NEW EPA PROPOSAL WILL CHANGE CLEAN WATER ACT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR SET CLIENTS
New changes to the Clean Water Act reporting requirements will affect many businesses throughout the nation. It is important to understand how these changes will affect you and your company to ensure that you remain compliant with EPA standards.
The EPA’s proposed changes to Clean Water Act reporting requirements require those firms still submitting paper-based NPDES reports to convert to electronic reporting. According to the Agency, the switch will improve compliance with Clean Water Act specifications as well as facilitate improved protection of U.S. waters. However, for those businesses and industries that are accustomed to filing written reports, the switch to electronic reporting will necessitate costly system changes.
SEA Inc., a Little Rock-based environmental health and safety service company, makes it easy and economical to comply with EPA regulations. SEA provides complete environmental services, including planning, training and automated reporting.
Benefits of the Proposed New Clean Water Act Reporting Requirements
A total of 46 states have EPA authorization to administer the NPDES – National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. Once reporting is completely digitized, community members will be able to look up information on discharges by local industries and facilities that impact regional environmental health.
EPA projects that the proposed e-reporting rule will save a significant amount of money since it will eliminate the need for government workers to manually enter the data that they receive in written form. Instead, NPDES participants will submit it directly into the system. This will also ensure that this information becomes available more quickly to the public.
While these improvements are beneficial, a change in reporting methods will represent difficulties for those municipal systems, industries and other facilities working within the NPDES framework. The rule would become effective one year after it becomes final, providing a relatively small window for participants to comply with new Clean Water Act reporting requirements. Advanced planning is critical, and SEA is a leading environmental service provider with the specialized knowledge to help organizations plan for and complete the conversion as smoothly as possible.
Planning and Training for the Proposed Changes
Although EPA is already planning webinars to help bring NPDES organizations up to speed with the new rule, the experts at SEA believe that hands-on training offers a far better option for those NPDES-permitted municipalities, businesses and industries that must make changes to meet the new reporting requirements. That is why SEA offers comprehensive training, planning and consulting, not only for NPDES compliance but for such programs as Hazardous Waste Management, RCRA Compliance, DOT, SPCC, and Hazardous Materials Management as well. SEA training instructors have updated industry knowledge and the ability to convey that information in an understandable format to managers and workers who deal with the handling and disposal of hazardous materials or industrial waste.
SEA Services Make Compliance Simple
SEA also provides full e-reporting services to organizations that lack the appropriate infrastructure to effectively convert from paper-based communications to the new proposed Clean Water Act reporting requirements. Because failure to comply with NPDES requirements may result in significant penalties, entrusting SEA’s integrated environmental reporting services to effectively meet state and federal requirements is the logical choice. See a full list of OSHA, EPA, and other regulatory standard training courses offered here at SEA Inc.
A Quick Guide for Industrial and Manufacturing Facilities By Keina Jennings, CEO/CFO, SEA
By Don Harkness, East Coast Regional Manager, SEA Ladder Inspection Safety At-A-Glance Ladders of all types are useful in the workplace. They are tools that allow workers to safely reach another level. Working at elevated levels poses plenty of risks, ones that have been covered in many regulatory training courses you have attended. Walking, Working Surfaces and Fall protection all focus heavily on the different hazards, of which SEA would be honored to share with you, but today, I want to focus on what needs to happen prior to using the ladder. The Right Tool for the Job And make no mistake, ladders are tools, and only perform as well as we, the operators, allow them to. So, what do we need to consider when picking the right ladder for our job? Several key factors include, but aren’t limited to: What are we doing? What style do you need? Step Ladders, extension ladders, and platform ladders all serve different purposes! What is the weight limit of my ladder? Note that the weight limit includes you and all the tools/equipment you are wearing, including fall protection! What height do I need my ladder to be? Ladders come in all shapes and sizes, so ensure you pick one that allows you to not put yourself at risk, even if it takes a little extra time to go and get it! What material should my ladder be made of? Most ladders are fiberglass but also come in several other materials. Make sure you plan for the task and don’t pick a metal ladder when working with electricity, for example The Most Important Step After choosing the ladder for our task, we need to perform an all-around inspection of the ladder. How often do we need to perform this inspection? Does it need to be documented? Ladders must be inspected before every use to ensure that no damage has occurred. As far as documentation goes, it is required that a documented inspection occur once a year, but your company policy can dictate more frequent documented inspections.
By Alison Jennings, VP Operations, SEA Sometimes it takes a real-life moment to remind us how quickly routine tasks can turn into injuries. Recently, I had a reminder of just how quickly something simple can turn into an injury. I was hanging a picture frame at home. Nothing complicated—just one of those quick projects you knock out in a few minutes. I picked the frame up by the sides to move it into position. As I lifted it, the bottom of the frame suddenly gave out. The glass dropped straight down and landed directly on the top of my bare foot. Within seconds, what started as a simple task turned into a trip to urgent care. The cut was deep enough that I ended up needing eight stitches. Looking back, there were a few things I didn’t think about in that moment. I was barefoot. I didn’t consider the possibility that the frame might break. I didn’t think about what could happen if the glass slipped or fell. It really wasn’t a dangerous job. I wasn’t using power tools or heavy equipment. I was just hanging a picture. But that’s the reality of many injuries—they don’t happen during obviously dangerous activities. They happen during everyday tasks when we assume nothing will go wrong.