INTERNATIONAL AWARD HAS AUTOBODY INVOLVEMENT

December 28, 2000

The Region of Hamilton-Wentworth has won an international award for its work in the design of a sustainable community and the autobody and collision repair industry is part of it.

The 2000 Dubai International Award for Best Practices to improve the Living Environment recognizes that the Hamilton-Wentworth Air Quality Initiative (HAQI) and VISION 2020 are among the world's top strategies for improving a community's environment, economy, society and overall quality of life. A key consideration in winning the award is that the initiative rely on partnerships between the public, private and civic sectors of society.

Hamilton-Wentworth beat out 760 submissions from more than 100 countries to join nine other finalists, each of whom receives a $30,000 U.S. prize. Only four other North American communities have received the honour since the award's inception in 1996. This year's award was presented on November 20 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

VISION 2020 is a strategy to ensure that future development in the region equally benefits the environment, economy, society and overall health of citizens. The plan's development was spearheaded by the Region of Hamilton-Wentworth, with assistance from numerous local agencies and organizations.

Ways to promote and implement the strategy are currently being pursued by ACTION 2020, a group of community stakeholders.

John Norris, Executive Director of the Hamilton District Autobody Repair Association (HARA) and also Chair, Mountain Chapter, Canada Trust Friends of the Environment Foundation is one of only seven individuals picked to provide the transition programming and reports to implement the changeover and funding of the new group.

"We believe that this award clearly recognizes, internationally the work that the Region has accomplished and provides the enthusiasm for the new organization , ACTION 2020 to work successfully, " says Norris.

GOVT.REQUIREMENTS CHANGED

HARA's work reduces shop costs

December 27, 2000

The Ontario Ministry of Environment’s Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch has proposed new reporting requirements for air emissions from auto refinish facilities starting January 1, 2002.

As part of the emphasis in the Anti-Smog Action Plan to reduce smog emissions and particularly VOC emissions from paint spraybooths, Ontario had proposed that ALL shops report the emissions of each type of VOC in their paint spray applications.

Paint spraybooth emissions in Ontario are estimated at 6000 tons per year of Volatile Organic Compounds(VOC). VOCs are invisible emissions, usually solvent based, from the spraypainting process used in paint spraybooths. They combine in the atmosphere with Nitrogen Oxide and in the presence of sunlight become low-level ozone, or smog. Smog has been shown to have significant health impacts, especially on the elderly or persons with breathing difficulties.

The cost of shop reporting was estimated to be $3000-$5000 per shop and HARA met with the Ministry a number of times to make for a fairer and cheaper process of reporting. As well. HARA filed a report with the Red Tape Commission of Ontario to identify the financial hardships that facilities would be forced to endure in hiring engineers or environmental consultants in order to handle their reporting requirements.

In response to our concerns and suggestions , the Ministry announced on November 10, a new reporting requirement that only shops that use over 3000 kilograms of coatings product or 3000 kilograms of solvent need actually report. For most shops , this means that only shops using about 50 liters of paint per week or more, need consider reporting. HARA has also proposed the creation of a solvent database in conjunction with the Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch of the Ministry, to act as a template for shops to identify their emissions in the future.

HARA expects the cost to those few shops that do have to report their emissions to be less than two hundred dollars if they use our template database, rather than $3000 to $5000 if the shop hired a consultant or engineer to do the work. For more information please call the HARA office at 1-800-318-DENT.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE WORKPLACE INSURANCE COSTS BY UP TO 75%

December 22,2000

The Safe Communities Incentive Program in Hamilton-Wentworth is considering the addition of sectoral groups within their program and the collision repair industry has been asked to participate. Twenty-two other local firms have already become eligible for a rebate of their savings realized due to improved health and safety.

The Hamilton Safe Communities Incentive Program (SCIP) is a low cost safety awareness program for your collision shop. In addition to expert training and evaluation, you will become eligible for a rebate from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. The Safe Communities Incentive Program is an insurance incentive group plan for collision repair industry employers participating in their local Safe Communities Program. Under SCIP, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) treats the workplace insurance costs of these employers as if they were one large firm. The group then receives a 75% refund on any savings realized due to improved health and safety.

To qualify for the rebate:

The shop must have an annual WSIB premium of less than $90,000

The owner or manager must attend a total of 12 hours of safety training

After training, the shop must complete a safety evaluation with the help of one of the safety trainers.

All firms must donate 10% of their rebate back to the Hamilton Safe Communities Coalition, a registered local charity. Cost for each shop to enroll in the program is $175.00 and deadline is December 30 but may be extended.

Please note that not all shops will be able to receive rebates if their loss costs are very low.

Please call John Norris at 1-800-318-DENT for more information, prior to signing up.

WORKER COMPENSATION PREMIUMS TO DROP 8%

December 22, 2000

Active involvement by the collision repair trade associations and the new car dealership association, coupled with decreasing numbers of claims, have helped the collision repair industry to reduce by 8%, their premiums for workplace accident and illness costs to the Workers Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

Most collision repair, auto body and auto refinish facilities in Ontario are required, by law, to remit premiums based on payroll dollars for their workers to the Board. These premiums serve to provide a wage for injured workers and provide for possible rehabilitation.

Health and safety concerns have been addressed by the industry over the last few years with a series of industry workshops and a new booklet and poster from the Automotive Industries Association (AIA) entitled "The Top Ten Steps to a Safer More Profitable Shop".

Industry associations also have worked through the Ontario Service Safety Association (OSSA) to provide health and safety audits at no charge to shops. Industry specific WHMIS training for collision repair and auto refinish shops has been developed by OSSA and is now available for shops by calling the industry help line at 1-800-318-DENT

Premium costs in Ontario will drop from $3.71 per hundred dollars of payroll to $3.42, an eight percent reduction. Any discounts that have been earned by the shop for past good accident records, known as NEER and MAP, will continue.

Total savings for all collision repair and auto refinish shops in Ontario, if all are WSIB registered, are estimated to be 1.9 million dollars in the year 2001

SANTA CLAUSE PARADE AN INDUSTRY EVENT IN MISSISSAUGA

December 20, 2000

This year, Santa Clause painted the town for Christmas with the help of the Peel Vehicle Repair Association and Canadian paint coatings suppliers.

Keeping a commitment made at their annual gala dinner event, the collision repair and auto refinish industry in Mississauga, Ontario helped the Santa Claude parade continue to be a success.

After learning that the parade may have to be cancelled because of funding difficulties, the collision repair association in Peel region, (between Hamilton and Toronto Ontario), decided to help out. They entered a 1929 Buick convertible into the parade, complete with occupants dressed in clothes of that era. Another car was a 1984 Excalibur with signs showing industry support.

The Association also donated twenty thousand dollars to help the parade continue to bring smiles of happiness to children throughout the city. Bill Finan, Association president expressed it best. " The parade is a local tradition that we all wanted to make sure was continued. It's our industry way of giving something back to the community that we live and work in".

Almost 35,000 residents came out for the parade , with many more watching the live TV broadcast on Rogers Cable 10 Television. Also contributing toward the parade's cost with donations of $5,000 each were: DuPont Canada Inc, PPG Canada Inc. and BASF Canada, all major coatings firms in Canada and partners with the Peel Vehicle Repair Association in the movement to keep Santa Clause and the parade coming to Mississauga each year.

For more information on the Peel Vehicle Repair Association , please call 1-800-318-DENT.

HARA INTRODUCES NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM

December 20, 2000

In response to collision repair shop requests for a less expensive and more relevant health and safety training alternative, the Hamilton District Autobody Repair Association (HARA) has introduced a Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) training package that will meet that need.

The video and student workbook based package, produced by the Ontario Service Safety Association (OSSA) is designed especially for today’s collision repair and paint shops.

Featuring five eight minute video sections and the workbooks that match them, this Ontario produced video highlights all the areas needed to meet the training requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

As well, says shop owner Julio Bruno, who watched the program presentation, the package includes:

"A pocket –sized WHMIS warning symbol cards for employees, a poster for the shop with the WHMIS symbols, a profile of how to set up a joint health and safety committee, an isocyanate warning bulletin and how to set up a designated substances review, and a worksheet package on how to conduct a health and safety tour and audit in a collision repair shop."

This 3.5 hour training course in offered to any shop in Ontario and can be completed in one night at the shop. Members of collision repair trade associations receive a discounted rate of up to ten employees receiving the complete program for a total cost of only $350.00

Please contact the office at 1-800-318-DENT or ciag@icom.ca for more information or to book your training.

SHOP ACCIDENT KILLS WORKER

December 15, 2000

Officials from the Ontario Ministry of Labour are still investigating a September 14 tragic incident in which a 26 year old technician, Sean Jamie Smith, died of injuries sustained in a shop accident.

Waterloo Regional Police were called to a new car dealership, Bennett Chev Olds in Cambridge, Ontario to find a technician pinned beneath a vehicle in the repair shop.

Ministry officials advise that the vehicle was a stretched or extended limousine-type vehicle that would not fit on conventional hoists. It was unclear how the accident occurred as there were no witnesses, but the worker was using portable or "pump" jacks to support the vehicle and Ministry officials are unsure if a hydraulic failure or possible mis-positioning of the jacks occurred to cause the vehicle to fall on the technician, killing him.

In Ontario last year some 1,693 motor vehicle technicians and collision repair techs filed claims with the WSIB. The average cost of their injury was $2,493. WSIB total cost as claims was 4.220 million dollars.

The top injury area continues to be the fingers and hands, followed by the back, eyes, knees and shoulders.

Ontario Ministry of Labour requirement for all shops is a regular inspection of all hoists.

A basic hoist safety manual is available to any member shop at no charge by calling the shop help line at

1-800-318-DENT.