Company Info > Environmental Compliance
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
Behr Iron & Metal’s processing facilities accept turnings, punchings, screw stock, stampings and other scrap from area industries. Despite draining or spinning operations, significant quantities of cutting and cooling oils may cling to such scrap when it is received at the processing facility. Some of our competitor’s scrap processing facilities already have been cited as environmentally hazardous due to these oils. Unfortunately, companies supplying scrap to those facilities have been forced to participate in costly EPA-mandated clean up operations even though their scrap was not contaminated by oil!
Behr Iron & Metal’s Rockford facility uses a two stage system to recover cooling and cutting oils clinging to arriving scrap. (Click here to view a diagram.) Over 2 acres of reinforced concrete collection pads are used to receive and store incoming scrap, ensuring that no oil contaminates the ground. Oil and rainwater runoff flows at a controlled rate from the collection pads to the first treatment stage where oil is separated by gravity.
The remaining mixture of emulsified oil and water flows to a second treatment stage. Using chemical treatment and mechanical equipment, a compressed sludge cake and an effluent are produced. The sludge cake is disposed of as a special waste. The effluent, directed to the Rock River Water Reclamation District, has residual oil content well below limits mandated by the District. This system is representative of Behr’s commitment to protect its customers and the environment.
Our scrap storage pads, storm water management, emission control, mercury switch removal, refrigerant removal and radiation monitoring in and out of our facilities are examples of ongoing environmental best practices. This requires a never-ending pursuit of environmental excellence by our employees, led by our on-staff compliance officer.
We encourage you to visit our facilities and see first hand how Behr Iron & Metal works to eliminate the potential for environmental liability associated with shipping and handling scrap materials.
SAFETY
Our business is buying, preparing, and selling all grades of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap. The philosophy of how we relate to our customers is outlined on our scrap management page.
In our capital-intensive industry which utilizes processing equipment of all shapes and sizes and whose products consist of processed scrap of endless shapes and weights, safety is paramount. Top priority is given to safety education, communication, and supervision. Our safety rewards program, peer inspections and on-site toolbox meetings are all methods we employ to achieve this all important goal—safety first!!
ISO CERTIFICATION
ISO 9001:2008 specifies the requirements for a quality management system where an organization:
1.) is required to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product meeting customer and applicable regulatory requirements, and
2.) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
ISO 14001:2004 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement policies and objectives which take into account legal and other requirements to which the organization subscribes and tracks information about significant environmental aspects of its business. It applies to those environmental aspects that the organization has identified as those which it can control and those which it can influence.
Effective November 9, 2006 Behr Iron & Metal and its subsidiaries obtained certification to the following international standards: ISO 9001:2008 QUALITY and ISO 14001:2004 ENVIRONMENTAL. Behr is a diversified scrap metals recycler specializing in the management of industrial scrap.
These ISO Certifications are proof of Behr Iron & Metal’s commitment to its customers. The ISO Environmental Certification emphasizes Behr’s continuous effort to protect the environment. The certification further proves Behr’s commitment to its customers by providing them with a safe harbor for their scrap, free from environmental concerns.
