GENEVA (ILO News) - Although the chemical industry is in the forefront of corporate efforts to adopt industry-wide codes of practice on health, safety and environmental issues, the credibility of such initiatives remains hampered by public scepticism and generally low levels of workforce involvement, according to an ILO study 1 prepared for a tripartite meeting of industry experts from 23 countries 2 which gets under way in Geneva today.
The study notes that voluntary initiatives and codes of conduct in the chemical industry are proliferating, and while no definitive verdict can be given on their efficacy, they thus far "do appear to have had positive impacts in terms of improving company performance in health, safety and environment performance on an industry wide basis."
The trend toward voluntary initiatives includes measures targeting specific substances, such as coatings and pesticides, environmental agreements between government and industry and improved environmental management systems, such as those of the European Union or the International Organization for Standardization.
The largest voluntary initiative, known as Responsible Care (RC), originated in Canada in 1985 and has expanded to include 40 national chemical manufacturers' associations, whose members account for 86% of world chemical output. Though the specifics of "Responsible Care" programmes vary from country to country, they establish principles for manufacturers and distributors to continuously improve performance in all aspects of chemical safety, from the establishment of guidelines to the adoption of common logos and verification procedures. Adherence to RC principles is now a precondition for a firm's membership in the trade association in many countries.
However the ILO report notes that in spite of considerable progress and improved public information, "workers and their trade union representatives are neither widely involved in nor well informed" about the RC programmes. "Many European companies, in particular, do not use the RC terminology or trademark when communicating with their employees on health, safety and environment performance," the report says.
A study undertaken in the UK showed that "RC was effectively communicated only at the management level, with the result that there was little motivational benefit for the general workforce." The Chemical Industry Association of the UK, which acknowledges that there is a poor correlation of RC principles with otherwise strong awareness of health, safety and environmental management systems, "does realize the need for greater worker recognition of, and involvement in, RC activities."
The same survey found RC awareness to be higher in Austria where, "there had been greater efforts to involve the workers."
A survey by the Italian Chemical Industry Federation showed that barely 25% of industry employees have any experience of the RC programme and another survey showed that less than 1% of the Italian population had ever heard of RC.
In the United States, by contrast, awareness among employees of the RC initiative has increased steadily, from 59% in 1993 to 83% in 1997.
Delegates to the meeting, representing workers, employers and governments, are expected to discuss a range of options for strengthening the force and credibility of RC initiatives, notably by examining strategies for increasing workforce participation in the design and implementation of the policies.
The delegates will be asked to consider "to what extent should and can the chemical industry workers be associated more closely with voluntary initiatives" and how workers can contribute to the efficacy and credibility of the undertakings. Much of the discussion is likely to focus on the education and training needs necessary to deepening worker and trade union involvement in what the ILO characterizes as a deeply entrenched industry trend.
"There is little evidence that this process of RC and voluntary initiatives in health and safety has run its course," says Mr. Jon McLin, the report's principle author and an ILO Senior Industrial Specialist, adding that "while regulations tend to focus on preventing the worst practices in individual countries, these initiatives usually focus on developing the best practices on an industry-wide basis, which means they may end up raising standards in ways that traditional regulation never could."
The report sees the trend being driven by the prospect of government regulation, public opprobrium and (in some countries) lawsuits. However, by staving off the traditional "command and control" aspect of direct regulation, firms may well find themselves facing even higher standards. With the proliferation of voluntary initiatives, there has been a "ratcheting up effect" as "each initiative has created expectations and provided a platform for stakeholders and industry critics to point out the shortcomings of the voluntary initiative." This has led in turn to efforts to make existing voluntary initiatives more complete and to complement them with others that address related issues.
What is sure is that voluntary initiatives are changing the face of the chemical industry. Among the innovations the ILO report cites increasing outreach programmes to inform and consult communities and interest groups in the vicinity of chemical plants. Large manufacturers have extended responsibility for health and safety along the supply line, from suppliers, clients, distributors and users of chemical products. The concept of "product stewardship", in which companies take a cradle-to-grave approach to manufacture, use and disposal of chemical products is being adopted by much of the industry. Competing companies increasingly share technical information on matters such as the composition, handling and disposal of dangerous substances.
The report also highlights the fragility of the industry's public relations turnaround. The extent of public concern about the chemical industry was at very high rates during the mid-1990s and has improved slowly.
Opinion polls carried out by the European Chemical Industry Council in the mid-1990s showed that "despite some improvements, the chemical industry continued to have a poor standing in public opinion." In Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, "only 39% of a sample poll of 7,300 people gave the chemical industry a positive rating, compared to 56% for the automotive industry, 74% for the food sector and 80% for the telecommunications industry."
However, respondents did generally accept that chemical companies were informing the public more factually and openly and that the industry was making considerably greater efforts to control pollution than it had previously.
The report cites a 1992 opinion poll for the United States Chemical Manufacturers Association showing that "the chemical industry scored a 25% favourability rating," ranking it below the nuclear industry (which scored 35%). However by 1997 the CMA could claim to have stopped a 25-year decline in the general public's opinion of the chemical industry, partly on the basis of an outreach campaign highlighting industry accomplishments in health, safety and environmental performance.
1 Voluntary initiatives affecting training and education on safety, health and environment in the chemical industries . Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on Voluntary Initiatives Affecting Training and Education on Safety, Health and Environment in the Chemical Industries. International Labour Office, Geneva, 1999. ISBN 92-2-111352-3. Price: 17.50 Swiss francs.
2 Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Russian Federation, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.
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