Evaluation of the Case Study
Evaluation of the Case Study
Instructions:
In 2-3 pages, please review and do a full study. This assignment will come from chapter 2 on page 2.7. Review the case named “Electroplater Who Claims He Has No Hazardous Waste”. In this study, briefly evaluate the information and your evaluation of the case. In addition, research the Internet and locate an incident that has a related occurrence to this incident. Please discuss and describe the entire case. Be sure to correctly cite all information and in accordance with APA formatting.
Solution
Evaluation of the Case Study
From the case study, the owner of the premise is aware of the effect of the electroplating waste product but he/she is unwilling to take necessary disposal mechanisms in fear of incurring an extra cost. The workers in the company have been experiencing complications due to the air pollution in the premise. These states depict incompliance to the environmental safety and the lack of protection of the workers from the hazards conditions. The position by the OSHA to bring down the building points to another negligence by the management. Failure to comply with the working regulation cost USEPA over $2 million to bring the building down. This case study points at the various impacts which the society has to face when the principles of good waste management are ignored. The owner of the premise is defensive of compliance despite the green fog of fumes. The inspectors arrive after workers make complaints about the waste management practices and the potential safety and health issues. The arrangement of the company workplace is not in accordance with the rule for electroplating industry.
According to (Illinois EPA, 2015), electroplating wastes are hazardous to both the environment and the human health when improperly disposed and managed. Companies dealing with these process have to fill the fact sheet to help the state determine the kind of waste generated, the air and water regulations that the company employs and how effectively waste is managed to protect the workers and environment. A report from Illinois Environment Agency points out that the hazardous wastes from the electroplating process are reactive wastes, used acidic and alkaline cleaning solutions, used halogenated solvents, wastewater treatment sludge and spent nonhalogenated solvents. To correctly handle these waste, the company should store the waste in closed drums, keep training current to avoid infection like the cases reported in the case study, have designated locations for storage of both hazardous and nonhazardous waste. To control the waste emission from the electroplating process, the company should adopt accelerated ways to remove the metal from the plating bath and have better-designed racks which will ensure proper drainage. The waste from the factory should be treated. The cyanide should be treated by ion exchange, chlorination, oxidation or electrolysis (Tsang.L.K & H.S.S, 2010). The metals can be treated by the destruction of the metal complexes, ion exchange, and precipitation
Related Incident
A report by (Moran, 2012), show E.O Manufacturing company has the same behavior of poor disposal of electroplating waste. This company unlike the company in the case study has been consistent in violating the disposal act for the last decade. The E.O Company has been served with numerous fines and subjected to legal action and finally, it has been enlisted in the watch list companies. The state has pointed out that the company has poor management of hazardous waste. In 2010, the Department of Energy and Environment Protection (DEEP) initiated action against the E.O but the company has continued to dodge remediation orders and penalties. This agency position on the company is that they company need to be subjected to more legal actions. According to DEEP, E.O Manufacturing Company is among the five Companies in the waste watch list. Three companies in the list have no outstanding waste violation and the fourth Company shut down awaiting court orders. According to EPA, E.O Manufacturing Company is a significant noncompliance of hazardous waste acts since 2009.
References
Illinois EPA. (2015). Regulatory Compliance and Pollution Prevention Tips. (I. E. Agency, Producer) Retrieved June 30, 2017, from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.illinois.gov/topics/small-business/publications/electroplating-shops/index
Moran, B. (2012, March 12). West Haven Company On Toxic Waste ‘Watch List. (C. H. I-Team, Producer) Retrieved June 30, 2017, from Environmental Health: http://c-hit.org/2012/03/12/west_haven_company_on_toxic_waste_watch_list/
Tsang.L.K, & H.S.S, C. (2010). Treatment of Electrplating Wastes. Retrieved June 30, 2017, from http://infohouse.p2ric.org/ref/28/27517.pdf