Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 25 Chapter 2 ∣ Shop Safety and Environmental Protection No material is considered hazardous waste until the shop is finished using it and the material is ready for disposal. When the shop is ready to dispose of hazardous waste, it must be handled in accordance with OSHA guidelines. For instance, a caustic cleaning solution with a heavy concentration of lead is not considered hazardous waste until it is ready to be replaced. Handling Hazardous Waste Equipment and services are available to help motorcycle shops cope with hazardous waste disposal. Modern parts cleaners use non-evaporative, recyclable cleaning solvent. There are also machines that recycle antifreeze (and other material considered hazardous), as well as companies that pick up used oil and recycle it. Some space heaters are designed to burn used engine oil. Recycling companies pick up the hazardous material from a shop and dispose of it in accordance with environmental regulations. Any recycling equipment or recycling company that is used must be EPA approved. Right-to-Know Laws Every employee of a motorcycle shop is protected by Right-to-Know laws. These laws man- date that employers provide employees with information regarding hazardous materi- als in the workplace. Right-to-Know laws were first outlined in 1983 in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard. This pub- lication was originally created for chemical companies and manufacturers who require their employees to handle potentially hazardous materials in the workplace. Right-to- Know laws include three major areas of employer responsibility: • Employee training and education—Under this legislation, all employees must be informed of their right to a safe work environment, as well as the type of hazardous chemicals in their workplace, the labeling of these chemicals, and the information about each chemical as posted on safety data sheets (SDS). Employees are to receive training in the proper use and major characteristics of all major chemical groups, as well as the protective equipment needed and accident or spill procedures associated with the chemicals in the shop. New employees should receive this training as part of their orientation, and current employees should be updated annually. An example of updated information is a change in state or local ordinances. • Labels and information about potentially hazardous chemicals—All hazardous materials must be properly labeled to indicate their health, fire, or reactivity hazards. The labels must also indicate what type of protective equipment should be used when handling each chemical. The material’s manufacturer must provide all warnings and precautionary information for the user to read before application. • Record keeping—A company must keep records of the hazardous materials in the work area, proof of training programs, and records of accidents and spill incidents. The company must also keep a list of employee requests for SDS, as well as a Right- to-Know procedure manual containing company policies. Note The shop safety rules in this chapter are only a guideline. Every technician must constantly think about safety to maintain a good safety record in the shop. Other safety precautions are provided throughout this book for spe- cific procedures.