Center for Industrial Services

In this issue ...

1. Hazcom Training by TOSHA and the TMEP
2. Video Series Keeps Road Builders Safe
3. Keep the Guards in Place
4. Fish Consumption Advisory Lifted from Pigeon River
5. ISO Technical Report Will Help Fuse Business and Environmental Goals
6. Failure to “Lock Out” Equipment Results in Stiff Penalties
7. QUALITY, MANAGEMENT, AND ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH AND SAFETY WORKSHOPS – March through May 2003

1. HAZCOM TRAINING BY TOSHA AND THE TMEP

• Have you ever had problems coming up with something new and interesting for your annual hazard communication training?\
• Are you sure you are doing what is required of you under the Tennessee Right To Know Law?
• Are you confident you can pass a TOSHA inspection?

The Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Program (a service of the UT Center for Industrial Services) and TOSHA are joining together to deliver hazard communications training throughout the state. In this workshop, you’ll learn everything you need to know to comply with Tennessee OSHA’s most cited regulation and receive free training materials for your employees.

The seminar, conducted by TOSHA staff, covers the four elements of the hazardous communications (hazcom) standard, which TOSHA inspectors always look for during an inspection:

• Labels
• MSDS
• Your written program
• Employee training

You also will learn effective training techniques that will help you meet the hazcom training requirements and keep your employees safe from the hazardous chemicals they are exposed to every day. Plus, everyone who attends this course will receive a free copy of TOSHA’s new $20 hazcom training video. The video focuses on the “seven questions” from TOSHA’s What To Do booklet. It uses a mock inspection to demonstrate that chemicals are all around us and what TOSHA will quiz your employees on when they visit.

You can register online [link to course info and registration page] or contact George Smelcer at (615) 532-4912 for more information.

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2. VIDEO SERIES KEEPS ROAD BUILDERS SAFE

A new series of videos on “Environmental Health and Safety” for Tennessee road builders is now available to help companies the road construction industry avoid fines, long-term liability and lost business. The 10-program series provides a solid foundation for environmental and safety programs, as well as the basic information employees need to work safely on job sites and with hazardous materials.

The topics covered are:

• Environmental awareness;
• Hazard communication;
• Abrasive cleaning;
• Painting and coating;
• Hazardous wastes;
• Solid wastes;
• Used oil;
• Chemical spills and response;
• Storm water;
• Erosion control.

The videos were designed specifically to help hourly workers in road construction and related industries understand how to work safely, economically, and within regulations without causing environmental damage. They were filmed at locations across Tennessee and use actual industrial and construction sites to demonstrate good work practices. The series of five minute long programs was produced by the UT Center for Industrial Services, which is working in cooperation with the Tennessee Road Builders Association for distribution of the series.

The videos are available on a single CD for $75 and as a set of 10 individual VHS tapes for $92. To order, contact:
Beth Paton
UT Center for Industrial Services
E-mail: bpaton@tennessee.edu
Phone: (615) 532-8657
Fax: (615) 532-4937

Or, order online today! [link to order form]

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3.KEEP THE GUARDS IN PLACE

Unguarded conveyor belts that exposed workers at a Worcester, Mass., CVS Pharmacy to possible fractures and crushing injuries resulted in $61,575 in fines from OSHA.
OSHA inspected the pharmacy in response to a complaint. Inspectors found that a conveyor belt used to move product between the basement and a first floor storage area lacked guarding to prevent employees from coming into contact with its pinch points. The unguarded machinery, injured two workers in the Worcester store according to Ronald E. Morin, OSHA’s area director for central and western Massachusetts

What's significant is that CVS was cited for the same hazard at its Danvers, Mass., store in August 2001 and agreed to fix the problem but was cited again in November 2001 for failing to do so, said Morin. As a result, OSHS cited the company for an alleged willful violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and proposed a fine of $55,000.

OSHA inspectors also discovered that employees were not instructed on how to prevent accidental startups of the conveyor belt while clearing product jams, and the company lacked written instructions for doing so. Employees also faced tripping hazards from material stored directly in front of the conveyor. These conditions resulted in three alleged serious violations with $6,375 in proposed fines. A fine of $200 was proposed for an alleged repeat violation for blocked access to electrical panels. CVS had been cited in September 2000 for a similar hazard at a Scotia, N.Y. store.

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4. FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORY LIFTED FROM PIGEON RIVER

On January 6, 2003, the state announced the lifting of a fish consumption advisory on the portion of the Pigeon River in Cocke County. The existing fishing advisory was for carp, channel catfish, and redbreast sunfish. The reason for the previous warning was elevated levels of the potent carcinogen dioxin.

Dioxins are a group of synthetic organic chemicals that contain 210 structurally related individual chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDDs) and chlorinated dibensofurans (CDFs). Dioxin is a generic term that is used to refer to the aggregate of all CDDs and CDFs. Evidence suggests that dioxin probably causes cancer in humans. Additionally, it is a potent toxicant at low concentrations. Children are considered more susceptible than adults, and developing reproductive, immune and nervous systems of fetuses are probably sensitive to dioxin toxicity. Dioxins bioaccumulate in the fatty tissue of fish, and it is the eating of these fish that poses a long-term health risk.

In April 1989, the state of Tennessee issued a “do not consume” fishing advisory on all fish in the Pigeon River due to dioxin contamination. Fish tissue data collected between 1989 and 1995 demonstrated a drop in dioxin contamination with some species exhibiting safe levels. In March 1996, the advisory was downgraded to a “precautionary advisory” for redbreast sunfish, carp and catfish. A precautionary advisory recommends that children, pregnant women and nursing mothers avoid consumption of the specified fish while all other persons should limit consumption of the named species to one meal per month.

Fish tissue samples have been collected at three sites on the Pigeon River over the last seven years. The three species on the advisory, as well as the additional game and rough fish species, have been analyzed for dioxin. Game fish and rough fish have consistently been below 1 parts per trillion (ppt) for dioxin. Catfish generally are higher but consistently fall below 2 ppt. None of the fish samples during this period have exceeded the original advisory level, 5 ppt. You can obtain a copy of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation report entitled Dioxin Levels in Pigeon River Fish: 1996; 2002 from the Division of Water Pollution Control by calling (615) 532-0699. For more information, please contact Paul Davis at (615) 532-0632.

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5. ISO TECHNICAL REPORT WILL HELP FUSE BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS

The convergence of environmentally friendly products with company profits is furthered by a new technical report from ISO (International Organization for Standardization).

ISO/TR 14062, Environmental management – Integrating environmental aspects into product design and development, will help organizations identify the likely effects on the environment of their future products and make effective decisions during the design and development stages to improve their environmental performance.

"More organizations are coming to realize that there are substantial benefits in integrating environmental aspects into product design and development," said Dr. Kun-Mo Lee, convener of the ISO working group that has developed the report. "Some of these benefits may include lower costs, stimulation of innovation, new business opportunities, and improved product quality."
ISO/TR 14062 describes concepts and current practices relating to the integration of environmental aspects throughout the six typical stages of the design and development process: planning, conceptual design, detailed design, testing/prototype, market launch, and product review.

All goods and services have an environmental impact in all phases of their life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, through production, packaging and use, to disposal and recycling. ISO/TR 14062 provides a systematic framework for anticipating and solving problems, while allowing the flexibility to make changes and improvements along the entire design and development process. It also aims to promote creativity and maximize innovation and opportunities for the environmental improvement of goods and services.

For example, water or energy consumption during the "use stage" of a home appliance may generate the greatest environmental impact of any stage of the product's life. Improving the efficiency of water or energy use as part of product design and development can reduce the environmental impact of these products.

One of the most prominent features of ISO/TR 14062 is its emphasis on managing the success of integration activities. The technical report recognizes that management decisions determine the framework and targets of the program, the level of support the work will receive and the degree of optimization the program will achieve.

The report is aimed at those involved in the design and development of all types of products – product developers and designers, experts from marketing, production, environment, procurement, service personnel and customer representatives – in all types of organizations, regardless of size, location and complexity. It is written for those directly involved in the process of product design and development and for those responsible for the policy and decision-making process.

ISO/TR 14062 costs 98 Swiss francs (approximately US $72.13) and is available from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details) and from ISO Central Secretariat. The report is the work of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, working group WG 3, integrating environmental aspects into product design and development.

To order, contact:
Ms. Sonia Rosas
Phone: +41 22 749 03 36
Fax: +41 22 749 09 47
E-mail: sales@iso.org

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6. FAILURE TO “LOCK OUT” EQUIPMENT RESULTS IN STIFF PENALTIES

The failure of a Montana employer to protect employees working on a conveyor system has resulted in $169,000 in proposed penalties issued against the Plum Creek MDF plant in Columbia Falls following an OSHA investigation.

A conveyor accident at the plant took the life of an employee with Workplace Inc., a company that supplies manpower to the Plum Creek facility. Workplace Inc. was not cited.

Plum Creek was cited for one willful violation for alleged equipment lockout hazards, including failure to de-energize equipment before employees worked on it, not locking equipment out of service and not having authorized employees perform machinery lockouts. A $70,000 fine was proposed for this violation.

OSHA also found two alleged repeat violations for failure to protect employees from hazardous parts on conveyors and unguarded chains and sprockets, and assessed penalties of $37,500 for those violations.

Eight alleged serious violations address the company's failure to provide emergency stops on conveyors and alarms for conveyors that start automatically; provide fall protection for employees working above dangerous equipment; provide identifiable locks used for lockouts along with lockout training; verify that equipment was de-energized before working on it; provide guarded projecting shaft ends, belts and pulleys; and using compressed air for cleaning purposes in excess of safe pressure. The penalty for the serious violations totaled $31,500.

A total of $30,000 in penalties also was proposed for Plumb Creek's failure to correct a previous citation that had required the company to prepare written machinery lockout procedures.

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7. QUALITY, MANAGEMENT, AND ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH AND SAFETY WORKSHOPS – March 2003 through May 2003

For more information about the courses listed below, please visit our Web site. Or, call us: (615) 532-8657 or toll-free at (888) 763-7439. To register for any of these courses, please use this registration form.

Certain courses are underwritten by TDEC Division of Community Assistance funding under the Waste Reduction Assistance Program contract. Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership (TP3) Partners and Performer-level members receive a discount on registration fees for these open-enrollment courses. To learn more about TP3, please call George Smelcer at (615) 532-4912, e-mail: gsmelcer@tennessee.edu; or contact Don Stone at (615) 532-4924, dstone1@tennessee.edu. Or, you may visit the TDEC Web site at www.state.tn.us/environment/dca/tp3.htm.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY REPORTING

Hazardous and Special Wastes (TP3 Member discount available)

• Knoxville - March 12
• Memphis - March 19
• Nashville - March 26

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND ISO 14001

Form R Report

• Knoxville – May 20
• Chattanooga – May 21
• Nashville – May 22
• Jackson – May 27
• Memphis – May28

Tennessee Environmental Regulatory Overview (TP3 Member discount available)

• Knoxville - April 22
• Memphis - April 8
• Nashville - April 15

EMS/ISO 14001 Implementation (TP3 Member discount available)

• Jackson - April 9
• Knoxville - March 13

ISO 14001:1996 Internal Auditor

• Jackson - April 2-3
• Knoxville - March 4-5

HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE WORKER

40-Hour Site Worker

• Memphis - April 21-25
• Murfreesboro – May 19-23

8-Hour Site Worker Refresher

• Knoxville - April 9
• Memphis - February 13
• Nashville - March 20
• Memphis – May 6
• Nashville – May 28

8-Hour Emergency Response Refresher

• Knoxville - April 10

DOT COMPLIANCE

16-Hour DOT

• Knoxville - March 26-27
• Memphis - February 11-12
• Nashville - March 18-19

8-Hour DOT Refresher

• Memphis – March 25
• Nashville – May 29

10-Hour General Industry

• Knoxville - April 16-17
• Memphis – May 7-8

TOSHA Train-the-Trainer

• Knoxville – March 6
• Jackson – April 1
• Nashville – May 7
  

Hazard Communication

• Athens - March 25
• Columbia - March 17
• Cookeville - March 19
• Dyersburg - March 13
• Jackson - March 12
• Morristown - March 26

Lean 101: Introduction to Lean Manufacturing Principles (TP3 Member discount available)

• Johnson City - March 18
• Columbia - March 25
• Memphis - April 22
• Chattanooga - April 24

Lean 202: Value Stream Mapping (TP3 Member discount available)

• Chattanooga - April 30
• Columbia - March 26
• Johnson City - March 19
• Memphis - April 29

Lean 207: Total Productive Maintenance (TP3 Member discount available)

• Jackson - February 27
• Knoxville - February 25
• Nashville - February 26

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In-plant courses on topics such as Lean Manufacturing, Quality Management, Human Performance Technology, eBusiness, Manufacturing Management and Operations, and Environment, Health and Safety also are available on your schedule. Please visit our Web site for course information, or call us at (615) 532-8657 or (888) 763-7439 to request a catalog.

SUBSCRIBE FREE: http://www.tmep.utk.edu/

Feedback by e-mail: gsmelcer@tennessee.edu
Feedback by phone: (615) 532-8657 or (888) 763-7439
WRAP Sheet archive: http://www.tmep.utk.edu/formspub.html
WRAP Sheet is published by the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Program: http://www.tmep.utk.edu

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