
• New facts on electronic certification of OSHA Form 300A.
• Coverage of changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act, proposed changes to the universal waste regulations, and changes to EPA’s lists of regulated chemicals.
• OSHA Digest information on confined space attendant duties, emergency evacuation, flammable and combustible liquids, and more.
• New or expanded checklists on hazardous waste transportation and disposal, abrasive grinding, asbestos and brake and clutch work, lead, silica, and more.
• Updated sample forms, as well as updated contact information for EPA and state hazardous waste agencies, OSHA and state/federal health and safety agencies, and consultation programs.
• Updated Top 20 OSHA Violations list for automotive SICs.

"An automotive workplace is a busy place with many compliance challenges," Jones said. "This guide provides management with time-saving solutions and ultimately, peace of mind." The Automotive Workplace Guide to EPA & OSHA ships with a CD that features customizable versions of sample safety plans.

Developed and updated by imminent legal authorities and compliance specialists, Blue Gavel Press employment guides provide up-to-date facts on top safety, human resources, compliance and legal topics. Products offered by Blue Gavel Press have been helping the business community for more than 23 years.

To find out more about Automotive Workplace Guide to EPA & OSHA, 18th Edition, visit www.BlueGavel.com/products/107-automotive-workplace-guide-epa-osha.aspx.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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