3 minute read
John W. Furrh Associates
For more than 30 years, John W. Furrh Associates has worked with automotive dealerships to make sure they maintain compliance with the various safety requirements they must meet in order to function and operate safely.
The company’s owner and namesake – John W. Furrh – who is still active with the company today, started his career in chemical manufacturing as a field service engineer servicing companies in the metal finishing industry. While dealing with the chemical waste treatment process from a designing, manufacturing and installing standpoint, he developed experience in coordinating OSHA and environmental compliance.
Recognizing a need for associated safety requirements, Furrh decided to leave the chemical manufacturing business to launch his own company devoted to improving companies performance and service to clients by making sure they are up to code with all safety and environmental requirements.
“We help automotive dealerships stay in compliance with OSHA safety, with EPA rules and laws, with fire protection,” describes Jonathan Mather, technical consultant who also provides training, program management, scheduling and public relations for the Massachusetts-based consulting company.
Environmental safety is a big concern as automotive companies use a lot of chemicals and hazardous materials which requires special training to properly work with, ship and dispose of them. John W. Furrh Associates provides training in DOTregulated shipping for hazardous materials such as batteries.
In addition to serving Massachusetts and the entire New England area, the company helps clients all the way down the East Coast to Florida, as well as in parts of the Midwest and other areas of the country. In fact, Mather says one of their earliest customer’s facilities were located in California, and the company has been travelling to serve its clients since day one.
John W. Furrh Associates also helps guide body shops and dealerships through Resource Conservation and Recoveries Act (RCRA) requirements, an EPA law.
“The days of throwing something into a dumpster are long over,” explains Mather. “Everything has a waste stream now; everything has to be recycled, has to be minimized, has to be properly manifested.”
Upon starting to work with a dealership or body shop, the John W. Furrh Associates team comes in and performs a site inspection in order to review all the related needs and requirements that must be met. The consultants provide signs, notices and labels by various agencies that should be displayed in work areas, such as in the waste storage area or battery area, for example.
Next comes the training. The team works predominantly with the service department’s employees to train them on things such as the Right to Know Law or Hazard Communication. Most facilities need training in DOT shipping. Mather says they will also work with each facility to develop whatever other programs are necessary.
“The problem with OSHA and EPA is things change constantly,” reports Mather. “Their rules are changing; their laws are changing. None of it ever goes away. It just gets added on to. It’s very difficult for a person owning a dealership to keep up. They’ve got enough problems getting their cars out on the lot, hiring salespeople, doing human resources and other stuff. So, it takes a load off their mind that there is a company that is up to date on the regulations, brings that information to them and keeps them in compliance so they don’t get fined or shut down.” Since they work closely with so many dealerships in Massachusetts, John W. Furrh Associates believes it’s important to be a member of AASP/MA. Mather appreciates being part of the association as they’ve met many members who have introduced them to companies they now work with and service.
Always looking out for the needs of their clients, John W. Furrh Associates wants businesses to know they also offer forklift training – something that will be a necessity especially for automotive dealerships as more electric vehicles come into play.
“Many dealerships are going to have to operate forklifts on site – something they never had to do in the past – to handle the electric vehicles. General Motors is requiring dealerships to have people trained and certified to operate forklifts. As electric vehicles come into the marketplace, they will be looking for forklifts on site to remove batteries off trucks among other things. We provide this training, and that’s something a lot of dealerships may not realize but may want to take advantage of.”
