A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | L | M | N | O | P | R | S | T
A
ASP (Application Service Provider) —computer-data applications provided as a service, instead of as licensed software installed and used at the client's facility. ASPs are frequently web-based and may include downloadable software (in Java) and remote-disk storage solutions.
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B
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — the main U.S. federal government agency data source for national information and statistics relevant to social and economic conditions pertinent to workers, workplaces, and workers' families.
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C
CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) — The Act that authorizes EPA to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites and respond to accidents, spills and other emergency releases of hazardous substances. CERCLA provides EPA with enforcement authority to ensure that responsible parties pay the cleanup costs of improving a site contaminated with hazardous substances.
chemical life cycle —the entire spectrum of human health, environmental and financial costs and liabilities surrounding the procurement, storage, use and disposal of chemicals. When companies consider chemical life cycles that look beyond the mere initial purchase price of the products, a better picture of full chemical costs may be obtained.
civil action — A formal lawsuit, filed in court, against a person who has either failed to comply with a statutory or regulatory requirement or an administrative order, or against a person who has contributed to a release of hazardous waste/constituents.
Clean Air Act (CAA) — the federal act that regulates air emissions from area, stationary, and mobile sources. CAA limits the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere in order to protect human health and the environment from the effects of airborne pollution.
Clean Water Act (CWA) — the federal act that sets the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants to surface waters of the United States. CWA imposes contaminant limitations or guidelines for all discharges of wastewater into the nation's waterways.
Compliance Side Total Chemical Management (CSTCM)— a process for improving chemical procurement decisions to reduce the number and volume of chemicals used by business and industry, and to increase human, environmental and fiscal health. CSTCM works through the existing EHS/government compliance departments already in place at many companies.
corporate responsibility (and sustainability)— an ethics -based business attitude that has been driven by socially conscious consumers, workers, investors, politicians and business leaders in the latter half of the 20th century and early 21st century. Corporate responsibility dictates that business leaders consider values, and ensure their companies are accountable for implementing and acting upon socially, environmentally and financially responsible policies and practices. Brand enhancement and increased market share are possible dividends of corporate responsibility.
cradle-to-grave — the time period referring to the initial generation of hazardous waste to its ultimate disposal.
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D
disposal — the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any liquid, gaseous, or solid hazardous waste on or in the land or water.
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E
EHS (Environmental Health and Safety) —that area of a business responsible for making sure a company is aware of and adheres to all applicable environmental and safety related compliance requirements. The EHS manager, or other department head, is often responsible for emergency response planning, training, drills, monitoring, reporting, and the mitigation of releases of hazardous materials to the environment. The EHS manager often is also the individual responsible for maintaining access to the company's Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs).
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) — the federal agency responsible for protecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment — defined as the air, water, and land. EPA works with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and Indian tribes to develop and enforce regulations under existing environmental laws. EPA is responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs and delegates to states and tribes responsibility for issuing permits, and monitoring and enforcing compliance. Where national standards are not met, EPA can issue sanctions and take other steps to assist the states and tribes in reaching the desired levels of environmental quality. The Agency also works with industries and all levels of government in a wide variety of voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts. The agency employs about 18,000 people in its Washington, D.C. headquarters, 10 regional offices, and more than one dozen laboratories nationwide. EPA hosts an outstanding, searchable website — www.epa.gov/ — which can give you information on all the laws and regulations applicable to any company that deals with chemicals.
EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act) — the act designed to help communities prepare to respond in the event of a chemical emergency and to increase the public's knowledge of the presence and threat of hazardous chemicals. This is the EPA's so-called SARA Title III regulatory element, enacted by Congress, and requiring companies to report their hazardous chemical inventories annually to local and state emergency planning organizations and first responders.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system —An integrated software solution used to manage all or most of a company's resources such as planning, inventory and materials management, engineering, order processing, manufacturing, purchasing, accounting and finance and human resources. Major ERP providers include SAP, PeopleSoft and Oracle.
Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) — refers to substances regulated under SARA Section 302, which are particularly hazardous and have lower reporting thresholds.
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F
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act — the Act that provides procedures for the registration of pesticide products to control their introduction into the marketplace.
formal action — An enforcement action, frequently in the form of an administrative order, that is taken when a serious violation is detected, or when the owner and operator does not respond to an informal administrative action.
Form R — EPCRA requires the owner or operator of regulated facilities to submit a Form R to the EPA and the state in which a plant is located, summarizing the releases of each toxic chemical at the facility during the preceding calendar year.
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G
GAO (Government Accounting Office) — appointed by Congress, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) studies the programs and expenditures of the federal government. Often referred to as the investigative “watchdog” of Congress, the GAO is independent and nonpartisan. It studies how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. GAO advises Congress and the heads of executive agencies (such as EPA, Department of Defense, and Health and Human Services) about ways to make government more effective and responsive. GAO evaluates federal programs, audits federal expenditures, and issues legal opinions. When GAO reports its findings to Congress, it recommends actions. Its work contributes to laws and acts meant to improve government operations and save the government money.
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H
hazard — According to EPA, exhibiting 1. the potential for radiation, a chemical or other pollutant to cause human illness or injury. 2. In the pesticide program, the inherent toxicity of a compound. Hazard identification of a given substances is an informed judgment based on verifiable toxicity data from animal models or human studies.
hazardous chemical — As defined by the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), a hazardous chemical is one that can cause a physical or a health hazard. The chemical manufacturer makes the determination. Chemical manufacturers are not required to provide Material Safety Data Sheets for chemicals not covered under the HCS.
HAZCOM (Hazard Communication) — refers to “hazard communication” under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). OSHA has estimated that more than 32 million workers are exposed to 650,000 hazardous chemical products in more than 3 million American workplaces. The basic goal of a Hazard Communication Program is to be sure employers and employees know about work hazards and how to protect themselves.
Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) 29 CFR 1910.1200 — The HCS requires employers to establish hazard communication programs to transmit information on the hazards of chemicals to their employees by means of labels on containers, material safety data sheets, and training programs. Implementation of these hazard communication programs will ensure all employees have the "right-to-know" the hazards and identities of the chemicals they work with, and will reduce the incidence of chemically - related occupational illnesses and injuries. Besides containing other important data, the HCS specifies the required information that must be on each Material Safety Data Sheet (see MSDS).
hazardous waste — A waste with properties that make it dangerous, or capable of having a harmful effect on human health and the environment. Hazardous wastes may refer to liquids, solids, or gas, or may (under RCRA) be “solids”. Wastes are considered hazardous if they exhibit any one of the four hazardous waste characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity). Essentially, wastes are hazardous under the definition of the law if they are (1) “listed” (specifically named) or (2) if they exhibit any of Mixtures of a solid waste and a “listed” hazardous waste are also considered hazardous. A formal definition of hazardous wastes can be found in 40 CFR 261.3.
hurdle rate — the required rate of return in a discounted cash flow analysis, above which an investment makes sense and below which it does not. Often, this is based on the firm's cost of capital or weighted average cost of capital, plus or minus a risk premium to reflect the project's specific risk characteristics. This is also called required rate of return.
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I
integrated management (IM) —is a continuous, dynamic style of managing corporate resources in which decisions are made for the sustainable development and improvement of the whole company. In order to overcome the fragmentation that exists in less robust management styles, IM analyzes and addresses conflicting inter-departmental issues and promotes harmonizing linkages and activities in order to serve a greater corporate goal.
inventory integration —a method, usually software-based, by which chemical inventories may be tracked, compared and streamlined concerning on-hand and on-order quantities/volumes, as well as committed and available quantities/volumes. May include data on varying job status, and transfers and use of chemicals between locations.
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L
life-cycle costing — any one of various methods for determining the total cost of “ownership” of chemicals in a business operation over the life of the chemical product. This would include the chemical's cost (purchase price), as well as the cost of chemical handling, storage, disposal and any applicable risk-management issues related to the product.
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M
material request and approval —the process by which necessary chemicals are identified, ordered and procured within an individual company.
MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) — a hazardous-chemical-specific document designed to provide U.S. workers and emergency personnel with the proper procedures for handling or working with the particular substance. Chemical manufacturers are required to provide a separate MSDS for each chemical product covered under OSHA's Hazardous Communication Standard. At the time of publication, there were literally millions of MSDSs in existence. MSDSs include product-specific information such as physical reactivity data (melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.), toxicity, health effects, and appropriate first aid, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures. This data is of particular use if a spill or other accident or “exposure” occurs. The information in MSDSs helps companies comply with federal and state regulations, such as OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard. MSDSs are also valuable for companies that must comply with the EPA's Community Right to Know Law (SARA Title III). Individual states also require companies in their jurisdictions to maintain MSDSs. There is no official format for MSDSs in the U.S., though OSHA has a “suggested” format (Form 174), and prefers that companies use a ANSI format.
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N
National Ambient Air Quality Standards — regulations promulgated by EPA under the Clean Air Act for six criteria pollutants, including: sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and lead. The purpose of the standards is to protect the public from toxic emissions to the atmosphere.
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants — Standards set by EPA under the Clean Air Act to control emissions from specific industrial sources.
Non Toxic CEO — a company leader who reduces where possible and responsibly manages at all times hazardous chemicals for the greater protection of people, the planet, and profits.
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O
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) —is the federal agency responsible for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Since OSHA was created in 1971, the agency reports it has reduced occupational injuries by 40 percent, and deaths by 50 percent. With its resources bolstered by 26 state-related agencies, OSHA employees conducted nearly 97,000 workplace inspections in 2002. The agency levies fines from zero dollars to $70,000 for violations of standards under the OSHA Act. OSHA reports that it prioritizes its mission as follows (in descending order of importance): reports of imminent dangers-accidents about to happen; fatalities or accidents serious enough to send three or more workers to the hospital; employee complaints; referrals from other government agencies; targeted inspections-such as the Site Specific Targeting Program, which focuses on employers that report high injury and illness rates. Follow-up inspections are the final agency priority. OSHA's Hazardous Communication Standard requires chemical manufacturers to provide a separate MSDS for each chemical product that the agency deems “hazardous”. General OSHA health and safety standards are available by searching 29 CRF 1910 on the OSHA website — www.osha.gov/. Standards for toxic/hazardous substances are in Subpart Z of the citation. OSHA's website also provides standards for hazardous waste, airborne permissible exposure limits and process safety management.
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P
P-card (Purchase card) —an alternative to purchase orders and out-of-pocket expenses for authorized company employees. P-Cards operate similarly to credit cards at merchant locations, and are linked directly to corporate departments, allowing for more location-specific administrative control. P-Cards usually eliminate the need to prepare payment requests forms, but because they allow vendor payments at the point of sale, chemical purchases (and considerations of potential product redundancies and hazards) are more difficult to track at a corporate enterprise-wide level.
point source discharges — discharges of treated wastewater directly into a lake, river, stream, or other water body. Point source discharges are regulated under CWA.
pollutants (contaminants) — any element, substance, compound, or mixture that, after release into the environment and upon exposure, ingestion, inhalation, or assimilation into any organism, will or may reasonably be anticipated to cause illness, death, or deformation in any organism.
Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 — the Pollution Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. 13101 and 13102, s/s et seq.) focused industry, government, and public attention on reducing the amount of pollution in the United States through cost-effective changes in production, operation, and raw materials use. The EPA has developed and implemented strategies to promote source reduction, including establishing standard methods of measurement of source. EPA fosters the exchange of information regarding source reduction techniques, disseminates of such information and provides technical assistance to businesses, and administers annual awards programs to recognize companies which operate outstanding or innovative source reduction programs.
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R
regulated community — collectively the group of organizations, people, industries, businesses, and agencies that, because they perform certain activities, fall under the purview of a regulatory agency acts.
risk-based decision making — a process that uses risk and exposure assessment concepts to help business leaders whose companies deal with chemicals make critical decisions and set priorities.
RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery) —The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) establishes a framework for national programs to achieve environmentally sound management of both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. RCRA also promotes resource recovery techniques and methods to reduce the generation of hazardous waste. RCRA is designed to protect human health and the environment, reduce/eliminate the generation of hazardous wastes, and conserve energy and natural resources. The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA) both expanded the scope of RCRA and increased the level of detail in many of its provisions.
Right to Know — refers to each American worker's right to know about the hazards that chemicals in the workplace pose, as described in OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard.
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S
Safe Drinking Water Act — The Act designed to protect the nation's drinking water supply by establishing national drinking water standards.
SARA (Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act) — SARA, enacted in 1986, reauthorized and amended CERCLA to include additional enforcement authorities, technical requirements, community involvement requirements, and various clarifications. SARA Title III authorized EPCRA.
source reduction — maximizing or reducing the use of natural resources at the beginning of an industrial process, thereby eliminating the amount of waste produced by the process. Source reduction is EPA's preferred method of waste management.
Superfund — The common name for CERCLA. Superfund refers to the entire CERCLA program as well as the trust fund established to fund cleanup of contaminated sites where potentially responsible parties cannot be identified, or are unwilling or unable to pay.
Supply Side Total Chemical Management (SSTCM) —a process of reducing the volume and number of chemicals and better managing them through cooperation between a company and its chemical product suppliers (vendors).
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T
threshold — as defined by EPA, 1. the lowest dose of a chemical at which a specified measurable effect is observed and below which it is not observed, 2. the dose or exposure level below which a significant adverse effect is not expected.
Tier I —the federal Superfund Program generally classifies a site as Tier I if a release from that site has caused, or is likely to cause, human exposure to the release or contamination of a sensitive environment, and the release can be addressed under CERCLA authorities, and cleanup of the release has not been generally deferred to another Federal cleanup program. This includes, but is not limited to, sites where: drinking water supplies have been, or are likely to become, contaminated with a hazardous substance (as defined in HRS); or soils on or in close proximity to school, day care center, or residential properties have been contaminated by a hazardous substance three times above background levels; or toxic substances that bio-accumulate have been discharged into surface waters; or air releases of hazardous substances have been identified in a populated area; or sensitive environments have been contaminated; or releases would require immediate action from EPA (e.g., fire, explosions).
Tier II — EPA chemical-reporting forms requiring basic information about the reporting location, emergency contacts, and information about chemicals stored or used at the facility. These forms are required under Title III, Sections 311 and 312, of SARA. Some states also require additional information. Tier II sites are those that would be unlikely to warrant Federal remedial actions, i.e., those that do not meet the definition for Tier I sites. Tier II sites would also include sites that score below 28.5, based on the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), 55 FR 51532, and do not meet any of the characteristics of Tier I sites identified above. The majority of sites brought to the EPA's attention over the course of the Superfund program have scored below 28.5 and are considered Tier II.
Title III — (see EPCRA). The EPA's Consolidated List of Chemicals Subject to the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (also known as the List of Lists) was prepared to help firms handling chemicals determine whether they need to submit reports under sections 302, 304, or 313 of EPCRA and, for a specific chemical, what reports may need to be submitted. It will also help firms determine whether they will be subject to accident prevention regulations under CAA section 112(r). These lists should be used as a reference tool, not as a definitive source of compliance information. Compliance information for EPCRA is published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 40 CFR Parts 302, 355, and 372. Compliance information for CAA section 112(r) is published in 40 CFR Part 68. The List of Lists is available in PDF, Excel, or a searchable database that offers the user several search options. See the EPA's website, www.epa.gov/ for more information.
Total Chemical Management (TCM) — the conscious and responsible corporate management of chemicals by way of life cycle costing and throughout the chemical life cycle. (see related terms).
toxic chemical — any chemical listed in EPA rules as "Toxic Chemicals Subject to Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986."
toxic substance — A chemical or mixture that may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.
toxic waste — A waste that can produce injury if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin.
toxicity —The degree to which a substance or mixture of substances can harm humans or animals. Acute toxicity involves harmful effects in an organism through a single or short-term exposure. Chronic toxicity is the ability of a substance or mixture of substances to cause harmful effects over an extended period, usually upon repeated or continuous exposure sometimes lasting for the entire life of the exposed organism. Subchronic toxicity is the ability of the substance to cause effects for more than one year but less than the lifetime of the exposed organism.
TRI (Toxic Release Inventory) —Database of toxic releases in the United States compiled from SARA Title III Section 313 reports. The TRI is available to anyone on the EPA's official website.
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