4 Ways to Have Your Business Meet US EPA Standards

The myriad of regulations and guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are often more than a little confusing for business owners. To help your business comprehensively manage those rules, Drayton Group Inc. guides you through the safety policies and practices that will keep your business in compliance with EPA standards. Follow a few of these suggestions and your business will be an EPA-approved, well-oiled machine.

1. Eliminate Lead Exposure

Although lead is a natural element of nature, it is harmful to both animals and humans. Lead deposits exist on land, in water and even as dust particles in the air. Odorless and flavorless, lead can be inhaled or swallowed with no notice and no immediate indication of poisoning. Because its use was not prohibited until the late 1970’s, many products that contain lead still exist in the environment. Pottery, soil, paints and even some cosmetics can contain harmful lead levels.

Repeated lead exposure over an extended period results in lead poisoning. It is particularly toxic to children under six and causes developmental delays, abdominal distress, and lifetime learning difficulties. People of any age are adversely affected by contact with lead, and in adults, it causes joint pain, headache, concentration problems and mood disorders. At high enough levels, lead ingestion can also be fatal.

To reduce or eliminate the lead in your business:

• Regularly replace your HVAC/HEPA filters.
• Investigate for soil, building parts or machinery that might be tainted and remove and replace it with non-lead alternatives.
• Use only lead-free paints.

2. Maintain Clean Equipment

Like sandblasting, dry ice blasting quickly and efficiently removes grime and crud from machines, buildings, floors and any other surface located in a manufacturing facility. Unlike sandblasting, however, dry ice blasting is non-abrasive and won’t mar surfaces while it cleans even the dirtiest of industrial plants. Dry ice blasting has been used to safely and expediently clean detritus and dirt off a variety of surfaces, including soot from fire damage, mold, and oils from heavily used factory equipment.

The major benefits of using dry ice blasting include its ability to:

• Reduce downtime – Keep equipment in place and assembled during cleaning
• Clean better and faster – Efficiently cleans oil, glue, ink and paint off surfaces
• Reduce liabilities – No expensive chemical cleanup or hazard waste to get rid of
• Reduce costs – Quick cleanups permit faster returns to work with reduced labor and waste disposal costs

3. Stay Up-to-Date With Sediment Testing

The EPA regulates various manufacturing sectors and the production equipment they use. Sediment toxicity testing of every piece of real property is required to ensure that it, and the physical improvements to it, do not pose an environmental hazard to the public. At Drayton Group Inc., we provide you with a trend chart based on the sediment test taken from your property, facility or machine to obtain accurate measurements of any contaminants that might be in existence.

To provide you with optimal service, we offer a variety of testing options including:

• Shipped samples – You can ship us your machine part just as you would to a customer. We will process and test it, then send you your results.
• Drop your samples off – You can drop off machine parts and get a first-hand look at our sediment testing process while you wait.

4. Prepare Employees to Be Ready for Anything

The Drayton Group offers an extensive safety training program for keeping your employee safety practices up-to-date and ready for any of the emergency situations that can occur in industrial settings. Your workers will gain the skills they need to address most facility-based issues, including:

• Simple first aid – Including the treatment of minor burns and cuts, and how to recognize head injuries
• Advanced emergency responses – Your labor force will be able to use a defibrillator in the event of a possible heart attack on the floor, as well as keep injured workers breathing through skilled CPR training.