Wednesday, September 10, 2014

MS4 Stormwater Program Specific software NPDES - What features do I need to help me comply?

The complianceGO Stormwater Solution - compliancego.com

http://www.compliancego.com/ms4s/

complianceGO software is specifically designed to meet NPDES documentation standards and will help you comply with your MS4 permit. There are many tasks that must be completed and documented with exactness in order to comply with permit requirements. complianceGO was built for this purpose. Here are a few of the benefits you will receive when using complianceGO 

  • Streamlined Document Submittal and Review for MS4s:
    • Platform to manage all documents, permits, maps, etc. submissions required in your MS4.
    • Portal for easy submission, assessment, and review - including comments, amendments, redlines, etc.
    • Communicate deficiencies, concerns, requests, approvals.
    • Post specifications, regulations, and training modules to be referenced and viewed specific to your MS4.
  • Efficiently Complete and Manage all Internal Inspections and Monitoring:
    • Automate the process of notification, documentation, communication, reporting, follow-up and storage of all required in-house inspections, permits, and documentation.
    • Set up a regular schedule for inspections/assessments of MS4 facilities, post-construction controls, structures, public works facilities, parks and recreation, streets, and more.
    • Tailor the inspection form to meet your in-house SWMP objectives.
    • Provide automated notifications to those responsible within the municipality to perform various inspections.
    • Activate follow-up reminders to those responsible and those overseeing the stormwater compliance within the MS4 when inspections or action items are not performed or completed in a timely manner.
  • Effectively Monitor Permittees and Perform/Manage all Regulatory Inspections and Assessments:
    • Electronic access to all documents, permits, and maps at your fingertips before, during or after inspection.
    • Quickly set up and perform recurring site inspections.
    • Assign action items by date to permittees while providing a way for them to document completion electronically on your reports.
    • Capture and retain vital documentation for compliance.
    • Automatic reminders if you are busy and forget to perform an inspection or follow-up with outstanding action items.
    • Attach pictures to your inspections. Sign inspections with electronic signature.
    • Email inspections to the permittee with specific instructions for compliance, or others when needed.
    • Request compliance with action items.
    • Access project history, reports, and trends for proper oversight and management.
  • Provide an Advantage to Permittees Working within the MS4:
    • Expedite MS4 oversight capability by accessing all documents, inspections, action items, etc., at any time from any computer or device.
    • Setup permittees to automatically receive inspections with the capability to conduct consistent and comprehensive assessments while updating and managing their documents and maps all in one place.
    • Convenient reminders if the inspections are not recorded or action items are overdue to the site contact inspector as well as to the municipality inspector.
    • Safe and secure documentation management and retention, assuring permittees that their documents are always accessible and available - including the three year requirement following the NOT.
http://www.compliancego.com/ms4s/  expert stormwater software - Proven Results.  Low Cost.

Stormwater / Air Quality / SPCC and more permit management - inspections and documentation solution - complianceGO

THE COMPLIANCE PROBLEM YOUR COMPANY FACES

www.compliancego.com

Today, all companies face growing liabilities as regulatory environmental compliance burdens are increasing (SWPPP, Water Quality, SPCC, Air Quality, Dust Control, etc.). Businesses must find solutions to protect their assets from heavy fines and legal actions resulting from poor environmental management, including potential consent decrees, settlements and negative publicity that follow.
The larger the company, the more difficult it is to know if these complicated and ever changing environmental regulations are being properly met. Regardless of contracts and agreements with consultants or subcontractors, owners and operators cannot abdicate their risk management liabilities – thus the importance of sound environmental compliance management.

THE COMPLIANCE SYSTEM YOUR COMPANY NEEDS

complianceGO solves environmental compliance within your company by providing the latest in cloud based technology which drives the compliance process and allows your company to control the input of current required information specific to each state, local municipality, or governing entity in real time. Your company needs a consistent process, comprehensive technology, and professional support team that helps your team properly manage it all.
complianceGO technology was developed in the field by environmental compliance experts who needed the right software to effectively do the job, keeping multiple sites in full compliance at all times.
complianceGO provides customized reminders when inspections are due with a direct link to the form for easy entry. Easily perform and communicate inspections and action logs while accessing, storing, amending, and managing documents, permits, plans, maps, specifications, action items, and more.
complianceGO is fully customizable and can be utilized by in-house personnel, consultants, or subcontractors while solving the uncertainties of environmental compliance regulations allowing company operations to spend less time managing compliance and more time being productive.

FEATURES


  • Online
  • Cloud-Based
  • Controlled Access
  • Document Management
  • Mapping Functionality
  • Inspections / Reports
  • Pictures & Images
  • Edit Functionality
  • Notifications / Follow Up
  • Live Customer Support
  • Unlimited Users
  • Unlimited Sites
  • Unlimited Storage
  • www.compliancego.com

Online Stormwater Management - Stormwater Inspections, SWPPP documentation, SWPPP maps - everything Stormwater!

Online SWPPP Management?!  compliancego.com
www.compliancego.com

Where is your SWPPP?  Is it accessible to anyone that wants to view it?  Does it contain the current permit or proper certifications?  Is your SWPPP being properly amended/updated when you perform required ongoing inspections?   
These are questions that construction professionals and MS4s are presently considering as a growing emphasis is placed upon water quality and enforcement in our communities nationwide.  A SWPPP is a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan and required by the Federal Clean Water Act on most construction sites including industrial facilities that have exposures to rain or snow melt.  Federal, state, and local regulations are very specific when it comes to how these plans must be properly managed.  After all, the SWPPP document itself is the “court document”, derived of self-monitoring documentation that is required by their complicated regulations.  As these regulations grow more complex, companies and MS4s are trying to solve how to best meet them to stay compliant and to avoid negative publicity and costly fines and penalties that are on the rise.

What is the best way to legally manage SWPPPs on projects and facilities?
While many environmental regulations can seem burdensome, the regulations also allow some common sense methods for achieving compliance. One such method is allowing electronic management of all stormwater documents, inspections, documentation, map updating, and communication. And, it appears that the federal government is ready to require states and local municipalities to manage their SWPPP oversight programs electronically.  This would encourage anyone wanting to comply to utilize technology.  Stormwater personnel have been trying to figure out the best way to manage SWPPP documents on site for updating and accessibility for quite some time. Mailboxes, lockboxes, and other methods have been used to try and meet the regulations.  However, as you can imagine, these federal documents are often lost, vandalized, stolen, mismanaged, weathered, and ultimately not compliant.  Company management personnel and MS4s struggle when emphasizing the need for continual upkeep and management of the SWPPP. This is especially true if the only way to manage them is to actually drive to the site and find them!
Electronic management provides a better way to manage a SWPPP program and make it compliant.  As long as the electronic accessibility of the SWPPP and documents are posted with the permit, the SWPPP is always accessible. This includes current up-to date certifications, inspections, action logs, amendments, and active site maps. The benefits of electronic management are obvious. Electronic management will change your operational process.  Hard copies of the SWPPP, inspections, signatures and action logs, along with map updating on site, are a thing of the past. Electronic SWPPP management is a new and better process. Electronic inspections, signatures, action logs, and maps updating are an improved management method allowing professionals to utilize better tools for compliance. This will increase profitability, provide more flexibility, and drive improved compliance.  Company and MS4 interests are better protected with electronic management as well.  It is one thing to say, “These things are important”; but where SWPPP management is tied to a consistent electronic process with tools and resources, their compliance documents will finally be compliant and everyone wins if that is the case.

www.compliancego.com 

Stormwater / Air Quality / SPCC Inspections Management Software

You can’t manage what you can’t see.  Poorly Managed Environmental  Inspections like Stormwater / Air Quality / SPCC, Action Items, Documents and Maps = HEAVY FINES & PENALTIES
Where are your Stormwater or SPCC Plan inspections?  Do you have instant access to them so that you can see if they are even being done?  Do reports contain open and closed action items by dates? Are these plans accessible to anyone that needs to view them?  Do they contain current regulations, permits, proper certifications or other necessary items?  Are specific components like maps and specifications being properly updated?
These are questions that industry professionals are presently considering as a growing emphasis is placed on environmental compliance and enforcement in our communities nationwide.  Ready mix batch plants and other related concrete production facilities take no exception to this. For example, most plants and production facilities have to manage a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plan due to the qualifying amount of fuel, oils, and other petroleum related products used on site.  As well, a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan is required by the Federal Clean Water Act on most concrete production facilities that have exposures to rain or snow melt.  Federal, state, and or local regulations are very specific when it comes to how these plans are managed.  After all, these plans become the “court documents” in the case of a regulatory review, derived of self-monitoring documentation that is required by their complicated regulations.  As inspection and documentation demands within these regulations grow more complex, coupled with both ever increasing regulatory oversight and a social consciousness of environmental concerns that has everyone under the microscope, companies are desperately trying to solve how to best meet them to stay compliant and avoid the negative publicity, costly fines and penalties that are on the rise.  All of this, while trying to build profits.  Does this current state of affairs not beg the simple questions of how and what to do?

So, what is the best way to efficiently manage these plans legally with their ongoing inspections, documentation and reporting?
While many environmental regulations can seem burdensome, the regulations also allow some common sense methods for achieving compliance. One such method allows technology to be implemented to perform inspections with electronic signatures, creating and communicating action items, electronically updating maps and the overall electronic management of all environmental documentation, management, and communication. Company management personnel have been trying to figure out the best way to perform and manage components within these regulations on site for quite some time. Mailboxes, lockboxes, spreadsheets, handwritten checklists/notes, and other methods have been painstakingly used to try and meet these regulations.  However, as you can imagine, inspections are often missed, action items are not noted or communicated, and maps/plans commonly go unkept.  In some instances, these federal documents are even lost, vandalized, stolen, mismanaged, weathered, and ultimately not compliant.  Company management personnel often struggle when emphasizing the need for continual upkeep and management of the SWPPP and SPCC, especially if the only way to see if plans are being managed and inspections are being performed is to actually drive to the site to view what is going on! When this is the case, compliance accountability, due to the lack of accessibility and verification, takes a dive while liability risk skyrockets; thus becoming a major problem for any company, let alone companies with multiple regulated facilities and operations.  And, it appears that the federal government is ready to require states and local municipalities to manage programs like the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System – Federal Clean Water act) electronically.  This would certainly encourage anyone wanting to comply to utilize technology to save everyone money and time in the process. 

Online software that will enable companies to perform inspections, document action items, update maps and other documents while managing it all electronically is more sustainable and provides a much better way to manage an environmental program more efficiently and make it compliant.  This concept is the very beneficial essence of implementing technology.  As long as the way to electronically access updated plans, completed inspections, action items, and documents are posted with the permit, your site is complying with the law. The benefits of utilizing technology for electronic management are obvious.  Never has there been more incentive for the implementation of technology to enhance operational processes than this day and age where everyone has a smartphone, tablet, or access to a laptop or computer. Three ring binders and hard copies of the plans, inspections, and all that other stuff are a thing of the past. Electronic performance and management of all things environmental is the process of the future, no different than our online banking accounts or filing our taxes electronically. This increases profitability, provides more flexibility, and drives improved compliance.

Consider these advantages when utilizing technology to manage your Environmental (Stormwater, SPCC, Air Quality) Program
  • ·         Correct Inspection form for each permit can be utilized, managed, and amended when needed
  • ·         Inspections and management on any device…creating a paperless process – saves time and cost
  • ·         Correct Inspection frequency for each permit can be set up
  • ·         Adaptable inspection forms in real time when changes need to occur
  • ·         Directives on inspection forms and action prompts can help ground operations comply
  • ·         Drive action items electronically for communication and completion
  • ·         Create, amend, update key maps/drawings, etc. when needed
  • ·         Platform for all compliance documents-readable, accessible, retainable
  • ·         training modules available 24-7-operators access when it is best for them
  • ·         Run Reports for Quality Control and Employee evaluations
  • ·         Quantify action items by open and closed dates-run key reports to properly manage this cycle
  • ·         Closes communication Gaps of non-compliance from ground operations to management
  • ·         “the eye in the sky”-you can’t properly manage what you can’t see
  • ·         Protect company and personal risk management-closes compliance gaps in any program


Company interests are better protected with electronic management as well.  It is one thing to say, “These things are important”; but where companies invest in environmental management technology which provides a consistent process with tools and resources that often save time and money, operational efforts to comply with the regulations can finally be achieved and everyone wins when this is the case.

Stormwater, Air Quality, SPCC Inspections and Document Management Software - complianceGO
User Friendly.  Expert Results.  Low Cost.  www.compliancego.com