Beyond compliance, Vol. 1, Issue 1 (Fall 2001)

Beyond Compliance
Environmental, Safety, and Sustainability Issues

Volume 1, Issue 1

Fall 2001

Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, Office of Environmental Affairs

Our Mission
We support the Board of Regents' mission of creating a more-educated Georgia through teaching, discovery, outreach and public service by providing leadership and services to promote environmental stewardship, safety and health all University System institutions.

Our Values

-Stewardship -Integrity
-Respect -Service

What's Inside
What's New ........................2 Electronics Recycling..........2 Chemical Management........3 Safety Meetings.....................3 EH&S Around the Nation.....4
This publication is produced by the Board of Regents of the
University System of Georgia Office of Environmental Affairs
270 Washington St, SW Atlanta, GA 30334
Director - Mark Demyanek Program Manager - Jeff Owens
www.usg.edu/rtk

From the Director

As you have noticed by now, we changed the name and look of our quarterly newsletter. With the new title: "Beyond Compliance", we plan to focus on environmental,
safety and sustainable design/ construction issues that can have significant
positive impact within the University System of Georgia.
I am pleased to
let you know that Mr. Jeff Owens, our new Safety and Energy Program Manager, has quickly gotten settled in and has hit the ground running on a
number of important initiatives including this newly formatted newsletter.
Jeff and I agree that the new newsletter title reflects the fact
that there is much more to developing and implementing a sound environmental, health and safety program than simply "complying with the
rules". Rules and regulations are important, but they are only minimum requirements.
To provide the level of environmental, health and
safety stewardship that a university system of our size and stature should, we need to venture outside of the

"regulatory box" and begin tackling issues such as environmental management systems, chemical inventory tracking systems, recycling programs and sustainable
construction practices, among others. It simply makes good business sense..
I hope you are having a fantastic fall semester! See you around campus,
Mark L. Demyanek, CIH, CSP Director of Environmental Affairs
Trends to Watch
New Disposal Restricions
Tighter controls on how you dispose of electronic equipment, such as computers, may be ahead. Massachussetts already restricts computer disposals. Now eight Western states are working with EPA to create a regional program to restrict disposals. The Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (WEPSI) will start with voluntary restrictions, but mandatory product takeback and recycling rules could follow. Such programs are intended to recapture toxic components in TVs and computer monitor screens.

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Turn to page 2 for more...

Electronics Reuse and Recycling

Why is old electonic equipment a problem? In 1998, there were 35 million PCs sold while at the same time 20 million became obsolete. Of the 20 million obsolete PCs, only 2.2 million were recycled. Current estimates indicate over 250 million PCs will become obsolete by the year 2005.
Other problems associated with old electronics include the following: (1) They retain little or no resale value; (2) Many electronics will become subject to landfill bans, but they are difficult and costly to disassemble for reuse and recycling;

electronic equipment reuse and recyclers. These listings and other related information can be found on P2AD's website at www.dnr.state.ga.us/dnr/ p2ad.
The next year will be very important for establishing product stewardship practices for spent electronics. The electronics industry is making some progress in greener product design. At the same time, the public must continue to stress the importance of progress in this area so that the electronics industry will have greater incentive to provide solutions for spent electronic equipment.

What's New?

Our website is currently undergoing a massive design overhaul and update. Please check it often for the latest news, information and resources. The current address, www.usg.edu/rtk, will also be changing. The new address will be www.usg.edu/ ehs.

(3) Many electronics contain hazardous or toxic substances and most cathode ray tubes (CRTs) do not pass the toxicity characteristic leachate procedure (TCLP) test for lead (the average CRT contains 4 to 6 lbs of lead).
Although some are costly and others a hassle, some recycling and reuse options include donation to schools and non-profit organizations, resale markets, "glass to glass" recycling, and lead smelters (for CRTs).
EPA's approach is one of product stewardship a shared responsiblity. The EPA product stewardship program has six main focus areas: education, regulatory streamlining, collection pilots, mulit-stakeholder discussions, partnership on design, and research.
The federal outlook indicates they will most likely allow states to take the lead on electronic equipment rules or regulations. Federal mandates in this area are unlikely. At this time, Georgia appears to be taking a "wait and see" approach; however, the Georgia DNR Pollution Prevention Assistance Division (P2AD) has been active in identifying potential options, including providing listings of

There's also a new face in the System Office. Jeff Owens joined the BOR Facilities Office/ Environmental Affairs staff in July. He is the new Safety and Energy Program Manager and will be resonponsible for overseeing the System's compliance with the Georgia Right-to-Know Law and for developing and implementing other important safety and energy management initiatives.
Upcoming Opportunites...
The 6th Annual Facilities Officers Conference October 1517, 2001 in Augusta, GA. For registration information, contact Maxcine Hodges at (404) 657-7404
The Georgia Department of Labor Safety, Health and Environmental Conference November 27-28, 2001 in Savannah, GA. For more information, visit the conference website at www.dol.state.ga.us/safety/se-conference.htm.

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Chemical Management

As we all know, the costs of managing chemicals include far more than just the product price. It is
important therefore to consider how the life-cycle management of chemicals can be optimized to cut these peripheral costs.
The "cradle to grave" chemical management process can be integrated
into the business process, becoming a strategic advantage to your institution, raising efficiency on a number of fronts, decreasing legal liability and risk and improving laboratory safety, as well as
offering bottom line cost savings. Recently, the Environmental Safety
Division (ESD) and the Research Services staff at the University of Georgia (UGA) began efforts to develop a chemical
purchasing and tracking system for UGA's research and teaching community. Research Services oversees UGA's Central Research Stores (CRS), which is the sole facility assigned to order and
receive laboratory chemicals slated for delivery on UGA's main campus. UGA has posted a request for proposal (RFP) effective September 10. The proposal can be downloaded through the Georgia
Technology Authority link at the following website: www.procurement.state.ga.us. A UGA technical committee has been formed to analyze and select a vendor to develop the software and implement the program.
We will keep you posted on this new program in future newsletters.
Improved information management systems are becoming more functional and less costly, making process
improvements such as chemical tracking possible. Such systems are a significant investment, and costs of re-engineering operations and changing current processes must be thoroughly considered.
However, the savings of a concerted, focused effort to improve chemical "cradel to grave" management are significant. The return on investment quickly justifies the costs.

What Happened Here?

Turn the page to find out...

Getting More out of Your Safety Meetings

No doubt you count on your regular safety meetings to share critical information with faculty and staff and find out what their concerns are. But with so much information to cover, it can be easy for meetings to slip off track - doing your safety efforts more harm than good. Here are some things you can do to make your safety meetings more focused and productive: 1. Distrbute handouts prior to the meeting. Giving attendees handouts or background material on
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specific safety topics beforehand provides them with the chance to review information and prepare
questions. 2. Hold short, frequent
meetings. Attendees are more likely to retain information presented in
short bursts, rather than long, rambling sessions that try to cover everything at once.
3. Get everyone involved in Q & A. Keeping
everyone's attention during a Q&A session can be a challenge. Try a less traditional approach such as having attendees answer
each other's questions

...Here's What Happened
(from page 3)
Old nitrocellulose can decompose and spontaneously ignite. In this case, nitrocellulose, ether, and parrafin wax were stored for a long time in a cabinet not approved for storage of flammable materials. Emergency responders were called when smoke was seen coming from the cabinet. They could find no chemical inventory or MSDSs, and the principal investigator couldn't remember what was in the cabinet. The HazMat team wore SCBA and protective clothing as they gingerly opened the cabinet, due to the risk of the heat causing the ether cans to explode. This incident reminds us to keep a chemical inventory and MSDSs available in case of emergency, to dispose of outdated chemicals, and to store flammable materials properly.
-Northwestern University, Office of Research Safety Research Safety News, July 2001

Inspiring Quotes

If in the last few years you haven't discarded a major

opinion or acquired a new one, check your pulse.

You may be dead.

-Getlett Burgess

I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety.

-William Shakespeare

EH&S Around the Nation
BATON ROUGE, LA - Robert L. Case, president of Amtek of Louisiana Inc., Baton Rouge, and Mark Jerkins, site superintendent for Pensacola, FLbased Sims Brothers Construction Inc. have entered guilty pleas to a federal indictment charging illegal storage of hazardous waste.
Charges arose from May 1997, when Sims Brothers hired Amtek to demolish buildings on a construction site in Baton Rouge. During the demolition two, 200-pound cylinders, marked "poison" and containing the highly poisonous rodenticide methyl bromide, were found at the site. Case and Jerkins removed the cylinders from the building and then stored them in an open area at the construction site, without a permit, for several weeks. An Amtek employee who believed the canisters held butane or propane later removed the canisters and gave them to his cousin.
The cousin, 32-year old Edith Rome, and her eight-year old son Christopher became ill after being exposed to methyl bromide, which leaked from one of the canisters. Ms. Rome later died from the poisoning; her son required emergency medical treatment and survived.
The defendants will be sentenced at a later date. -Pollution Engineering

BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS DIVISION 270 Washington Street, S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30334

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