tackling trouble areas Pressure Washing As the EPA’s influence grows, cleaners and contractors must protect themselves from serious infractions. By: Peter Tourian And EPA Fines When it comes to keeping building exteri-ors and outdoor structures clean, the rec-ommendation often rests with the custodial professionals and/or building service con-tractors in charge. However, most cleaning professionals don’t know that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued strict laws on how exterior cleaning is carried out, and they can ring up a pretty hefty bill if the proper precautions are not taken. Pressure washing remains one of the best ways for cleaning professionals to maintain building exteriors and other out-door structures. It is useful for removing graffiti, cleaning up after construction projects, parking area cleaning, sidewalk salt removal, dumpster cleaning and countless other projects. However, regardless of whether the clean-ing professional has hired a professional power washing provider or has decided to power wash themselves, failure to abide by EPA regulations can turn routine exterior cleaning projects into a legal nightmare. As recent legal action suggests, the EPA is making it a priority to enforce the Clean Water Act of 1972. the pressure washing company … it rests with the property owner. Property owners can face fines of up to $50,000 a day if the water used in a pres-sure washing project contains dangerous chemicals or is allowed to contaminate the storm drain system. As suggested, the EPA is holding prop-erty owners accountable at an unprec-edented rate. For example, in 2012, the EPA levied a re-cord number $252 million in fines collected from civil and criminal penalties related to water contamination. That number far exceeds the $168 million collected in 2011. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court further em-powered the EPA earlier this year by vali-dating the EPA’s strict interpretation of the Clean Water Act. W Who Is Responsible? It is up to the cleaning professional recom-mending exterior cleaning solutions to fully understand the steps they or a hired pro-fessional must take to avoid violating the Clean Water Act or they’ll put the building’s property owner at risk of serious fines. That’s right, contrary to popular belief, the responsibility of water reclamation when cleaning property exteriors is not in the hands of the cleaning professional or Property owners can face fines of up to $50,000 a day if the pressure washing runoff contains dangerous chemicals or contaminates the storm drain system. 48 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • November 2013 Image courtesy of Vectoraart/iStock/Thinkstock
CMM – Archives November 2013: 48
