Portable Sanitation Association International

ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION OCTOBER 28, 2020 Page 23 Ensuring Quality in the Field—Part II: QC for Trailers, Drivers…Continued from page 22 A good QC program can be part of your regular staff training and communication program. The best companies never stop training their team to do a great job. They will discuss highlights and scenarios from the month's QC ride-alongs in their staff meetings, giving everyone the opportunity to learn from their colleagues' experiences. Your QC team may also begin to see issues in the field that will lead you to explore the purchase of different products or equipment or to provide additional training on customer service. Whatever you decide to do, make it part of your company routine. You'll be glad you did! v Pros and Cons of Pollution Insurance Coverage…Continued from page 12 Another common reasons companies may seek, or insurers might promote, pollution insurance is to protect you if a truck tips over or spills large amounts of waste on the ground. If your trucks are hauling something classified as hazardous or as a pollutant, cleanup costs can be extremely high. Different states have different rules about what they consider hazardous or polluting. Generally, EPA's guidelines are the minimum standard. States can make more stringent ones. Pollution insurance will protect your business against environmental claims, cleanup costs, and claims of bodily injury or property damage. Reasons You May Not Need Pollution Insurance If your trucks are all in great shape and have emissions control systems in place that meet or exceed the standards of the state in which they are being driven, you may decide to pass on pollution coverage. This is especially true if your state does not have more exacting definitions of "hazardous" than the EPA. In general, portable sanitation trucks are carrying waste pumped out of portable restrooms. This is classified as domestic septage by the EPA. Domestic septage may not be anybody's favorite thing to clean up, but it is not hazardous waste by EPA's definition. For these kinds of spills, your general liability policy should cover the incident —assuming all of your deodorizers and cleaning products are also environmentally friendly. Actions to Ensure You have the Appropriate Coverage The only time a portable sanitation tip over would produce a hazardous waste scenario is if you are pumping or carrying something that is, in fact, hazardous. If that happens, the incident would be certified as a hazardous waste situation, and your standard insurance would not cover the portions related to the hazard. The PSAI contacted two insurance brokers that serve our industry. Both stated it is extremely rare for an accident in the portable sanitation industry to be certified as a hazardous waste scenario. There is no "one size fits all" answer to the question of whether you need pollution insurance. Whatever happens, your vehicle insurance and general liability coverage will kick in first. Make sure that is adequate. Then, have a discussion with your insurance broker about your needs—and stress that portable sanitation waste is not, in most places, considered hazardous. You may even want to talk to more than one broker and compare what you are hearing. Then make a decision based on your company's unique needs. Good luck! v

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