Category: News

Source: Health Facilities Magazine Codes & Standards

Top 10 troubles

For a number of years now, hospitals have been concerned with the Joint Commission’s Top 10 list of noncompliant standards. But there’s another Top 10 list out there that also should be considered. Specifically, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) publishes its list of most frequent citations and fines based on its fiscal year, the most current being Oct. 1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011.

OSHA’s data are classified by the Standard Industrial Classification code, so the data are specific to the health services industry. This classification includes health care facilities and services other than hospitals, which may be evident when reviewing the specific problematic standards.

A sampling of other types of facilities includes:

• Physician, dental, chiropractic and podiatric offices;
• Skilled nursing facilities;
• Psychiatric and other specialty hospitals;
• Medical and dental laboratories;
• Home health care services;
• Kidney dialysis centers;
• Specialty outpatient facilities.

Top violations

Continue reading A look at common OSHA violations in health care

Source: Sustainable Industries.com

Why every small business should be thinking about sustainability

Small businesses are arguably more affected by the financial pressures and resource constraints in responding to dramatic changes in the market. Operating or owning a small business has never been for the faint of heart, and over the past decade, radical shifts in government policy, the financial world, and technology (particularly how we communicate) have presented even more challenges — and opportunities — for entrepreneurs.

For many small business executives and entrepreneurs, just surviving day-to-day is often the ultimate goal. However, by aligning business sustainability incentives with daily operations, small business owners are now initiating proactive business sustainability actions. Why? Because sustainability and small business are a perfect match. How so? Small business is often perfectly suited for sustainability implementation. Small business operations are generally more in touch with:
Continue reading Sustainable Business: Does Size Matter?

Source: Waste & Recycling News.com

As more cities and municipalities attempt to divert food scraps and other organics from the waste stream, composting will continue to grow across all sectors in 2013, according to an industry expert.

“In terms of organics recycling, it’s a pretty common fact that if you look at food residuals as a feedstock for the compost manufacturing industry, it’s an enormous resource,” said Michael Virga, executive director of the U.S. Composting Council. “It’s an enormous resource, about 97%, that currently is still going to landfills and 3% is being captured, recovered and recycled into compost or other beneficial uses.”

In order to increase that number, Virga said, restaurants, sports venues, universities, hospitals, corporations and other large institutions will need to lead the way. Some states are making that push.

In mid-2012, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection considered a landfill ban on all food waste from businesses such as hotels, restaurants and more. The goal is to divert at least 350,000 tons from landfills annually by 2020. A draft of the ban is expected by 2013.
Continue reading Food scraps will grow the compost market

Source: EPA WaterSense at Work

From your office or school to your favorite hotel chain or restaurant, ever wonder how the facilities you visit most use water? Or do you want to make your workplace more sustainable?  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices for Commercial and Institutional Facilities an online guide to help facility owners and managers better control their water use through efficient products and practices.

Commercial and institutional facilities use 17 percent of the water provided by the nation’s public water supplies, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Schools, offices, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, laboratories, and other facilities can significantly reduce their water use, energy requirements, and operating costs by understanding their water use patterns and incorporating the best management practices in WaterSense at Work.
Continue reading EPA Program: WaterSense at Work

Source: Environmental Leader.com

Cemex says it has developed a methodology to standardize water measurement and management across all of the company’s operations as it aims to minimize its water footprint and increase efficiency.

The building materials firm will start rolling out the methodology to all of its businesses worldwide in 2013. The company will focus initially on measuring its footprint, and secondly on defining actions to increase its water efficiency and reduce its water use.

This project is the result of a three-year partnership between Cemex and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, focusing on the improvement of water management in the cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates sectors of the building materials industry. The partnership has already leveraged important findings from data collection to minimize Cemex’s water footprint and increase efficiency, the company says.

As water-stressed regions are predicted to expand and increase, so does the level of risk faced by businesses that rely on water. Water is an important natural asset for the production of cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates at Cemex sites around the world. As a result, Cemex says that reducing risk for business operators and sharing available water resources equitably among all stakeholders — including ecosystems — are key components of the Cemex-IUCN partnership.

In June, Cemex announced that it had used 25 percent alternative fuels in its cement production in 2011. This achievement allowed the company to avoid the use of nearly 2 million tons of coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.8 million tons.

Source: Environmental Leader.com

The EPA has released for public comment draft risk assessmentson five chemicals found in common household products.

The five assessments address the following chemical uses: methylene chloride or dichloromethane (DCM) and n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in paint stripper products; trichloroethylene (TCE) as a degreaser and a spray-on protective coating; antimony trioxide (ATO) as a synergist in halogenated flame retardants; and 1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8,-hexamethylcyclopenta-[y]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) as a fragrance ingredient in commercial and consumer products.

The draft assessments focus either on human health or ecological hazards for specific uses, which are subject to regulation under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The TSCA restricts chemicals and their uses, and requires companies to keep records of and report their use of certain substances to EPA. Food, drugs, cosmetics and pesticides are generally excluded from TSCA.

According to EPA, three of the draft risk assessments— DCM, NMP, and TCE— indicate a potential concern for human health under specific exposure scenarios for particular uses. The preliminary assessments for ATO and HHCB indicate a low concern for ecological health.
Continue reading EPA Releases Draft Risk Assessments of Chemicals in Household Products