Seattle-Trade associations serving the Northwest offer extensive information, training, and educational materials for the collision repair trade in the region.
Collision issues and regulations are continuously addressed by groups including the Automotive Service Association of Washington (ASA-WA), the Northwest Automotive Trades Association (NATA), the Autobody Craftsman Association (ACA), and the Oregon Collision Repair Specialists (OCRS).
Barbara Crest, executive director of NATA, said her group just published their Collision Rate Survey for Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is printed in the recent edition of their association newsletter, Auto Outlook.
Crest also said NATA participated in a Sept. 17 meeting (after Parts & People's deadline) with regulatory authorities and collision repair shop owners to discuss the Ecological Business certification program for autobody repair facilities and allowing the new NESHAP regulations to be folded into that program.
Additional details on NATA collision programs are available at www.aboutnata.org.
ASA-WA has programs and collision repair information available via its Web site (www.asawa.com) and at the national ASA site (www.asashop.org). Jeff Lovell, president and executive director of ASA-WA, said the association has been working on new I-CAR schedules for the state and said the association has new refinish procedures available regarding Repair vs. New Panels, adding that ASA has created a flier titled "Raw vs. Primed Bumper Covers."
Lovell said the new flier documents additional steps required in refinishing a raw bumper cover compared to a primed bumper cover. It is available to members on the ASA Web site.
ACA continues to provide its members with training programs. In September, a program at Lake Washington Technical College in Kirkland, Wash., was given on best practices in the collision repair industry. Those who attended were able to get certified for compliance in one segment of the new Miscellaneous Surface Coatings NESHAP program.
The program also gave attendees the opportunity to receive a STAR (Spray Technique Analysis and Research) painting certificate for compliance with EPA requirements.
For additional information on ACA training programs, visit www.acanw.com.
Mike West, co-owner of Southtowne Auto Rebuild in Tukwila, Wash., and a longtime state and national collision industry activist, said there are several issues facing the collision repair field in difficult economic times. "Government regulators have descended over our industry with a flurry of new rules and regulations," he said.
West said the EPA is in the process of implementing a new Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) rule. "For new shops (opening this year), it goes into effect immediately; existing facilities must comply by 2011," he said, adding that the new rule sets standards for equipment, training, and record keeping.
"EPA finally recognized that releasing VOCs in a remote location has as negative effect on the ozone layer as it does in an urban environment," said West, who serves as collision chairman for ASA-WA.
Compliance for meeting this new EPA VOC regulation requires a spray booth with a 98 percent efficient filtering system, West said, noting that additional information is available from state trade associations and EPA Region 10.
West said the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) is simultaneously rolling out an all-inclusive Environmental Results Program (ERP) that includes several areas of environmental concern that include air quality, water quality, dangerous and hazardous waste, and the actual collision repair facility itself.
"DOE has enlisted industry input to facilitate industry compliance, and self-certification and shop inspections are part of that program," he said.
The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is reviewing rule changes for insurers in the state regarding total-loss claims settlement practices, West said. Stakeholder meetings are being held in Tumwater to take comments from insurers, information providers, consumers, and the collision repair industry, he said.
"Falling behind when it comes to regulatory compliance and issues regarding our industry can be devastating," West said. "To remain current and receive assistance, I heartily recommend attending your local (trade) association meetings."
