Vol. 19, No. 26 |
April 6, 2000 |
EPA, state inspectors praise
safety program initiatives
| A team of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state inspectors say that UD “has a well-managed environmental management structure in place,” according to a report received March 24 on a visit to campus in early February.
The EPA inspectors visited seven institutions in the region and during the exit interview, reported only a few minor violations that needed to be corrected, according to Dave Levandoski, occupational health and safety. At a recent EPA meeting, the seven site visits were discussed, without identifying the schools. Only one (UD) had no fine imposed with the others receiving fines for violations, ranging from $29,000 to $200,000. The visit focused on UD’s compliance with regulations regarding air, water, emergency planning, toxic substances (TSCA), underground and above ground storage tanks, asbestos and lead management, pesticide usage, wetlands and hazardous waste management. “The joint federal and state inspection was very thorough and went quite well,” Levandoski said. The minor problems identified were with waste container labeling, but overall, the visitors said UD’s operation in all departments visited were in compliance with federal and state guidelines. Robin Elliott, occupational health and safety director, whose office had been involved in establishing an award-winning safety and environmental program throughout the campus, said the inspectors praised the training that takes place at UD. “We were pleasantly surprised and proud when members of the inspection team asked for copies of several of our program materials, such as the Hazardous Materials Manual, the waste management poster and hazardous materials waste tag,” Elliott said. “The waste poster and waste tag were developed and their use implemented over the past year-and-a-half to improve waste management in the laboratories. They serve as a handy educational tool for faculty and other lab supervisors and are found on the web at [http://www.udel.edu/OHS/chemwstcalen.html].” The inspectors visited the boiler and chiller plants, grounds division, vehicle maintenance, Colburn and Brown laboratories solvent storage areas, the Materials Management Facilities and approximately 20 laboratories in Colburn, Brown and Spencer. Elliott acknowledged that the positive report was the result of effort by a large number of employees across campus. She said she was pleased to see that laboratory users, in particular, were knowledgeable about what needs to done to comply with regulations and work safely. “This is not an easy task,” she said. “It is reassuring to know that the program elements we have established are successful and comply with EPA requirements.” –Sue Moncure |