Earlier this week, I sent a wildfire alert because we were notified by members that they were being solicited to purchase OSHA compliance services. It seems that OSHA is targeting several industries in New Jersey and yes, the industries they are targeting are yours. Repair Shops, Gas Stations, and Convenience Stores are all in OSHA sights.  Obviously, many of you have paid attention to our warning as we have been receiving many emails and phone calls all week after the wildfire alert was sent. One of the main concerns of people that have contacted us has been the worry that they will be “calling the fox into the henhouse;” and I want to assure you all that that is not the case. I have had members ask “Should I use this program?  Will I be subjecting myself to problems?” OSHA responded to these questions with the following: 
 
“OSHA Onsite Consultation goes to great lengths to assist the “company” and not turn the case over to Federal OSHA.  Even the Federal program monitors how we use this Free Consultation Program and they do not want to see this happen.  Also the clients name, contact information, and the report is kept confidential from Federal OSHA.  The Consultation program helps companies come into compliance without the fear of fines or Federal OSHA citations.”
 
You need to pay attention to this, whether you are operating a repair shop, gas pumps, a convenience store, or all of the above. Please contact Debbie Hill here at HQ with any questions you may have, but first, you need to review the On Site Consultation Employer Obligations and Rights and complete the request form and send to Justin Baker and Keith Metz at the below addresses. Remember to CC Debbie when you send the forms in.
 

Recently, I made mention of new rules that allow you to decommission stage II vapor recovery in addition to new underground storage tank (UST) rules that have been issued as of last month. The new rules can be cumbersome and difficult to understand, the procedures for decommissioning your stage II must be followed precisely to avoid running afoul of NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP). Here is a link to the rules that I would like you to review. Parts of these rule changes are a major concern to us as they deal with testing of containment sumps, spill buckets, and under dispenser containment (UDC). I’m giving you a heads up, we are working with NJ DEP to put together a seminar to go over both the new rules and decommissioning as well as operator training. Right now, we have targeted several dates in mid-April and will let you know as soon as a date is confirmed.