Response to EACH question must be a minimum of 500 words:
Q 1. The Case of the Oily Rags
Outside of the city's Fleet Operations maintenance bays, there is a dumpster with a nicely painted sign stating "Deposit Oily Rags Here." As the newly appointed EH&S manager for the city, you ask the next pressing question to the maintenance supervisor, "After you put your oily rags in the dumpster, where does the dumpster go?" His response was, "they take them out to the power plant and burn them." Two days later, while you are out at the power plant, you ask the operations manager about the burning of oily rags in the unit. He tells you that they used to do that, but now, with the newer changes in place from the EPA, they are not allowed to. So, you ask yet another obvious question, "Then why are these dumpsters of oily rags coming out here?" He was surprised that you mentioned it because he had been wondering that himself. Now he has four dumpsters on his property filled with oily rags.
Should the oily rags stay on the power plant site?
What responsibility does Fleet Operations have?
How might this situation be different if the former city EH&S manager had collaborated with other city managers and employees?
Identify the specific section of RCRA that applies to this scenario.
Identify health and safety concerns that might occur if the oily rags were loaded into the incinerator.
Q 2. Small Quantity Generator
You work as an EHS manager at a company that makes pallet-racking and materials-handling equipment. It is a medium-sized firm that employs approximately 140 people on. The racking is painted in a paint department where spent solvents, made up primarily of toluene, xylenes, and solids from the painting process, are causing the company to be on the verge of becoming a large quantity generator.
Considering the hazardous materials and potential waste streams that could be created, discuss processes that could be changed (management-and/or technology-based controls) in the organization to minimize the waste stream.
Given that you do not have direct supervisory authority over anyone in the organization, what could you do to gain the cooperation from managers within the organization?
Identify specific RCRA regulations that apply to this scenario and describe the difference between large and small quantity generators.
Discuss the potential implications if top management does not take this initiative seriously.