Identification of Hazardous Materials in Schools

"Protecting students and faculty from exposure to toxins and chemicals
in the school is a priority and important to their long term well being."

How confident are you that your chemical inventory and controls meet all potentially applicable environmental or OSHA regulations, fire department and building codes?

In this time of heightened awareness of security and safety for school children, have you checked to see if your school has materials that could cause harm or be deliberately used to cause harm?

Lord Associates, Inc. provides chemical and hazardous materials consulting services that can guide you through the maze of federal, state, and local regulations and provide you with the peace of mind that your school chemicals are secure and in compliance.

Our services may start with an inventory and record reconciliation, progress through categorizing materials according to hazard code and/or compatibility, and end with the development of a customized database and personalized training of staff to maintain compliance.

We have written software that enters your chemical information and allows you to quickly determine what volumes of various materials you have on-hand, where they are located, when they were purchased, what types of hazards they present, and if Material Safety Data Sheets are on-file. We have identified both liquid and solid materials at schools and facilities that were very dangerous, not in use, and of unknown origin or purpose. We have aided our clients in identifying the most appropriate means of disposing of these hazardous substances.

Our staff includes trained scientists, Certified Hazardous Materials Managers and Licensed Site Professionals. With our broad background in environmental consulting, we can provide "turn-key" programs to counsel you through the process, follow-up programs that may be identified such as testing, permitting, regulatory notifications, reporting, disposal, remediation, and training. Our staff has also written expert software programs to facilitate the inventory and regulatory compliance record keeping.

Please contact us for further information. We are happy to meet with you free of charge to discuss your needs and concerns.

Chemical Inventory: Acton-Boxboro High School

Lord Associates, Inc. recently completed a complete chemical inventory for the Acton-Boxboro High School. The inventory entailed a comprehensive review of on-site chemical use and storage, including recommendations for disposal of Excessive Risk Chemicals. A chemical inventory database was constructed for each control area within the school and calculations relevant to the Massachusetts Building Code requirements were therefore automated. For example, when a chemical at the school was inventoried and entered into the database, all attributed relevant physical and chemical parameters were queried to identify extremely hazardous substances and compare chemical volumes to exemption amounts under the Massachusetts Building Code. Because an extensive attribute database has been constructed as a result of many projects, Lord Associates, Inc. offers an extremely rapid turnaround time for reporting compliance with building code requirements. Lord Associates, Inc. will soon be able to offer instant, on-site reporting with the completion and implementation of our field-based inventory system.

Chemical Storage Assessment: South Shore School District

Lord Associates, Inc. recently completed an inspection and assessment of chemical use and storage in selected schools within a south shore school district. During the inspection, Lord Associates, Inc. was asked to identify potential issues of concern with respect to the Massachusetts Building Code and OSHA requirements. With relatively minor exceptions, the inspected properties were found to be consistent with relevant regulations. The client therefore received an impartial third-party opinion from Lord Associates, Inc. that chemical use and storage at the inspected properties is operating in a positive manner for the town and all stakeholders. The results of this inspection represent one of the most important pieces of defensible information when Building Code, OSHA, or potentially numerous other safety issues arise in time.