In the movie Erin Brockovich, the character of Julia Roberts was neck-deep in investigation about the suspicious activities of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which led to the eventual poisoning and death of the residents nearby the area. After going through a series of unproductive meetings among lawyers, residents and owners the company was soon charged of buying a piece of land that was already contaminated. So what does the movie have to do with you, you ask? It tells you that you can avoid this situation by getting an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for your subject property.
Of course, nobody wants his company to undergo the same mishaps as seen in the movie. Court trials are time consuming and litigation lawyers charge too expensively that you just want to settle things under the table. Plus a suspicious site would lessen its credibility and drive people away from it.
Naturally, you would want to retain the value of your property and not get into any kind of legal trouble of any sort. You can do this through Environmental Site Assessment. Some of you, like me, are probably still wondering what this program can do for your company. Through Phase 1 ESA, you can rest assured that your property is free from potential environmental liabilities like toxicity or contamination. Professional consultants will determine whether the land you own or are planning to buy is a potential environmental threat because, or what are better known as “brownfield sites”.
In the 1970s, a similar study was done in the United States to inspect commercial properties and to test them whether they are potentially hazardous to health. Now, the US has stricter monitoring than ever when it comes to environmental issues. Before you could actually have an acquisition or a management buy-out, you need to abide first by the environmental due diligence—a kind of investigation which identifies environmental hazards. It will give you details on how a former or a current operation poses a potential risk for your employees and nearby residents.
The inspection will tell you in detail the history of the chosen property, how the former operations contributed to possible environmental hazards, and how you could verify legal compliance from regulation authorities.
Tests are conducted by industrial hygiene consultants. These professionals see to it that every nook and cranny of your would-be land acquisition is scrutinized, looking for loopholes such that lead to toxicological risks. A property condition assessment is done to check whether if the health and safety requirements mandated by the State are met. Industrial hygiene consultants perform samplings and assessments, all of which are then turned over to an accredited laboratory for further evaluation. They also see to it that investigations, which include an expert witness testimony and an assessment of workers compensations claims, are done in a discreet and professional manner.
Aside from industrial hygiene consultants, you may also seek help from other companies on environmental engineering services. The services included on this one are feasibility studies, construction oversight, waste management consultation and other facility design services. You can address the underlying issues of pollution or contamination through environmental remediation. Avoid getting into grave legal issues on environmental safety by having your company go through Environmental Site Assessment.
By: Lis Ran
Posts Tagged ‘Environmental Issues’
Environmental Site Assessment – Why Do You Need It
November 6th, 2009Outsourcing Your Managed Hosting: What Should You Consider?
October 11th, 2009It is true that many companies fall into a trap when they decide to try to manage their own hosting. They may try to use employees already on staff and find that these employees are spending all of their time with the managed hosting instead of their regular duties. Then again, the business may have to hire additional employees. This means that more wages have to be paid. So here we have two situations that shows work being sacrificed in one area and the business having to pay out more money to pay the new salaries. How can this be avoided?
This is the point where the business may consider outsourcing their managed hosting. This is where you can make sure your employees are doing the job that they are hired to do and the company you are outsourcing to may not be quite as expensive as having to hire one or more full-time employees to manage your hosting.
Here are some things to consider:
Consider the fact that by outsourcing your managed hosting, the outsource supplier is the one who will be carrying the risks. This means that they are going to do all that they can to make sure everything stays up and running and that everything is secure.
Your company does not have to fit the bill for equipment costs if you run servers on your own property. You are using the servers of the IT Company that you hire to take care of your managed hosting. This is another area in which you can save money.
Your company can stay up on the most up-to-date technology. The company you have outsourced to relies on staying up with the latest technology, which means that your business will follow in that respect.
Since environmental issues are taking shape this day and age, many IT companies are employing practices that are more favorable to the environment.
Know that they will do all they can to keep everything up and running. If you have ever noticed, the press covers huge outages and that can hurt a reputation. Most of all, it can hurt the IT Company’s reputation if the problem is traced back to them. Chances are they are managing the managed hosting of more than one company and that can cause a huge problem. These IT Companies employ methods that will keep them up and running even if the world around them is not.
As you can see, there are some things to consider when outsourcing your managed hosting. Smaller businesses may have to evaluate these items more thoroughly because outsourcing may be a big price to pay for them. Larger businesses, on the other hand, may have never imagined that they would fully outsource their managed hosting and other IT operations. However, the more affordable and practical it becomes, the more businesses are outsourcing such operations so that they can keep their minds on the task at hand and not worry about the technical aspect of it. That is why there are so many businesses that are finding success. They rely on the security of an IT outsource company to take care of their websites and other technical aspects so that they can focus on wooing their customers and keeping the money coming in faster than ever.
In the end, you end up with an efficient company that is at the top of their game. At that point, outsourcing their managed hosting may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to what it used to be. That makes looking at outsourced managed hosting something to consider.
By: Amy Nutt
Environmental Issues – They Concern Chefs as Well!
September 30th, 2009It has not probably escaped your notice that environmental issues have captured people’s interest. You can probably say that this is not surprising considering the fact that people are finally experiencing the effects of decades of environmental abuse. Mother Nature is indeed lashing back. Environmental debates are fairly common these days. Being a chef does not excuse you, however, from getting involved. You create your own ecological footprints and you are accountable for them.
Environmental issues generally fall under three categories – bizarre global climate changes, excessive use of resources, improper waste management.
Bizarre Global Climate Changes
There are numerous environmental issues but the one thing that you have likely heard people talking about is the bizarre climate that the whole world is experiencing. The effects of these weird climate changes have caused devastating damages, taking lives and properties. Unfortunately, there are many factors that contribute to climate change. Many of these factors are largely created by man.
Excessive and Abusive Use of Environmental Resources
There are many environmental issues that fall under this category. You have deforestation, land degradation and land being stripped off of fossil fuels. These three are just some of the many problems that arise from abusive use of environmental resources.
Improper Waste Management
Many environmental issues have resulted from people’s inability to manage their waste or trash properly. This category basically embraces all kinds of pollutions caused by humans which include air, water and land pollution.
Resolving Environmental Issues Your Way
It’s certainly a good thing that many people are getting involved in correcting environmental issues. As a chef, you can do a lot of things in order to reverse the damage that has been done to the environment. You can make positive contributions. Being environmentally friendly does not end with disposing potato peelings properly. As a leader, you can influence people to be more environmentally conscious.
Adopt an Environmental Cause
If you own your restaurant, you can get your staff or employees to volunteer for environmental causes. Since you are working in the food industry, perhaps you can get your employees to volunteer for a food feeding program.
You can also adopt environmental programs and support them. For instance, you can adopt a program which aims to provide clear water to many places in Africa or you can support one project that is designed to protect the rainforest in the Amazons. Support any environmental conservation schemes. Try to raise funds if you can in order to support a conservation program.
Recycle!
Another way of helping the environment is to adopt a recycling program in your workplace. You should also make sure that you get recyclable supplies. If you are going to purchase disposable dishware, you should get recyclable or biodegradable ones. Encourage your staff or employees to do the same.
Cut Back on Gas Consumption
There are also various ways of cutting back on gas consumption. You can also get your employees involved in your save-your-gas scheme. You can offer incentives to employees who choose to leave their cars at home. In fact, this method is proving effective among hospitality entrepreneurs. Aside from encouraging your staff to take the bus, you can also get them to set up a carpool system.
Another way of saving gas and cutting back on delivery expenses is to impose minimum order requirement. This will discourage small deliveries and unnecessary use of gas.
Prefer Local Producers
The food service industry has finally recognized that they have a social responsibility to support local producers within their community. If you choose to purchase products from local farmers, not only will you be able to help the local economy, you will also help in minimizing environmental wastages.
Spread the Word
You need to spread environmental consciousness. You can start with the people around you – your employees perhaps. Challenge people to care. Over time, you will eventually get people involved. Employ people who are environmentally conscious – people who purchase organic products and who boast of eco-friendly practices.
You can also train your staff and teach them how to be more eco-friendly. After all, you will reap the benefits as well. You will likely notice a considerable decrease in energy consumption once your staff learns how to conserve energy.
You can also spread the word and influence your guests, customers and clients. You can offer rewards or incentives to guests who adopt eco-friendly measures in order to address environmental issues. You don’t have to stop with your employees. Ideally, the more people you educate, the better it will be for the environment.
By: ProChef360Blog
