Log InResponsible Care
What is Responsible Care?
Responsible Care is the chemical industry’s commitment to continual improvement in health, safety, security and environmental (HSSE) performance. It is a global initiative. In the UK, Responsible Care covers the whole of the chemical supply chain – from manufacturers, through to distributors and logistics companies. Compliance with Responsible Care is expected for all CBA member companies involved in the trading, distribution, handling, movement and storage of chemicals.
What does the Responsible Care Programme involve?
Upon joining the CBA, Candidate Members subscribe to the RC Programme through a series of workshops and engagements, which once completed grant progression to the Existing Member cycle of RC engagements. This features a year-round programme of HSSE self-assessment, improvement planning and performance logging, all with the aim working towards the mission statement above.
How has performance improved since the Programme’s introduction?
When logging performance, CBA requires companies to track a defined list of indicators, referred to as the Indices of Performance. These have been tracked yearly since the beginning of the Programme in 1993 for distributors, with logistics specific collection beginning in 2007.
Indices of Performance cover:
• Fatalities and Reportable Injuries
• Lost Time Accidents
• Dangerous Occurrences
• Transport Incidents
• Waste Disposal
• Enforcement Actions
These figures, once collected, are aggregated and reported as lump sums, representing CBA membership performance as a whole. Whilst subject to year-on-year fluctuations, both the CBA’s Distributor Indices of Performance Bulletin and Logistics Index illustrate the long-term benefit of Responsible Care and its ability to deliver significant improvements in the industry’s health, safety, security and environmental performance.
Whilst the figures listed in our most recent Indices of Performance Reports boast an impressive overall reduction in incidents, it is worth stressing that the RC Programme is much more than just chasing targets. For the Programme to increase stakeholder and public confidence in the Chemical Industry, the constructive influence of RC permeates through core company values and culture. It is a programme that gives results proportionate to efforts, and that is continuously evolving to reward those who engage with the Programme to their full potential.
Responsible Care Award
The Responsible Care Awards make up a key part of CBA’s Chemical Supply Chain Awards, an annual event aimed at celebrating the successes of CBA members and the UK Chemical Supply Chain. Three Awards are presented – for operational sites involved in distributing, manufacturing or blending; office-only distributor companies; and logistics companies. These serve as an opportunity to celebrate the successes of the Programme, as well as the achievements of member companies beyond basic compliance with the programme.
For any queries on the Responsible Care Programme, please contact CBA’s Responsible Care Lead at responsiblecare@chemical.org.uk.
Eight Guiding Principles of Responsible Care
The Responsible Care Programme is guided by eight principles, each looking to contribute towards a comprehensive and successful Programme. As part of the Programme, the CEO of each Candidate Member company is required to sign a formal commitment to the principles, ensuring that the core of the programme is adhered to.
The Eight Guiding Principles of CBA’s Responsible Care Programme are:
- Legal requirements. Conform with all legal regulations and requirements and should operate in accordance with both government and industry codes of practice and guidance associated with their chemical activities.
- Management of risk. Ensure that their activities do not present an unacceptable level of risk to employees, contractors, customers, the public or the environment.
- Policies and documentation. Have written documentation, which covers their activities, and ensure that their health, safety, security and environmental policies reflect their commitment to A Joint Responsible Distribution/Responsible Care Program as an integral part of their business strategy.
- Provision of information. Provide relevant health, safety, security and environmental information on company products and activities to employees, contractors, customers, statutory bodies and the public.
- Training. Ensure that all employees are aware of their commitment and provide the training necessary to enable them to be involved in the achievement of health, safety, security and environmental objectives.
- Emergency response. Establish and maintain an appropriate emergency response system.
- Ongoing improvements. Support and participate in those activities that will improve the quality of their own operations and strengthen health, safety, security and environmental consciousness and awareness.
- Community interaction. Maintain an awareness of and respond to community concerns that relate to their activities.
What Responsible Care Means for your Business
As part of the Responsible Care documentation for members, the CBA has put together a Business Case document for the Programme, outlining the key business-benefits of the Programme to those who comply with it:
Responsible Care Business Case
For further information, contact the Responsible Care Lead at responsiblecare@chemical.org.uk.
Responsible Care Award 2021 Winner
The Chemical Business Association (CBA) has announced the winners of its Responsible Care Awards at the 2022 Annual Lunch (Floggers) at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
The Office-Only Distributor Award was won by Opes International Limited.
These annual Awards recognise excellence by CBA member companies in relation to the operation of its Responsible Care programme, an industry-wide initiative promoting year-on-year improvements in health, safety, security, and environmental performance and on member companies’ interaction with their local communities.
Michael Cooper, CBA Responsible Care Coordinator, commented, “the CBA is committed to highlighting excellence amongst our members and this year’s winners of the Responsible Care Award both demonstrated the qualities we wish to promote.”
Opes is a global supplier of commodity and specialty chemical products to a wide range of industries. They specialise in the sales, marketing, and distribution of chemical and raw material products to the paint, coatings, inks, resin, textile, adhesives, construction, and plastics industries.
2021 was a significant year for this company and they have made major improvements to their sustainable procurement programme and widened the range of their business compliance systems.
The award for Distributor with an Operational Site was won by Alcohols Limited.
The Distributor with an Operational Site includes companies that distribute and manufacture chemical, as well as blending or breaking from bulk.
Alcohols Limited is a chemical distribution company that was formed in 1955 as a subsidiary of a private family company founded in 1805, which is still family owned today.
This year Alcohols created a team from across all areas of the business to develop and implement a “working safely” programme, which has promoted a shift in the culture and mindset to ensure safety and continuous improvement are at the heart of the company.
Adam Wallis the Managing Director of Alcohols limited stated “Alcohols Limited, are honoured to receive the Responsible Care 2021 Award for a Distributor with an Operating site.
Through our Safety First and set of easily understood Golden Rules our Technical team, led by Group Operations Director Dr Carl Roeschalub and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Michelle Hunt, are committed to excellence.
Our teams continue to build on our rigorous and focused ethos of “Quality and Delivery Start with Safety” in all SHEQ initiatives.
This prestigious award recognises the hard work and dedication of the Alcohols employees.”
