title = "Environmental Compliance Overview (ISO 14001)"

content = """
Environmental compliance at Ridgecrest Metalworks is both a legal obligation and a business value. The facility holds permits under federal, state, and local environmental regulations governing air emissions, wastewater discharge, hazardous waste generation, and chemical storage. Non-compliance can result in facility shutdowns, significant fines, and reputational damage with customers.

**Regulatory framework.** Key regulations governing Ridgecrest operations include:
- **Clean Air Act (CAA):** Limits emissions of metal processing pollutants including particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and metal fumes from welding and coating operations.
- **Clean Water Act (CWA):** Governs stormwater discharge and any process wastewater discharged to municipal systems.
- **Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA):** Regulates generation, storage, transport, and disposal of hazardous waste.
- **EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know):** Requires reporting of toxic chemical use and releases above thresholds.

**ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS).** Ridgecrest is certified to ISO 14001, which requires a documented environmental management system with:
- An environmental policy signed by top management.
- Identified environmental aspects and impacts for all significant activities.
- Legal and regulatory compliance register, reviewed annually.
- Documented objectives and targets for environmental improvement.
- Competency and awareness training for all personnel with potential environmental impact.
- Operational controls for significant aspects (coolant management, scrap handling, etc.).
- Emergency response plans for spills and releases.
- Internal audits and management review.

**Employee responsibilities.** Every operator at Ridgecrest is an environmental steward. Specific responsibilities include:
- Using only the amount of coolant, solvent, or lubricant necessary.
- Placing waste in the correctly labeled container (coolant, scrap metal, oily waste, general waste—never mixed).
- Never pouring chemicals down floor drains.
- Reporting any spill immediately, regardless of size.
- Completing annual environmental awareness training.

Environmental incidents—including spills, permit exceedances, or regulatory violations—must be reported to the EHS manager within 1 hour of discovery. Failure to report promptly can convert a manageable incident into a regulatory violation.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
