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Tools Developed by
Hands & Associates, Inc. |
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Tool
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Description
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File-Logic™
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The hardcopy filing system that takes the anxiety out of
regulatory inspections. File-Logic is a structured method for
storing and finding valuable compliance related documents.
File-Logic™ can stand the test of time and give ownership of a
simple and effective environmental and/or safety management
system. File-Logic™ consists of more than 150 labeled hanging
file folders with matrix and manual ready to be dropped into two
to four drawers of a file cabinet. If file folders are empty,
should they be? Both environmental and safety modules are
available. File-Logic™ can be a key component to satisfy the
requirements of element 4.5.1 of ISO 14001.
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e File-Logic™
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We have teamed with ImageSoft and Information Management
Research to develop eFile-Logic for electronic
recordkeeping, archival and retrieval for important
environmental and safety documents. The system can provide fast
access to needed documents through a range of search techniques.
It results in cost-effective storage and affordable
distribution. eFile-Logic makes it possible now to
safeguard your environmental and safety document assets.
Documents are scanned or transferred directly into the eFile-Logic
computer database. This database handles the wide range of the
types of documents that are used to manage environmental and
safety processes.
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Waste Determination Form
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Hands & Associates, Inc. has developed a structured
procedure for appropriately categorizing a waste stream. We
provide an unlimited license for a single facility to use an
MSWord template (other word-processing programs can be
supported) that leads a person through a step-by-step procedure
to properly categorize a specific waste stream. The current
system has been formulated and tested to meet current Michigan
requirements.
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Tool
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Description
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Operation Reviews
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HANDS’ developed the "Operations Review" as an
assessment tool for continuous improvement in the areas of
environmental performance and compliance. The purpose of the
review is to determine the nature of environmental regulatory
requirements potentially applicable to a facility and to
establish a benchmark for existing conditions. We base the
review primarily upon the types and general quantities of
materials used by the facility. We review existing
management-system practices, procedures, and documentation to
identify both successful actions and opportunities for
improvement. The review does not include calculation of material
inventories, uses, and emissions but serves to assess the
performance and documentation of the existing system. We can use
the review results to help you to identify and prioritize
elements of an action plan for improvement. As an assessment
tool or gap analysis, the review is not a find and fix exercise.
Additionally, the "Operations Review" is useful for
organizations wishing to perform an initial review as discussed
in Appendix A.3.1 Environmental Aspects of ISO 14001:1996(E) and
discussed further in clause 4.1.3 of ISO 14004:1996(E) Initial
Environmental Review. The "Operations Review", unlike
a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment or Environmental Audit,
does not address historical land ownership/use, adjacent
properties, or liability evaluations relative to selected waste
recycling, treatment or disposal vendors.
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Stormwater Inspection Report Form
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Hands & Associates, Inc. has developed a stormwater
inspection report form for facilities that need to comply with
Michigan’s General Stormwater Permit requirement, Part 1, B,
6.b. This easy-to-use form contains all the elements necessary
to meet the requirements in the general permit.
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Smart Forms
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Hands & Associates, Inc. can develop custom,
recordkeeping templates to track discharges and/or emissions
from a facility based on an understanding of material flow and
process operation indicators. Typically, for any recordkeeping
system, there are the variable process and material inputs and
the relatively fixed process and material inputs. We use these
data to develop output reports for recordkeeping purposes.
Frequently, the result is a simple spreadsheet template
consisting of a number of sections including a periodic report.
Depending on conditions, the result also may be a computer
program that queries existing databases to develop the periodic
reports.
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Tool
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Description
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Mock Inspections
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Hands & Associates, Inc. developed a procedure for
performing multi-media "mock inspections" that has
been used successfully for a number of facilities. In addition
to testing the level of robustness of the environmental and/or
safety management system at facilities, this process resulted in
a much better understanding by facility operators of the
environmental and/or safety aspects of their operation. This
program is designed to minimize fear and maximize learning,
therefore it is best done when there is a strong environmental
and/or safety management system and recordkeeping system at the
facility. This product could be a component of elements 4.5.1,
4.5.4 and 4.4.2 of the ISO 14001 standard. Both environmental
and safety modules are available.
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