A Template for Dealership Compliance, from Fixed Operations Insight.
Given the many and various ways in which a dealership must comply with one federal regulation or another, dealers must keep eyes roving over their compliance risk points. Having a compliance management system in place and knowing how to implement, use and update it is a practice dealer principals and general managers should have in place.
For fixed operations, the three most important compliance categories are:
- OSHA, which pertains to worker safety and health;
- EEO, which pertains to employment, hiring, and discrimination practices; and,
- GLB or Gramm, Leach, Bliley , which pertains to customer information security
OSHA violations can be big risks for dealerships, fines up to $90,000 for each violation. OSHA covers a broad area. Areas of risk include:
- The shop is not DOT (Department of Transportation) certified. Every dealership must be, as the business handles hazardous materials, including used motor oils, activated air bags and other wastes
- Missing required signage, including door markings, i.e. “Exit” or “Not an Exit”
- Missing egress or exit route maps as required by law
- Parts, parts shelving and crates stacked up adjacent to and blocking access to electrical panels
- Personal safety equipment missing around grinders, welders and similar tools and machinery
- Missing fire extinguishers or extinguishers not properly marked or located where easily visible.
Employment laws continually require auto dealerships to review harassment laws with employees. This will be of increasing importance as co-called hate-speech laws become an increasing reality.
