Chemical Technology November-December 2016

HEALTHY AND SAFETY

Initiatives in the management of chemicals in the chemical industry Chemicals are an integral part of our natural and urban environments. Their contribution to society is invaluable, but unless we manage them well they can cause harm to humans and the environment.

A s chemicals are everywhere, including in our work- places, it is necessary to ensure that each chemical product comes to market only after it has been prop- erly identified, an assessment of any possible hazardous properties has been carried out and safe-handling methods have been developed to manage risks. Chemicals can be released at every stage of their life cycle, from production or importation and processing, through manufacturing and use, to disposal. At all stages, this may lead to exposure of workers and the general population and pollution. It makes sense that an integrated approach be taken to assess and manage these risks rather than isolated mea- sures, as some of these risks may have a global impact. Here we look at some of the challenges that lie ahead. Global initiatives on the sound management of chemicals The International Labour Organization (ILO) constituents have participated for many decades in the development of international policies and commitments on the sound management of chemicals. These efforts have led to the birth of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), which include the ILO Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170), the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans- boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their

Disposal, and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. However, one disadvantage of these Conventions is that, with the exception of ILO Convention No. 170, MEAs are designed to protect one particular mediumwithout address- ing others, which leads to inconsistencies. A recent report from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) advocates the promotion of synergy across multilateral en- vironmental agreements (MEAs), with a lifecycle approach to the sound management of chemicals. In addition, following the resolution concerning the har- monisation of systems of classification and labelling for the use of hazardous chemicals at work, adopted by the ILO in 1989, the issue was taken up at the United Nations Confer- ence on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (also known as the Earth Summit). Subsequent work was coordinated and The Strategic Ap- proach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) was developed as a voluntary mechanism to fill the gaps not covered by MEAs. Established by the ICCM in 2006, the SAICM was con- ceived as a policy framework to guide efforts to achieve the goal set out in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development that, by 2020, chemicals would be produced and used in ways that

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Chemical Technology • November/December 2016