Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

Date: Wednesday, August 28, 2013

California Revises Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Certification Rules

The latest State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) regulatory tweaks broaden coverage but also give wastewater treatment plant owners some welcome wiggle room. Effective April 1, 2013, the SWRCB has revised its regulations regarding wastewater treatment plant classification, operator certification, and contractor registration. The rules have been expanded to cover privately owned wastewater treatment plants. However, they also establish a provisional operator certification. This means owners of Class I wastewater treatment plants who are finding it hard to recruit certified operators may employ provisional operators while conducting their search. In addition, the definition of wastewater treatment plant has been revised to clearly state that water recycling treatment plants are included within the definition. Numerous other key changes affecting California CCR compliance have been made to these regulations.

Ensure Your Facility Meets Final EPA New Source Performance Standards for CISWI Units

On February 7, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule (78 FR 9112) amending the new source performance standards for commercial and industrial solid waste incineration units. This action sets forth the agency’s final decision on a number of issues for which it granted reconsideration of the final rule titled “Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emissions Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units” (CISWI rule) that was issued in March 2011. The final rule establishes effective dates for the standards and makes various technical corrections to clarify definitions, references, applicability, and compliance issues.

If you’re responsible for hospital training requirements, and/or have responsibility for planning and carrying out a training program for your staff, you should know that OSHA regulations—such as the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS)—have been revised to conform to the UN’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.

OSHA’s New Hazcom Explained

Everything you think you know about

about hazardous chemicals is about to change

Since the 1980s, most employers throughout the U.S. and Canada have been required to protect workers from workplace chemical hazards, and to train workers to protect themselves.  The cornerstones of these programs have been manufacturer-supplied summaries called Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs).  Sad to say, but sometimes they’re wobbly cornerstones, because they start with hazard information developed by company scientists for agency scientists, and may or may not extend that information into practical hands-on guidance for employers and workers.  They also vary in detail, because the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides guidance for appropriate topics but no requirements that the content be practical.  While some MSDSs are fine, we’ve all grumbled about others that report clinical results of the lethal dose of constituent chemicals to half the test population (LD50), but then recommend no more than "use appropriate personal protective equipment."