Tips for Busy Body Shops
Stacey Phillips is an award-winning freelance writer and editor for the automotive industry. She has 20 years of experience writing for a variety of publications, and is co-author of “The Secrets of America’s Greatest Body Shops.” She can be reached at sphillips.autobodynews@gmail.com.
with Stacey Phillips
Best Practices for an Effective Health and Safety Program An effective health and safety pro- Curtis. “I was impressed with our gram can help collision repair facil- team keeping up with the services ities reduce injury and illness rates, and demands.” with compensation Stacey Phillips decrease workers’ Autobody News reached out to costs, increase productivity and im- Curtis to learn more about the improve morale across the workforce, portance of establishing an effective according to Wayne Curtis, direc- health and safety program that entor of field services at KPA. sures compliance with national and Based in Lafayette, CO, KPA state regulations. provides environment, health and safety (EHS) and workplace comwith Victoria Antonelli How can a collision repair pliance software and services for a facility ensure proper compliwide range of industries, including ance? automotive. Each year, about 100 KPA safeI recommend starting with ty specialists conduct audits at more the basics. The first step is to than 2,000 auto collision-related fa- evaluate the shop’s current situation cilities across the U.S.,Ed Puerto Rico and do an assessment. with Attanasio and Canada to determine if busi- I’m emphatic that all collision nesses are compliant. Once the eval- repairers should perform an audit to identify environmental and safety risks. This will help determine the necessary actions to meet mandatory requirements, avoid citations and with Gary Ledouxpotential legal action. Third-party companies, such as KPA, are available for these types of audits. After reviewing the inspection results, the next step is to determine the priorities when developing a health and safety program that adWayne Curtis of KPA said providing regular dresses the high-risk areas in your safety training for employees helps collision with Stacey Phillips workplace. All collision centers are repair facilities establish a safety culture and is proven to reduce injuries required to have a written hazard communication program and prouations are complete, the company vide training to employees as a basic then discusses concerning issues, of- Occupational Safety and Health Adfers recommendations and conducts ministration (OSHA) requirement. training if necessary. Facilities are also required to with Mike Anderson “The goal is to help companies install a program to protect workproactively identify risks, stay up- ers from respiratory hazards. Shop to-date on evolving regulations and owners and managers can ask themkeep workers safe,” said Curtis, who selves: “Are all employees trained has worked with KPA for 17 years. on our workplace hazards and how He estimates KPA completed to protect themselves? Have emmore than 20,000 in-person and vir- ployees who wear tight-fitting restual field visits to auto dealerships, pirators been fit tested? Have they collision repair shops, trucking and been medically evaluated to wear a rental car locations in 2020. This respirator and do you have proof of is a similar number that took place medical clearance on file?” prior to the pandemic. In addition, If the answer is “no” and a facilthe company conducted 1.2 million ity determines that it doesn’t have a trainings last year, the majority of good process in place, it’s important which were online. to find someone who can assist. Not “It was certainly challenging only can it help streamline the steps for us during the pandemic,” said needed to navigate the maze of regu-
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Shop Strategies
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OE Shop Certification
lations, but it can also bring the shop to a level of compliance sooner, faster and less expensive than you can do on your own. In addition, facilities should pay close attention to environmental requirements. This includes practices related to waste management, documenting hazardous waste inspections, container labeling and retaining waste manifests. A safe workplace requires more than just being compliant. Periodic evaluations can help identify weaknesses in the processes your company uses to address hazards. By being proactive, it allows everyone to have the knowledge to identify and resolve hazards before they create a serious incident.
Q: of?
What types of regulations should repair facilities be aware
A:
There are requirements by OSHA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT), as well as state regulations. The collision industry is heavily regulated when it comes to EHS. The same standards that apply to auto dealerships apply to collision centers. It’s imperative to have the tools, resources and equipment that allow for the most compliant and safe applications. It seems that the Biden administration is paying close attention to the environment, specifically the Clean Air Act. I’ve also seen increased activity with the EPA 6H Rule, the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. EPA Region 4 recently sent out letters to collision centers reminding who is subject to 6H rule requirements and emphasizing the impor-
Product Innovation
From the Desk of Mike Anderson
28 JUNE 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
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