Is Your Company Aware of the TURA Chemical List?

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When we talk about the deleterious effects that toxic industrial cleaners can have on humans and the environment, we often reference the Environmental Protection Agency’s List of Lists — a list of chemicals whose regulation or ban is enforced by the federal government. But state governments haven’t been sitting idly by while the EPA does all the work. As Massachusetts’ Toxic Use Reduction Act (TURA) shows, the fight for better human and environmental safety through the use of non-toxic cleaners is alive and well at the state level, too.

History of the TURA Chemical List

On July 24, 1989, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis signed the TURA into law, which immediately affected the Eastern Seaboard state in several ways. Initially, the TURA set out to achieve the following five goals:

  • Reduce generation of toxic waste in the state by 50 percent.
  • Comply toxics reduction with federal, state, and municipal safety laws.
  • Support Massachusetts businesses while promoting cleaner production practices.
  • Strengthen enforcement of environmental state laws.
  • Promote interaction among state agencies that administer toxics-related programs.

Helping the state achieve the goals are four partner organization: the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the Office of Technical Assistance and Technology (OTA), The Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI), and Administrative Council on Toxics Use Reduction. As described below, with the support of these entities, the TURA Act has been successful since its implementation over 25 years ago.

Effects of the TURA Act

The advent of the TURA Act set in motion several important accomplishments related to the reduction of toxics throughout Massachusetts. Highly notable have been a 50 percent reduction in the generation of toxic waste (accomplished in 1998), and the following achievements (accomplished by 2005) of the “Core Group” of industries that the TURA requires to report on their use of toxics:

  • 40 percent reduction in toxic chemical use
  • 71 percent reduction in toxic byproducts
  • 41 percent reduction in toxics shipped
  • 91 percent reduction in on-site releases of toxics to the environment
  • 60 percent reduction in transfer of toxics off-site for further management

The act is designed to benefit businesses while goals are pursued, providing the following advantages, regardless of business’ size or Core Group status: modernization of production practices, improvement of operation and maintenance, reformulation of products with non-toxic components, and recycling of leftover raw materials during production.

Most Recent List of Chemicals on TURA

Like the EPA’s List of Lists, Massachusetts’ TURA Act has grown to include more substances than it originally listed in 1989. View the current list in its entirety by accessing the link. If any of the chemicals your company or organization uses appear on the list, contact the team of chemists at Ecolink about implementing an environmentally preferred replacement.

Are Your Chemicals on the TURA List?

Is so, now is the time to start the process of replacing them for four reasons: to protect the health of workers, better protect the environment, avoid government fines for usage violations, and avoid the financial fallout of chemical injuries in the workplace, especially: increased number of sick days taken, workers compensation claims, and chemical injury lawsuits.

Ecolink specializes in providing industrial, eco friendly cleaning solutions in a variety of categories. With our solutions in place, you can rest easier, knowing that you use the best products for the safety of your workers and the environment. Call us today at (800) 563-1305, or complete the contact form on our website. We look forward to assisting you!

Guide to Working Safely with Industrial Solvents

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chemical-safetyBecause working with many of the different types of industrial solvents that are available can be harmful to the body, and even your health, and there is an aspect of danger involved due to the chemical laden solvent, the following information will act as a guide to help you safely work with solvents. The specific aim, or goal, of the information that will be provided below is to optimize safety of workers who regularly expose themselves to industrial solvents on a daily basis, and to offer advice and precautions to help minimize and altogether avoid risks associated with chemical exposure. If you have been following the Ecolink blog site then you should already be familiar with industrial solvents, and how some solvents present an element of danger due to its chemical toxins. Therefore, this blog will proceed directly into the best ways to work safely with industrial solvents.

First and foremost, you should come to know everything you can regarding the type of industrial solvent your employer is using, so you understand the element of risk involved. Get as much information and training on the industrial solvent as you possibly can.

Make sure your employer knows and understands what elements of risk, if any, are involved with the industrial solvent they have agreed to use, along with any hazards involved with exposure to the chemical. There is no excuse for an employer to be uniformed about the risks involved with exposure to industrial solvents.

A reputable supplier should provide documents containing all use and health information concerning the industrial solvent. Read it thoroughly and follow any advice given by the supplier.

If the industrial solvent being used is potentially harmful, request that your employer seek an eco friendly, green alternative to minimize or eliminate any risk taken when handling industrial solvents.

If toxins are released into the air when the industrial solvent is in a gaseous or vapor state, make sure the facility where your work is outfitted with the proper ventilation systems and respiratory equipment, along with ensuring only the required minimum amount of solvent is in use for the operation to progress and be deemed a success.

Avoid skin contact by wearing the necessary protective equipment, at all time.

Avoid working in confined spaces. If a confined space is the only location to perform the work, request that your employer find another location that offers a wide open space.

After the work is complete, make sure to wash yourself thoroughly, even if you were wearing the required protective clothing.

Do not use any devices or items that could antagonize the industrial solvent in use, meaning do not use equipment that could cause some type of reaction that would make the industrial solvent even more dangerous.

Corporate Lean Strategies Should Include Reducing Toxins

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The more our country lreducing toxinsearns about toxic chemicals, the more people realize the ubiquitousness of toxins. Toxic chemicals are in the air, in the water and soil, and in our bodies. Some toxic chemicals pose an immediate health threat, while other toxins gradually build up in the environment and in our bodies, causing life threatening disease long after exposure. Toxic chemicals could impair development, negatively affect the ability to reproduce, disrupt our body chemistry, and even cause cancer. Of the thousands of chemicals in use by businesses involved in industry at present, alarmingly small amounts of these chemicals have been tested for their effects on human health. Moreover, the companies and industries using these chemicals know even less about the combined effects. This lack of knowledge makes it hard for those people in the workplace of these companies to protect themselves.

Empirical scientific evidence exists linking environmental exposures of toxins to negative effects on our health. The best way to preclude these problems is a preventive framework that requires reasonable measures to prove that the chemicals in use are safe before being allowed into widespread commerce. One such way would be to enforce corporations involved in industry to develop strategies that include methods of reducing toxins.time for change

First order of business is to have corporations prevent toxic chemicals from being used in the first place. Averting toxic exposures should be top priority. Businesses can do this by reaching out to eco friendly companies like Ecolink that work toward helping businesses find safer methods of chemical use, which include eco friendly, green alternatives. Ecolink assists businesses in reducing the amount of toxic chemicals they emit that spread throughout the environment.

For many industrial companies, the damage has already been done. However, it is not too late to act on minimizing the residual effect of already having toxins in the air. Ecolink can help organizations instill methods of corporate clean up after toxins have already polluted the air, land, or water.

Another way to reduce toxins is eliminating toxic substances in products. Some manufacturing companies do not include cleanup or disposal costs when they make product design decisions. As a result, costs for cleanup and disposal often fall on you, the taxpayer. Therefore, the use of fewer toxic chemicals in products is the surest way to avoid these problems. Unfortunately, many manufacturing companies incorrectly believe that instituting ways to transition to green alternative safety measures is far too expensive, and it is cheaper for them to keep using the same toxic chemicals. Ecolink debunks this method by introducing eco friendly chemical options that are inexpensive, and to which a transition is simple. In fact, business can expect a reduction in cost in the long and short term when switching to green alternative compounds. All you have to do is contact Ecolink to find out how.

Safety Consultants Save Businesses Money

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When it comes to deciding important matters regarding harsh, pivotal business decisions, many companies turn to consultants, or consulting agencies that have had experience analyzing, deciphering, and determining the options the businesses that have employed their services can choose. There is nothing the matter with obtaining the services of consultants and consulting agencies who have been a part of and tried numerous scenarios and situations that can alter a company’s long term future, with hopes that the final outcome results in a prosperous future. EcolinkImageNaturally, commissioning the services of consultants requires payment, therefore, the following statement might seem untrue: safety consultants save businesses money. How is this possible? Well, for the purposes of the thematic element of this blog, the services of safety consultants conscripted in industry will be dissected to find the merit in the truth to money savings through contracting consultation.

Industrial businesses exhaust a lot of monetary resources when running a successful operation because several decisions must be made about the purchasing of materials, and getting certain specialized services to ensure the functionality of those materials. In addition, as it pertains to businesses involved in industry, those companies must adhere to countless safety measures and protocol, and keep up with mandated laws that, although complicated and prohibitive, are in place to keep workers safe. Safety consultants who have had continued success have been able to achieve such prosperity because they work hard to keep up with the constant changes in law concerning safety protocol for industrial businesses. Because industrial companies can be fined, sued, and even shut down if they are found to not be compliant, the savings can be found in the long term when a company employs the assistance of safety consultants who understand all safety measures and protocol.

Imagine if your industrial business is found to inhabit an unsafe environment for its workers, and a regulatory committee decides to have your operations either impeded or shut down altogether as a strict penalty for not following protocol. If this scenario were to happen to your business, it would be financially devastating and a companywide threat in the sense that your business might not ever recover. As absurd as it might sound, often times companies do not even know that their operations are violating safety protocol. Because safety measures implemented by government regulatory committees can frequently be convoluted and constantly changing, why not invest in safety consultants to ensure that your business never violates safety protocol.

One area that is critical to worker safety is chemical exposure from cleaning products. All businesses require some form of cleaning, whether it is just the building or the materials that are being produced. Ecolink is a business that provides safety consultants a way to save businesses money on industrial cleaners while maintaining or improving the safety of workers. After all that has been described above, it makes perfect sense to investigate the products a company like Ecolink offers that can provide sound and effective industrial cleaners that will save your business a lot of money in the long run. An Ecolink professional will be happy to review your chemical usage, so feel free to reach out and listen to excellent advise from those who can help you improve safety while saving money.