Chasing hazardous wastes from the workplace.

• Author: Gerhart, Clifford
• Position: Hazmat Guide, part 3 - Includes related article

Companies find that replacing, reducing and eliminating hazardous materials results in fewer hazardous wastes, lower costs and improved worker safety.

Bob Brown remembers the good old days when a business didn't have to worry about disposing of solvents. The owner of Bob's Services, an Anchorage hydraulics shop, installed a solvent reclaimer after finding that it would cost $750 to have paint waste hauled away. He says, "No one made an issue of it until three or four years ago. Used to be, you could pour the stuff on the ground."

Today, safety and environmental regulations constantly challenge businesses. To cope with increasing regulation and rising disposal costs, company managers must examine manufacturing and production processes from beginning to end -- and then beyond.

Says Ralph Hulberd of Alaska Pollution Control, an Anchorage company that recycles used oil, "The whole thing is economics. You need to think about the full life cycle of the products you use or make, and that includes the cost of disposal or the penalties for improper disposal."

To take control of the amount and flow of hazardous materials in a company, management must set an agenda for action. Steps to reduce, replace and eliminate hazardous materials include product substitution, waste segregation, leak and spill prevention, good housekeeping and recycling.

Because society sees waste reduction as a high priority, free help and matching funds are available to Alaska businesses. One source is the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Office of Pollution Prevention. David Wigglesworth, chief of the Pollution Prevention Office in Juneau, explains that the new emphasis on waste reduction, as opposed to waste disposal, "requires a shift in thinking from 'What do I do with it?' to 'How do I prevent it in the first place?"

Setting Priorities. Waste reduction requires a well-thought-out program given priority by management. The program must be continuous with periodic assessments. It should be documented in writing and should provide total-cost accounting of materials and processes, including disposal.

Says Harry McDonald, president of trucking firm Carlile Enterprises of Anchorage, "If management doesn't get behind it, it won't work. Absolutely."

The first step in creating a waste-reduction plan is an audit to identify the types and quantities of waste generated. An individual or team charged with audit responsibility uses records, vendor information and other sources. Because employees are most familiar with operations, employee interviews can provide valuable observations and suggestions about how to reduce waste.

The audit also entails a walk through the business to identify where waste is occurring, verify previously collected information and observe activities in operation. By reviewing information collected, the company can identify which options are available to reduce waste.

Says Kris Benson, deputy director for the Alaska Health Project, a non-profit organization promoting safety and health in the workplace and the community...