VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — April 8, 2019 — DuPont Sustainable Solutions has launched a new training series, Environment Matters, which presents straight-forward overviews of major environmental regulations.

“The format of Environment Matters is based on the success of our Safety Matters series,” said Chris Scaglione, product manager, Learning & Development, DuPont Sustainable Solutions. “Safety Matters discusses core safety topics in 10 minutes or less. This innovative approach was created to help organizations meet the demands of the changing workplace. Our goal was to provide concise training without sacrificing quality, and we were pleased with the reception of Safety Matters. We’re now bringing its proven approach to training on environmental protection.”

The Environment Matters series consists of five programs:

• Environment Matters: Environmental Awareness discusses several laws that cover the EPA’s four main focus areas – air quality, water quality, waste materials and emergency planning, chemical safety and use – and shows why each is important to human health and the environment. The program covers eight regulations, including CERCLA, EPCRA, TSCA and FIFRA.
• Environment Matters: RCRA – Small Quantity Generator explains how the EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) applies to the operations of Small Quantity Generators. It delivers an overview of the requirements for the safe handling of hazardous waste, from production to disposal.
• Environment Matters: Stormwater Runoff describes what stormwater runoff is and the serious problems it creates. It provides best management practices (BMPs) and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that facilities and individuals can implement to help manage this issue.
• Environment Matters: RCRA – Large Quantity Generators examines how the EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) covers the operations of Large Quantity Generators. It delivers an overview of the provisions for the safe handling of hazardous waste, from production to disposal.
• Environment Matters: SPCC discusses the major parts of the SPCC regulation and identifies safe work practices to help minimize the risk of an oil spill. It outlines the three major components of the formal written plan, and shows how organizations can prevent, manage and respond to oil spills.

The programs run between 8 to 13 minutes and add flexibility to content delivery, introducing new hires to environmental laws while also providing refresher training for veteran employees. Formats available include DVD, USB and e-learning. Bite-sized microlearning courses on these topics are also available.

Visit www.training.dupont.com for free online previews of these programs.

Posted April 8, 2019

Source: DuPont Sustainable Solutions (DSS), a DowDuPont Specialty Products Division business

WASHINGTON — April 8, 2019 — With tariff increases delayed for the foreseeable future and the busy summer season approaching, imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are beginning to climb again, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“Retailers are starting to stock up in anticipation of a strong summer,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Tariff increases are on hold and progress is being reported in talks between the United States and China, so the imports we’re seeing now are driven primarily by expectations for consumer demand.”

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.62 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in February, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 14.3 percent from January and down 4 percent year-over-year. February is traditionally the slowest month of the year because of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia and the lull between retailers’ holiday and summer seasons. A TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent.

March was estimated at 1.63 million TEU, up 5.9 percent year-over-year. April is forecast at 1.75 million TEU, up 6.9 percent; May at 1.9 million TEU, up 4 percent; June at 1.89 million TEU, up 2 percent; July at 1.96 million TEU, up 2.9 percent, and August at 1.97 million TEU, up 4.3 percent. The August number would be the highest since the record 2 million TEU set last October as retailers brought holiday merchandise into the country ahead of expected tariff increases.

Imports during 2018 set a new record of 21.8 million TEU, an increase of 6.2 percent over 2017’s previous record of 20.5 million TEU. The first half of 2019 is expected to total 10.7 million TEU, up 3.7 percent over the first half of 2018.

“The U.S. consumer, while more cautious, has not stopped spending,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “The inventory-to-sales ratio, however, is on the rise. Part of this can be attributed to the heavy front-loading of imports ahead of expected tariff increases that took place in 2018.”

U.S. tariffs of 10 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that took effect last September were scheduled to rise to 25 percent in March, but the increase was postponed by President Trump, citing progress in talks between Washington and Beijing. The tariff increase has been put on hold indefinitely while the negotiations continue.

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by the consulting firm Hackett Associates, covers the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. The report is free to NRF retail members, and subscription information is available at NRF.com/PortTracker

Posted April 8, 2019

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — April 5, 2019 — Crothall Laundry Services’ Belcamp, Md., facility is the company’s latest recipient of the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification, reflecting its commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and its capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

The certification confirms a laundry’s dedication to compliance and processing healthcare linens and garments using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for inspectors’ evaluation of critical control points minimize risk. The independent, third-party inspection must confirm essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected;
• Managers understand legal requirements;
• OSHA-compliant; and
• Physical plant operates effectively.

In addition to the newest designee, Crothall’s other Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified facilities are located in Mobile, Ala.; (Coastal Laundry); Phoenix, Ariz.; La Mirada, Manteca and Ontario, Canada; Lakeland, Fla.; Augusta and Rome, Ga.; Wheeling (Chicago), Ill.; Madisonville, Ky.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Lima, Ohio; Johnson City, Tenn.; and Milwaukee, Wis.

Certified facilities pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare linens and garments and diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. To maintain their certification, laundry plants must pass quarterly annual testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations through testing and inspections that scrutinize quality-control procedures in laundry operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with TRSA launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles. With more than 100 years as the textile services industry’s leading business association, TRSA’s expertise in laundry BMP development is unmatched.

“Congratulations to Crothall on their certification,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their dedication to building their customers’ confidence that their laundry takes every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Posted April 5, 2019

Source: TRSA