Case Study: Lyler Furniture

BUS/372

March 14, 2011

Case Study: Lyler Furniture On a daily basis, many companies share similar issues concerning waste removal, working conditions and health hazards to employees. Small companies in a city area release toxic chemicals into the environment with little concern that their small contribution will have any effect at all and never consider the bigger picture. Lyler Furiture is such a company plagued with best practice issues and violations of EPA regulations. With careful analysis of operational practices, investigations will provide structure corrections and deployment of best practices of plant operation. No company is above the law and understanding the operational process of Lyler Furniture will allow proper analysis to implementing environmental policies. Lyler Furniture operational workflow is sequential as many other manufacturing facilities. Materials are delivered in the loading bay, stored in the materials room until requested. Manufacturing department appropriates needed material from the material rooms for construction, and then the finishing room completes the manufacturing process with stains, paints, and finishes. After which, orders are processed in the office and finished products are loaded on delivering vehicles in the loading bay to complete consumers’ orders. During the operational process, numerous Environmental Protection Association (EPA) violations and poor work were discovered that could potential harm humans as well as the environment. Starting with the loading bay located in the rear of the plant and adjacent to the materials room, two potentially harmful conditions exist. Lyler currently disposed of virtually all material waste from the facility into the dumpster located in the loading bay area (University of Phoenix, 2004). Materials dumped into the dumpster are transported to the local municipal landfill and disposed as normal material waste. These materials would include leftover products mixed with wood, toxic chemicals, plastics, cans containing toxic material, and all office supplies. All of these material pose serious health risk to all elements in the environment; human, animal, and soil. The second potential hazard located in the loading bay would be the toxic chemical puddle located near the dumpster; obviously leakage from the chemicals dumped in the dumpster (University of Phoenix, 2004). Toxic spills pose immediate dangers to all parties exposed to this puddle and even a greater danger to local soil in direct contact. Animals such as birds, cats, and dogs finding the puddle as sources of water, are exposed directly to toxic chemicals which will cause numerous health related illnesses. In addition to soil and animal dangers from direct contact with the toxic puddle, vapors from the evaporated water will contaminate air, also posing a health risk to all parties. Moving to the materials department the first violation notice is the lack of air ventilation as this room stores highly flammable material such as lacquers, paints, and turpentine (University of Phoenix, 2004). Special attention is held to the storing of wood with flammable materials with no separation of materials or visible fire extinguishers present. Lyler purchases particle board, which is made from wood chips mixed with formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is known to cause cancer, vomiting and diarrhea if swallowed, problems breathing, burning or watery eyes, and burning in the throat and nose. In addition, formaldehyde is labeled a highly toxic and flammable and must be stored with caution (Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Environmental Health, n.d.). Manufacturing department practices is marked for two noticeable bad practices; with no enforcement of protective gear while operating tools and poor ventilation where the formaldehyde particle board is processed. Once again, this department lacks any visible fire extinguishers in the event of a fire. Special notice is made to the fact; the manufacturing department is located between the materials room and the finish room, both of which contain highly toxic chemicals that could pose a potential risk to workers operating machinery (University of Phoenix, 2004). The final manufacturing process lies with the finishing room and poses many violations or bad practices. Once again safety gear is only suggested, ventilation is old but operational, and leftover wood finishes are poured down the sink when too small to retain. Final inspection resides in the office operation conditions, which is operated by two employees. The office is lighted with only natural lighting and easy access to the manufacturing area. Employees complain of highly toxic air quality as reports from employees indicate health issues such as; vomiting, burning eyes, and headaches. All operational conditions constitute the attention of the EPA to facilitate evaluations determining various environmental risks to humans and habit, which could qualify for a Superfund site declaration. Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP) is any person or organizational owners, which includes transporters of materials, material generators, and operators; and responsible or contributing to the hazardous material located at a Superfund site (Kubasek & Silverman, 2008). Materials used at the Lyler Furniture facility which constitutes material causing problems are; paints, solvent, particle boards, and wood finishes. Materials used at Lyler pose many risk factors to all operational level at the facility and require immediate attention before serious injuries to human life or damage to the environment is irreversible. Numerous recommendations can be suggested to improve operational standards to protect the environment and human health concerns. Once the EPA finds Lyler as a PRP, short-term and long-term clean requirements are established. Investigations to calculate approximate amounts of material waste dumped at non-permitted sites using average usage of daily operational materials, must be accessed to properly institute monetary fines or imprisonments. Remediation means, “The process for remediation begins with site identification, followed by a preliminary assessment” (Kubasek & Silverman, 2008, p. 320) and must be done before any cleanups are conducted. EPA must then arrange the cleanup of immediate spills and or materials dumped at the municipal dump site. Once sites are cleaned of toxic chemicals, focus is drawn to facility operations. Located in the loading bay, all toxic spills are to be removed as well as materials in the dumpster. Further cleanup must be conducted at the municipal landfill of all toxic materials delivered from Lyler. After which, the local waste water treatment plant must be contacted to properly evaluate any containments discovered and purged from the treatment facility. Proper containment of materials in the materials room is targeted in preventing any combustion conditions, which present immediate dangers. Enforcement of protective gear will be posted and mandated in employee training and handbooks. Finishing room practices of dumping remaining solvents into sinks, which flow to local waste water treatment plant, will not be acceptable in any condition. All remaining solvent will be collected and delivered to a permitted disposal site at the expense of Lyler Furniture. Front office conditions will be improved with proper lighting and installation of sealed doors from any and all operations departments. A final recommendation for facility operations goes into the installation of updated ventilation equipment throughout the building. Ensuring proper ventilation will improve employees’ health issues and working conditions. The installment of energy conscious lighting and reclamation will improve the carbon footprint and overall operational expenses. Decreasing the carbon footprint is essential to creating an environmentally proactive facility. Installing solar panels on the roof of the building will reduce energy consumption from Kelsey Power & Light. Decreasing energy consumption decreases the carbon footprint and saves operational expenses. In addition to saving energy through solar power, Lyler can collect all particle wood waste and send it back to the vendor supplying the materials for possible recycling of wood waste. No company can expect to maintain sustainability operating under old assumptions of using resources without ramifications to the environment or health of humans. Ensuring the environment safe of toxic waste and harvesting renewable energies, will allow future generations to benefit from resources as many do today.

References: Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Environmental Health. (n.d.). Environmental Health Facts Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/formaldehyde.htm
Kubasek, N. K., & Silverman, G. S. (2008). Environmental Law, Sixth Edition. Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
University of Phoenix. (2004). Welcome to Iyler Furniture [Computer Software]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Simulation, BUS372-Business Sustainability Standards website.