With the issuance of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s (EPD) 2022 Industrial General Stormwater Permit (IGP), several changes were made to stormwater monitoring requirements.
Continue reading “NetDMR Account Creation, Facility Association, & DMR Submittal”
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CTI has partnered with RoboVent to create expert resources for the learning and decisions made regarding combustible dust, and fire/explosion protection. Be on the lookout for more content as CTI and Robovent continue to partner on this topic.
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is responsible for the safety and well-being of all public employees throughout the country. As you are likely aware, OSHA maintains a large list of regulations and requirements in 29 CFR 1910. Each year, OSHA releases statistics on what the most common violations and citations are related to. This year’s top most cited violations for all industries include: Continue reading “OSHA’s Most Cited Violations in 2022”
Most people are already aware that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) laws and regulations cover most private sector employers and workers in all 50 states, DC, and other US jurisdictions. However, it is less known that several states have their own specific OSHA approved state plans. These state plans are largely funded by OSHA but allow each state to set their own specific standards. Do not get too excited though, as each state plan is required to be at least as effective as the Federal OSHA laws and regulations, if not more so.
There are currently 22 states and US territories that maintain their own OSHA approved state plans: Continue reading “Does Your States Have a State OSHA?”
Non-attainment area is an area considered to have air quality worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards as defined in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970.
Non-attainment areas must have and implement a plan to meet the standard, or risk losing some forms of federal financial assistance.
An area may be a non-attainment area for one pollutant and an “attainment area” for others. In October 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the approval of Georgia’s request to have the Atlanta Nonattainment area redesignated to attainment status for ozone Nation Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The Atlanta Nonattainment Area includes the counties of Bartow, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnnett, and Henry. Continue reading “Redesignation of the Atlanta Nonattainment Area to Attainment for the 2015 Ozone Standards”
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) calendar year 2022 Annual Reports are due to be submitted by January 31, 2023. The Annual Reports will need to be submitted through the EPD’s online portal GEOS located at https://geos.epd.georgia.gov/GA/GEOS/Public/GovEnt/Shared/Pages/Main/Login.aspx.
The new Annual Report format for the 2022 Industrial General Storm Water Permit (IGP) has not yet been populated in the GEOS portal; however, it should be available early January. In preparation to submit the annual report the Responsible Official (RO) will need to collect compliance data for calendar year 2022 such as: Continue reading “Georgia EPD Annual Reports Requirements”
Adam Haroz, our Director of Engineering, will be presenting at this year’s International Robotics Safety Conference in Columbus, OH on 9/28/2022. He will be speaking from a consultant’s perspective on a panel to discuss the safety in installation and commissioning of robotic systems. He will give e brief introduction to the topic and then will identify key tips on robotic system safety, and things that tend to get overlooked in the commissioning of the system. If you have any questions regarding robotic safety or are interested in hearing the panel discussion please contact CTI at cti@conversiontechnology.com.
Learn more and register at https://www.automate.org/events/international-robot-safety-conference-2022
Staying in compliance and ensuring the proper management of wastewater discharges from industrial facilities can be challenging. The possible impediments that a facility can face are dependent on several factors such as the location of the facility, existing infrastructure, and the facility’s financial forecast. One of the most important first steps to maintaining wastewater compliance involves properly identifying the different wastewater streams at a facility. Wastewater discharges generally fall into one of two categories, Domestic and Industrial. Domestic wastewater discharges come from bathrooms, kitchens, and hand-washing stations and can be characterized as wastewater from personal usage. Industrial wastewater discharges come from industrial and commercial sources and may contain pollutants at levels that could impact water quality and/or interfere with Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW). Industrial discharges are usually generated from different types of industrial processes and are typically segregated from domestic discharges as described above. Continue reading “Management of Wastewater Discharges from Industrial Facilities”
Upcoming changes with the release of the GA EPD 2022 stormwater permit that may affect/impact your facility: Continue reading “What to expect with the release of the 2022 GA Stormwater Permit”
By now most companies and people throughout the manufacturing sector have heard of Combustible Dust as it has become a widely discussed topic. As a review, combustible dust fires and explosions are caused when a combustible atmosphere of dust, or a layer of flammable solids, is introduce to an ignition source. This can be demonstrated by the fire triangle or explosion pentagon. These ignitions can be made worse if there are significant levels of dust accumulation present in surrounding areas, and hazard mitigation techniques are not properly utilized. One of the best ways to identify these dust fire and explosion hazards, as well as being the first step in putting a mitigation action plan together is a Combustible Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA). Besides being a great first step it is also a required one according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards 652 and 61. Continue reading “Combustible Dust Hazards and Abatement Techniques for the Wood Pellet Industry”