Jeff Foxworthy can teach you something about odors and compliance with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
And the bottom line?
Our definition of what smells and what doesn’t is subjective …
… so what smells bad to one person, may not be a problem to the next and that can cause a problem when it comes to compliance.
Odors and SCAQMD Rule 402
Under Rule 402, a Notice of Violation (NOV) for a public nuisance, like an odor, can only be issued after the SCAQMD receives public complaints for the odor, and the odor can be traced back to your facility.
Odors Can Hurt Your Reputation and Bottom Line
Over the past few years, there have been many instances where an odor issue from a facility has led to negative press or a compliance issue.
Here are two great examples:
- Inside the Sriracha Factory Causing A Stink In California
- Plant faces court date Feb. 13 over odor complaints
… and in a more curious case, an odor alone, was enough to force an airplane from UK to Dubai to land early because of odor issues within the cabin.
Whatever the case, odor issues can hurt the bottom line of your business and can increase your risk for non-compliance with the SCAQMD’s rules.
In addition, it can also hurt your image.
Odor Issues Are Hard To Deal With
We’ve worked with odor issues in the past, and we’ve learned that odor issues are hard to deal with.
In our experience, it’s hard to work with odors issues because odors, as Jeff Foxworthy mentions, tend to be subjective. Also, the concentration of odor molecules can be hard to quantify especially out in the field, and most importantly, not everyone perceives odors the same way, and the sensitivity to different odors can vary widely between people.
What Is The Best Way To Manage Odor Issues?
In the past, we’ve found that the best way to manage odor issues is through best management practices and this is something that SCAQMD proposed Rule 415 has recognized as it relates to rendering plants (an industry that is known for odors).
- Enclosing odorous processes,
- Venting odors to an odor control system
- Covering transport vehicles of odorous materials
- Washing of an odorous process
And So The Bottom Line Is This …
If your business has a “smelly process,” it is best to look at potential liabilities when it comes to odors from your process and manage them accordingly in order to avoid loss in revenue due to violations and compliance audits.
The resources invested now to mitigate odors from your process, can greatly pay off if you’re ever in a situation where the citizens of the community surrounding your facility wants you out because you stink.
Have you had an encountered with a process that smells?
Join the discussion over on our LinkedIn page …
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Image Credit: Bad Smell (CC)
