The new Industrial Stormwater General Permit (ISGP) for the state of Washington went into effect on January 1, 2020 and contains many changes from the 2015 permit that affect both current permittees and businesses that were previously not covered by the permit. Major changes include:

• When applying for coverage, applicants must identify their industrial category using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes instead of Standard Industry Classification (SIC) codes.
• Two new industrial categories are required to obtain permit coverage:
  • Construction; Transportation; Mining; and Forest Machinery and Equipment Rental and Leasing (NAICS codes 53241x)
  • Marine Construction (code ECY003)
• The date

Last night, Governor Inslee issued a “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, which requires Washingtonians to stay home for at least the next two weeks to flatten the curve of the COVID19 pandemic and keep our healthcare system functioning. This order is crucial for the health of our community. It also highlights just how many sectors are considered essential to maintain the critical infrastructure of our state and country.

At Freer Consulting, we have served clients in these essential sectors, both in person and remote, since 1998 though engineering, certification, compliance, and other services. As an essential business ourselves, we continue …

As businesses respond to Coronavirus (COVID-19), many are heading into uncharted waters with their operations by working remotely and managing business continuity challenges. The US Chamber of Commerce has released a guide for employers focused on preventing the spread of coronavirus at work, including important tips on what businesses need to do to handle this situation.

During this time it is important to establish an employee communications plan to communicate the latest information to employees and business partners. A communications plan will help support employees with consistent and focused messaging while communicating valuable information. It enables updating employees on the …

The COVID-19 pandemic is traumatic from all angles. We’re worried about the health of ourselves, our loved ones, our community, our economy—the impacts are far-reaching and potentially long-lasting. Social distancing is critical, but so is food and shelter. At Freer Consulting, we are fortunate to be able to work from home, to earn a paycheck and maintain social distance, while also ensuring our necessities are covered, but we realize this is not the case for everyone. We want to help.

• Do you want to move some of your operations remote, but aren’t sure where to start?
• Do you want to

The ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted environmental system that will increase efficiency within your company, and is needed for getting certified with other leading environmental standards.

Keeping an eye out for the environment in this day and age should not only be a top priority for ourselves, but for our businesses as well. Implementing an ISO 14001 management system is very beneficial for the environment, and it also benefits your business by cutting costs and enabling growth. It is also a required step for becoming certified with top international environmental standards such as R2.

As far as electronic repair …