The Clean Auto Alliance announced last week the first recipients ever of the Environment & Safety Elite Award.

The new award is designed to recognize automotive truck and equipment dealerships, and service companies that meet or exceed best practice benchmarks in key environmental, health and safety categories.

The non-profit bestowed the inaugural honors to more than 400 dealers. The Clean Auto Alliance has set up a website to help shoppers find the dealerships and service companies honored with the award across the country.

“The goal of the Environment & Safety Elite Award is to reward automotive businesses that go above and beyond simply complying with environmental, health and safety regulations,” said Eric Schmitz, board chairman of the Clean Auto Alliance. “Dealers and service centers can promote their award recognition and use it as a competitive advantage since more and more consumers prefer to do business with companies that value safe, environmental practices.”

Award recipients were chosen by there progress against six best practice benchmarks, outlined below by Clean Auto Alliance:

1. Safety Systems – An ongoing commitment to upholding Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, such as developing a written safety program and conducting facility inspections.
2.  Environmental Systems – An ongoing commitment to upholding Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, such as the implementation of a spill prevention countermeasure and control plan.
3. Hazard Communication – A demonstrated compliance with the Hazard Communication Standard mandated by OSHA, which includes maintaining a chemical inventory and safety data sheets.
4. Loss Control – A process for investigating and correcting hazards within a reasonable amount of time.
5. Emergency Response – A plan for responding to an emergency that employees are trained to execute.
6. Facility-Specific Requirements – Miscellaneous requirements that are specific to the services provided in a facility, such as collision repair or hazardous waste disposal.

Marc Rienow, director of facilities of Gengras Motor Cars, one of the dealerships recognized for the award, said,  “We pushed our team to meet the standards necessary to receive Environment & Safety Elite recognition, and it’s become ingrained in the everyday work of our employees.

“Ensuring that everyone on our team follows safe and environmentally sound practices helps ensure our workplace remains clean and safe for employees, while reducing impacts on the environment and our bottom line. It’s a win-win-win scenario,” he continued.

The Clean Auto Alliance also provides complimentary collateral to help Environment & Safety Elite recipients promote their award recognition, including award logos, a customizable press release and printable materials.