CBA news

LOST TIME ACCIDENT RATE DOWN BUT STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

CBA’s latest report on the safety, health, security and environmental performance of its distributor member companies reveals a year-on-year decline in the Lost Time Accident Rate and the number of accidents.

In 2018, CBA members companies completed more than one and a quarter million separate journeys to distribute over four million tonnes of chemicals.

CBA has published its Responsible Care Indices of Performance annually since 1993. The 2018 Indices are based on returns from 89 companies employing 5,758 people.

The Chairman of CBA’s Responsible Care Committee, Andrew Beck said, “It’s good news that the Lost Time Accident Rate has shown a year-on-year fall but, in historic terms, there is still room for improvement. However, it is pleasing to note the decline in the number of individual accidents and the long-term trend in Transport Incidents.”

Reportable Accidents
CBA publishes data for accidents resulting in incapacities of more than three days. This is a higher standard of data than required by RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).

Maintaining this higher standard preserves the integrity of the time series CBA has established over the last 26 years.

Using this stricter criterion, in 2018, CBA member companies reported 30 accidents resulting in incapacities of more than three days – a decrease on the previous year (2017 – 33).

Under the official RIDDOR seven-day criterion, nineteen accidents would be reportable (2017 – 25).

In 2018, accidents resulting from a manual handling process or a slip, trip or fall accounted for 43% of the total. Five accidents resulted from an exposure to a harmful substance (2017 – 8). No fatalities were reported in 2018.

Lost Time Accidents
The Lost Time Accident (LTA) rate, applying the stricter three-day absence criterion, decreased to 0.27 (2017 – 0.30). The LTA rate is the ratio of reportable accidents to 100,000 man-hours – the assumed number of hours worked by one person during their lifetime.

The Lost Time Accident (LTA) rate for just those accidents statutorily reportable under the RIDDOR reporting requirements was 0.17 (2017 – 0.23).

Transport Incidents
Incidents involving transport are the key measure of the industry’s performance. CBA’s data goes beyond the thresholds for Department for Transport and RIDDOR-reportable incidents and includes any transport incident requiring the attendance of the emergency services.

Such incidents can include minor traffic accidents, mechanical breakdown or a simple puncture repair. CBA reports all such incidents regardless of fault in relation to their cause.

Even after applying these stricter criteria, the number of transport incidents continues at a historically low level – a notable achievement by the industry and one that shows the long-term impact of CBA’s Responsible Care programme.

In 2018, CBA member companies made over one and a quarter million separate journeys to distribute over four million tonnes of chemicals.

Five transport incidents were reported (2017 – 3). This equates to 1.2 transport incidents for every million tonnes of product distributed by CBA members in 2018 – an increase on the previous year (2017 – 0.77).

Waste
CBA members reported 10,121 tonnes of Special/Hazardous Waste in 2018 resulting from their own activities. Of this total, 18% (1,814 tonnes) was recycled, recovered or disposed of with energy recovery.

CBA members generated 6,603 tonnes of non-hazardous waste in 2018. Of this total, 43% (2,828 tonnes) was recycled, recovered or disposed of with energy recovery.

Enforcement
Two convictions were recorded against CBA members in 2018 (2017 – 1). One arose from a prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive for offences under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The second arose from a prosecution by HM Revenue & Customs for a breach in export licensing conditions.

No HSE prohibition notices were issued, but four HSE improvement notices were issued in respect to breaches of the Health & Safety at Work Act.

Six transport Prohibition Notices were issued in 2018. Four related to infringements

of a minor nature that did not delay the vehicles’ journeys and could be rectified later; two required the infringement to be rectified immediately.

Further information from: Peter Newport,
Chief Executive

Michael Cooper,
Responsible Care Co-ordinator

01270 258200
www.chemical.org.uk