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 Art Mabbett Honored by UMass Boston
The University of Massachusetts at Boston (UMB) has awarded Art Mabbett, President of Mabbett & Associates, Inc. and Chairman of Mabbett & Associates Ltd, Glasgow, UK, with the Chancellor's Medal for Exemplary Leadership at its "Building One Community" Gala to benefit student scholarships. The award was presented by Interim Chancellor J. Keith Motley who stated, "Arthur is a great friend to the university and an international leader in environmental consulting and engineering. He never hesitates to share with people the life-directing undergraduate experience he had at UMass Boston, which prepared him for the great successes he has achieved." Art, a member of the 1969 Charter Class at UMB, has continued to serve the university in a number of areas including annual fund chair and as a member of the Science Advisory Board. ^ Top EU Directives Impact U.S. Industry The European Union (EU) Directives on Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) have become de facto international product regulations. The recently published Energy-using Products (EuP) Directive will follow suit, considering that energy efficiency is one of its corner stones. These Directives are in response to increasing concern over the volume, environmental impact and toxicity of the ever increasing stream of waste electronic products. The WEEE/RoHS Directives are having a profound impact on the Electronics and Electrical Equipment (EEE) industry by requiring producers to be responsible for the end-of-life of their products and by restricting the use of certain hazardous materials. These Directives apply to any Producer who sells EEE products in the EU. The Directives impact all companies in the EEE supply chain. With one of the important WEEE dates, August 13, 2005, behind us, the RoHS date of July 1, 2006 is rapidly approaching. Non conforming products are prohibited from being sold in the EU. M&A has the expertise and resources both in the USA and the UK/EU to help affected companies meet these challenges. For more information, please contact Stephen Greene at greene@mabbett.com. ^ Top
^ Top Developments and activities at Mabbett & Associates
Paul Steinberg Promoted to Vice President Susan Smits Promoted to Senior Project Manager Bill Simons Achieves LSP Chris Mabbett Completes MS and EIT Kiran Sears Joins M&A Darren Andrews Achieves Grade III Status Stephen H. Greene Joins M&A ^ Top DIA Grant Funds Low Cost Training by M&A Mabbett & Associates, Inc. was recently awarded a $25,000 training grant from the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) to provide First Responder Awareness Level, First Responder Operations Level HAZMAT spill training, and Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Refresher training to Massachusetts companies and municipalities. The grant pays tuition costs for the training programs which meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration HAZWOPER standard requirements and many Local Emergency Response Committee requirements for Tier 2 facilities. Under the previous year's grant M&A trained over 350 state-wide including many on-site programs at industrial facilities. A small materials fee is charged for each trainee to offset costs not covered by the grant. Open enrollment classes are currently being offered. In addition, on-site training is available for groups of more than 15. The training is geared towards facility managers, EH&S managers, response team members, and those requiring HAZWOPER refresher training. The training is also approved by the DEP for Training Contact Hours (TCH's) for Industrial Wastewater Operators. For more information, please contact Susan Smits at smits@mabbett.com. ^ Top MA DEP Commissioner Updates - Enforcement Robert Golledge the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP) at an Enviromental Business Council (EBC) of MA breakfast meeting recapped his first year in office. A reoccurring theme during his speech was an increased level of enforcement by the Department. In Fiscal Year 2004, enforcement actions increased by 54 percent and administrative penalties increased by 49 percent, from $2,819,046 to $4,205,600. Total penalty dollars - including civil and criminal fines obtained in court - rose from $3,712,171 to $11,116,850. The Commissioner expects the trend to continue. Some targets of future enforcement action include delinquent Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) sites, MCP sites with indoor air quality issues, asbestos compliance, wetlands, hazardous waste compliance, etc. For more information, please contact Susan Smits at smits@mabbett.com. ^ Top M&A Demonstrates Remediation via Chemical Oxidation In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) is an emergent remedial technology where organic contaminants are degraded in the subsurface via contact with chemical oxidants. Successful implementation of ISCO is well documented in overburden applications but is an emergent technology in fractured rock environments. M&A identified ISCO as a preferred remedial alternative as part of a rigorous Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) cleanup program implemented at a former electronic component facility. Sodium permanganate was chosen as the oxidant because it is relatively safe to use than alternatives and does not require addition of catalysts or pH adjustment. Both injection and recirculation were implemented to better control the distribution of the permanganate and to prevent uncontrolled oxidant migration in the bedrock aquifer. The injected permanganate solution targeted groundwater with high concentrations of dissolved trichloroethene (TCE) (100,000 to 200,000 ug/L). Test data have indicated that TCE concentrations in the source area have been reduced by 50% over the first six months of treatment. The remedy is being implemented on an ongoing basis toward further reduction in TCE concentrations. For additional information please contact William Simons at simons@mabbett.com. ^ Top MA DEP Proposes Regulatory Changes The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection recently proposed important changes and clarifications to their industrial wastewater, air quality, and hazardous waste regulations. Most of the changes are directly aimed at the biotech sector however one change allowing elementary neutralization of aqueous corrosive wastes at the site of generation would apply to all industries. M&A, an active member of the Massachusetts Biotech Council, is following these proposed changes carefully to determine the possible ramifications to all affected companies. The proposed changes are available at: www.mass.gov/dep/bwp/biotech.htm. For more information, please contact Susan Smits at smits@mabbett.com. ^ Top On-Site EH&S Services - It Could Work For You! A company's EH&S activities must be managed as an investment and not be viewed as just the cost of doing business. Effective management can result in significant cost savings as well as improved EH&S compliance. Cost avoidance activities include:
EH&S compliance at some companies is not always a full-time need; therefore part-time on-site services can provide a value-added solution. Get the EH&S expertise you need, when you need it. A good place to start is to have M&A do an EH&S compliance review to identify areas in your compliance program that require improvement. Once the compliance program needs are identified M&A can assist with prioritizing them and developing an action plan. M&A's onsite EH&S professional can then work with company personnel to implement the required program improvements. Experienced EH&S professionals with broad knowledge of EH&S regulations and industries can be matched to specific tasks, based on their relevant experience/ expertise. An on-site services arrangement may involve responsibility for a limited number of tasks where the facility retains managerial control of the activity, complete responsibility for the management of the EH&S function, or something in between. Contact Tom Cronin at cronin@mabbett.com to discuss what type of on-site services arrangement would work for you! ^ Top M&A Assists Affordable Housing Development M&A's efforts were recently recognized by Great Bridge Properties at the dedication of the Auburn Apartments in Haverhill, MA. M&A was hired when petroleum contaminated soil was unexpectedly encountered during excavation of an affordable housing complex located in Haverhill's Acre neighborhood. A cleanup program was developed by closely coordinating with the site development team to quickly and effectively address the problem. Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP) cleanup requirements were achieved without delaying construction or restricting property use. M&A appreciated the opportunity to participate on a project that delivered much needed housing and site restoration to the community. For more information please contact Paul Steinberg, P.E., LSP at steinberg@mabbett.com. ^ Top
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