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CBA Distributors Report Sharp Fall in Transport Incidents - 01/06/2010
A new CBA report reveals that its distributor member companies continued to make significant improvements in their safety, health, and environmental performance in 2009.
Transport incidents, a key measure of the chemical supply chain’s performance, fell by 46% in 2009, whilst on-site accidents fell to the lowest level ever recorded by CBA since its Responsible Care programme began in 1993.
Andy Beck, Chairman of CBA’s Responsible Care Committee, said, ”These are excellent results and clearly indicate that distributors’ health, safety and environmental standards have continued to improve, despite continuing cost pressures and an unfavourable economic climate.”
The CBA Responsible Care Indices of Performance Report for its distributor members is based on returns from its 95 distributor member companies employing 3,861 people.
Reportable Accidents
In 2009, distributor companies reported 17 accidents, a year-on-year fall of 19%, under the provisions of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). This is the lowest number of accidents ever reported since the CBA programme started in 1993.
Two accidents resulted in serious injury (2008 – 3) and 15 were over three-day reportable accidents (2008 – 18). Accidents resulting from a manual handling process or a slip, trip or fall accounted for 29% of the total. Four accidents involved an exposure to harmful substances (2008 – 3).
Lost Time Accidents
CBA also calculates the Lost Time Accident (LTA) rate for the distribution sector. The LTA rate is the ratio of RIDDOR reportable accidents to 100,000 man-hours – the assumed number of hours worked by one person during a lifetime.
In 2009, the LTA rate fell to 0.23 (2008 – 0.27). This represents an annual reduction of 15% and is the lowest rate ever reported by CBA. It also brings CBA’s LTA rate into line with that reported in recent years by the Chemical Industries Association.
Transport Incidents
The CBA distributors’ report combines 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.
In 2009, 8 incidents were reported (2008 – 15), a year-on-year fall of 46%. Member companies initiated nearly one million separate journeys to distribute 2.2 million tonnes of chemicals to UK customers - a 5% fall in tonnage due to economic conditions.
This equates to 3.6 transport incidents for every million tonnes of product distributed by CBA members in 2009 (2008 – 6.5), a reduction of 44% on the previous year.
Waste
CBA collects data from on the disposal routes used by its distributor member companies for the two main categories of waste. In terms of Special/Hazardous Waste, 72% was either reprocessed or disposed of with energy recovery; only 14% of the total went to landfill. CBA member companies generated 20% less Non-Special/Non-Hazardous Waste in 2009 with 34% going to landfill.
Enforcement
Only one conviction was recorded against CBA distributor members in 2009 (2008 – 3). This arose from a prosecution by the Health & Safety Executive for an offence under the Health & Safety at Work Act.
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Further information from: Peter Newport, Director, CBA 01270 258200, www.chemical.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
- CBA produces two reports on the health, safety and environmental performance of its member companies. One covers the Association’s distributor membership and the other covers its logistics members engaged in chemical road haulage, warehousing, and tank farm operations. Both reports are based on data supplied by CBA’s member companies and – together – aim to provide a perspective on the health, safety and environmental performance of the UK’s chemical supply chain.
- Each year CBA members distribute more than 2.2 million tonnes of chemicals with a market value of almost three billion euros. CBA members, the majority of which are SMEs, are the key industry interface with thousands of UK downstream chemical users.
- Compliance with Responsible Care has been mandatory for CBA members since 2002.
- To read the full CBA Report (CBA Indices of Performance Bulletin 2009) click here, or go to www.chemical.org.uk and click on Responsible Care (Measuring Progress).
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