Chemical accidents at record low
14 May 2009
A 40% fall in Lost Time Accidents is the lowest figure ever recorded by CBA and, it said, “sets a benchmark for the future.”
London - The latest Responsible Care indices of performance report for chemical distributors from the Chemical Business Association (CBA) reveals a record fall in accident levels. This follows a 40% year-on-year reduction in lost time accidents (LTAs) and a similar sharp fall in reportable accidents.
The CBA report covers data on a number of performance indicators supplied by 96 distributor member companies employing a total of 4,067 people. In 2008, these companies made just over one million separate journeys and distributed 2.3 million tonnes of chemicals to UK customers - a fall in the annual tonnage distributed of 7%.
CBA distributor member companies reported a total of 21 accidents in 2008 (2007 - 36), a fall of 42% on the previous year. These accidents are reported under the provisions of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Of these, three accidents resulted in serious injury (2007 - 4) and 18 were over three-day reportable accidents (2007 - 32). A serious injury in this context is defined as one that requires emergency medical attention.
In 2008, 50% of all accidents resulted from a manual handling process or a slip, trip or fall. Only three accidents involved an exposure to a harmful substance. The industry’s LTA rate, meanwhile was 0.27 (2007 - 0.44) - the lowest ever distributor figure recorded by CBA and represents a 39% reduction year-on-year.
This is the lowest figure ever recorded by CBA, and “sets a benchmark for the future, ” said Andrew Beck, chairman of the CBA Responsible Care Committee.
The number of transport incidents is a key measure of the performance of the chemical distributor industry. In 2008, the number of incidents involving transport fell marginally to 15 (2007 - 16). CBA’s figures combine RIDDOR data with transport incidents at which the emergency services attended.
Incidents of this kind can include minor traffic accidents, mechanical breakdown or a simple puncture repair. There were six incidents for every million tonnes of product distributed in 2008 - a figure which is identical to the previous year.
In 2008, CBA member companies reported 7,119 tonnes of special/hazardous waste arising from their own activities. More than 80% of this total was reprocessed or disposed of with energy recovery with a further 14% going to landfill. CBA members reported a total of 7,119 non-special/non-hazardous waste in 2008. Of this total, 32% was collected by a local authority; 26% went to landfill; 14% was incinerated; 11% was recycled paper; and 17% was reprocessed.
Three convictions were recorded against CBA members in 2008. One arose from a prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive for an offence under the Control of Major Hazard Regulations; the second arose from the prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive for an offence under the Management of Health & Safety at Work; the third arose from a prosecution by the Environment Agency under the Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Regulations. In 2008, there was also a significant decline in the number of Prohibition Notices issued against CBA members - falling to five (2007-12).
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