PAWTUCKET - The Department of Environmental Management, Department of Health, University of Rhode Island Center for Pollution Prevention, U.S. Department of Labor - Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School today signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding to help Rhode Island's auto body industry identify pollution prevention opportunities and address health and safety issues in their day-to-day operations.

On-site training and off-site outreach activities will help Rhode Island's auto body industry prevent environmental pollution and run safer, more cost-effective shops. The program provides training on the most advanced, cost-saving technology available to the auto body industry. Other services include compliance assistance, blood lead testing, sampling of environmental surfaces for lead, and worker education.

DEM Director Jan H. Reitsma noted that this is the first regional initiative of its type, involving state environmental and health departments, a state university and a vocational training institution, developed specifically for employers and employees in the auto body industry.

"How can we help Rhode Island's auto body industry reap the benefits of pollution prevention, and at the same time run safer and more effective shops?," Director Reitsma asked. "The answer is right here in this room ... partnerships. All the agencies and auto body shops involved in this collaborative effort share the same vision - cleaner, healthier work environments for auto body workers. Our unique approach to meeting this challenge has the distinction of being both pro-environment and pro-business."

DEM's Pollution Prevention Program has been working with auto body shops throughout the state to identify environmental and health hazards. Data gathered from field audits and surveys, workshop air monitoring, sanding residue testing, and blood testing have revealed health and safety concerns that need to be addressed by voluntary compliance and regulatory controls. For instance, a 1998 study of auto body workers' clothes found sanding dust containing lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and nickel on repair technicians' shirts. These metals can cause adverse health effects.

"Health's role emphasizes consultation on safety and health training for auto body shop employees - primarily to prevent workplace injuries," said Dr. Patricia A. Nolan, Rhode Island Director of Health. "But this agreement goes far beyond even those worthy objectives. It demonstrates how the private sector, academia and government can promote business success, ensure health and protect the environment by working together. We believe this agreement serves as a model for businesses in our State and others."

The initiative creates a self-certification program for auto body owners, spray painters and technicians. DEM, with its partners, will set standards on training requirements, hazardous waste, air quality, occupational exposure, and pollution prevention techniques that will allow Rhode Island's 350+ licensed auto body shops to determine their compliance status. This program is similar to the very successful Environmental Results program run by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. It has produced significantly higher compliance rates and improved environmental business practices.

Eugene Park, Ph.D., Co-Director of the Center for Pollution Prevention at URI, noted that "the University provided assistance to this joint effort by conducting surveys, performing a technical evaluation of state-of-the-art spraying equipment, and by sampling and monitoring toxics found in auto body shops."

DEM developed a pollution prevention curriculum for auto body technicians and students that will be incorporated into course work at Davies. William Murphy, Automotive Careers Program Coordinator at Davies, said, "Our relationship with DEM and its Pollution Prevention staff has been instrumental in making Davies' automotive career students aware of the importance of environmental protection and the need to maintain a safe and healthy workplace." Highlights of the curriculum were demonstrated in a PowerPoint^® presentation during the news conference at Crown Collision Center, Inc. in Pawtucket, a participating auto body shop.

Throughout the past several years, Crown owner Ed Breault has installed state-of-the-art equipment and implemented pollution prevention measures resulting in a cleaner and safer working environment for his employees. Through Crown's continued commitment to environmental, health and safety issues, the company demonstrates how auto body shops can implement these technologies and realize positive returns on their investment, both financially and environmentally. "I commend DEM for helping us to become a model shop," Ed Breault said. "With their assistance, we have achieved a zero-level of hazardous waste. This is an attainable accomplishment for anyone willing to make the commitment. I would encourage everyone in the auto body and painting industry to seek DEM's assistance and make their work environments clean and safe for everyone."

Another Pawtucket shop, MAACO Auto Painting and Bodyworks, is also working with DEM and URI's Center for Pollution Prevention. MAACO owner Jeff Mocarsky noted that his shop differs from most collision repair shops, in that it paints entire vehicles. Due to the nature of MAACO's business, dust levels from the sanding operation exceed that of a typical auto body shop. MAACO participated as a test facility for sanding emissions and methylene chloride analysis; data gathered from this testing will help auto body technicians locally and nationally in their efforts to operate more safely. "As a result of the guidance provided by DEM's Office of Technical and Customer Assistance, the overall level of safety and quality of our work environment has improved substantially," Mocarsky noted. "This has been accomplished at minimal cost, and has had a positive effect on morale, production, quality, compliance issues, and our bottom line."

DEM Director Reitsma called the Memorandum of Understanding signed today "an important first step toward providing Rhode Island's auto body shops with a single source of assistance to address pollution prevention, environmental compliance, and occupational health and safety issues."