Environmental Protection Agency
The acronyms SARA, CERCLA, and RCRA represent the “Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) 1986,” the “Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) 1980,” and the “Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 1976 (Asfahl & David 121).”
SARA is a legal act that defines federal laws that govern cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances. The act was behind the creation of EPA’s mandate in identifying entities responsible for contamination and compelling them to clean up the contaminations. In cases of unidentified entities the act gives EPA (“Environmental Protection Agency) the mandate to clean up using established trust funds. The act is also responsible for the creation of the ATSDR (“Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry”), which is responsible for cleaning up hazardous substances, which may endanger the environment or public health. SARA is related to CERCLA in objectives and SARA is a result of the amendments made on CERCLA. SARA is thus a result of experience gathered under CERCLA, and amended to suit roles of the earlier act (CERCLA). For example, SARA includes new settlement tools, enforcement authorities, EPA revisions on Hazard Ranking System (HRS), and an expanded trust-fund-all of which were absent in CERCLA. Both CERCLA and its amended form-SARA-recognize and mandate OSHA (“Occupational Safety and Health Administration”) and EPA to control, monitor, document and enforce regulations relating to handling of hazardous material as well as the clean of hazardous material contaminations (Asfahl & David 122). RCRA is also a related act, which offers EPA mandate to control hazardous waste in production processes of various companies (EPA 1). The act lays guidelines on the disposal, storage, treatment, transportation and reporting of hazardous waste in organizations that generate waste through its operational processes (Asfahl & David 125).
All three acts recognize the role of OSHA in controlling the handling, use and disposal of waste material at the workplace so as to ensure safety in working conditions (Asfahl & David 121). The link is important because Occupational Safety and Health Administration personnel at the organizational level respond by seeking compliance to EPA rules and regulations on environmental protection both at the workplace and its surroundings.
Works Cited
Asfahl, R. C. & David, W. R. Industrial Safety and Health Management, 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2011. Print.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Summary of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.” EPA Laws and Regulations. 26 July 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.
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