Chemical Industry Responsible Care

Chemical Manufacturers Association, 1300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va., 22209, (703) 741-5000, which offers information about Responsible Care (a registered trademark of CMA) and regulatory impact on the chemical industry. 

Tolling operations should be held to the same principles of public openness and communication espoused by forward thinking companies in the chemical industry. In 1988, the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) initiated the Responsible Care initiative to assist in making this possible. Its goal is to lead the chemical industry in ethical practices that increasingly benefit society, the economy and the environment. 

Commitments to industiy programs If your company is committed to an industry initiative, such as the American Petroleum Institute s RP750 or the Chemical Manufacturers Association s Responsible Care program, you will want to ensure that you are consistent with the framework used by that program. 

The Chemical Manufacturers Association s Code of Management Practice for Process Safety is oriented toward the chemical industry, and describes the elements of a process safety management program as part of CMA s Responsible Care program. 

Even a quick examination of Exhibits 2-5 and 2-6 points out the considerable duplication that exists within Xmple, Inc. Not only are there separate management systems delivering their three programs (PSM, occupational safety and industrial hygiene, and environment) there are also several duplicate programs. For example, storage of hazardous chemicals and spill response are covered by all three systems. The lists are also incomplete undoubtedly Xmple, Inc. implements all requirements of Responsible Care , but it is listed only under occupational safety and industrial hygiene. 

The chemical industry initiated the Responsible Care program... 

Association (ABMA), recommendations for boiler-water limits, 23 221t American Chemical Society Committee on Nomenclature and Notation, 17 385 American Chemistry Council (ACC) 14 204 codes of management practices, 21 580 Process Safety Code, 21 831 Responsible Care initiatives, 25 337 American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH),... 

Several voluntary industry initiatives, such as ACC s Responsible Care and NACD s Responsible Distribution Process (RDP), provide guidance on process safety management for chemical manufacturers and distributors. However, no voluntary industry initiatives list specific codes or requirements for reactive hazard management. 

Suggested improvements to industry guidance or initiatives (e.g., Responsible Care [ACC], Responsible Distribution Process [RDP NACD]) to reduce the number and severity of reactive chemical incidents. 

Approximately 30 chemical industry associations are Responsible Care Partner Associations. 

NACD is an association of chemical distributor companies that purchase and take title of chemical products from manufacturers.62 Member companies process, formulate, blend, repackage, warehouse, transport, and market chemical products to industrial customers. NACD has developed the Responsible Distribution Process (RDP), which is similar in concept to the ACC Responsible Care code. 

Lack of risk communication along the supply chain (manufacturers-trade-users), which would however be indispensable, for example, for implementing the Responsible Care scheme of the chemicals industry. 

The political requirement within Europe, that the industry should be responsible for the assessment of the 30,000 substances currently on the market and their applications is in line with the voluntary commitment of responsible care by the chemicals industry. Implementation of this -commitment has so far failed because many users of chemical products have not complied with it. The REACH system proposed by the EU Commission would create a regulative framework for structuring responsibility and information flow along the supply chain, in a binding marmer for the first time. The commercial institutions should respond to this state initiative. 

The chemical industry must rethink the next set of standards and not simply push Responsible Care to the next incremental step. Sustainable development means economic growth that does not deplete irreplaceable resonrces, does not destroy ecological systems, and helps reduce some of the world s gross social inequalities. 

We should, therefore, not allow ourselves to be thrown off track by a few loud voices uttering general fears of chemical products and chemical production. Nevertheless, particularly on such subjects as product and plant safety, we must make planned and realized improvements dear to the public - and we do so in our very detailed annual Responsible Care Report - to further increase their understanding and acceptance of the realities of our industry. 

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