Op-Ed by Hector Rivero, TCC President & CEO

Americans should take note of the Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Act being debated in Congress.

At a time when millions have already lost their jobs, the Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Act (HR 2868) would force more people out of work by imposing needless and harmful regulations on American industry.  It would also raise prices for many everyday products, including food, water, pharmaceutical drugs, fertilizers and energy.

Securing chemical facilities against deliberate attack is crucial to protecting Americans.  The fact is that since 2006, clear and comprehensive chemical security regulations have been in place.  Those regulations secure everything from chemical facilities to warehouses and university labs.  The rules require facilities to address a wide range of threats, from preventing a bomb-laden car from reaching a target to preventing theft or diversion of materials from a site.

The current chemical security regulations are enforced by the Department of Homeland Security, which has clear authority to inspect facilities and apply strong penalties for non-compliance.  Since the regulations have been in place, not one incident as a result of terrorism has occurred.  These regulations have been effective.  Removing the sunset date and making the chemical security regulations permanent would provide the certainty needed to both protect citizens and support our nation’s economic recovery.

Proposed legislation poses threats

Legislation being proposed by Congress should concern us all.  It would create overlapping and conflicting security requirements that will cause disruptions of federal security standards, increase government red tape, and create more economic instability.

The proposed regulations also go beyond security protections by placing mandates on American manufacturers as to which products and process they use.  These mandates will be imposed without any regard for practicality, availability or cost.  If current provisions of the proposed bill are implemented, unemployment will shoot even higher and consumers may see prices for everyday consumer products skyrocket.

The chemical industry understands the importance of operating safe and secure manufacturing facilities.  However, this can be accomplished without compromising our economic security.

                                                                 By Hector Rivero, TCC/ACIT President
                                                                 As published in June Issue of BIC Magazine

Safety… it is a word that the chemical industry takes very seriously.  Workplace safety has long been a core value of chemical manufacturers in Texas and across the United States.

Nationwide, the business of chemistry spends more than $2 billion per year improving health and safety practices for its employees.  As a result of these efforts, the illness and injury rates for the chemistry industry are one-quarter of the average rate for manufacturing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Workers in the chemistry industry are safer than those in retailing, agriculture, food stores, and general merchandising.  In fact, chemical workers are much more likely to be injured away from work than on the job.  These statistics are rooted in strict safety protocols that exist at facilities, ranging from worker training in emergency procedures to detailed recording of safety incidents.

Since 1994, members of the American Chemistry Council (whose members must adhere to the Responsible Care® program as a condition of membership) have reduced their days away from work rate by 55 percent.  And these companies have reduced their occupational injury and illness incidence rates by 66 percent since 1990.

Responsible Care® is the chemical industry’s global voluntary initiative in which companies work together to continuously improve their health, safety and environmental performance, and to communicate with stakeholders about their products and processes.

Through this program, the business of chemistry has achieved continual progress in improving worker safety, largely as a result of eliminating job hazards and the industry’s implementation of effective safety programs.

While there is no regulatory requirement to collect data on company contractor incidence rates, this information was collected for the first time in 2003.  Contractors have improved their safety rate 22 percent in that short time period, and the data also shows that since 2005, their days away from work rate have been reduced by 25 percent.

Alliance with OSHA
ACC’s Responsible Care® initiative has recently signed a historic alliance with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to recognize and promote the common health and safety commitments of ACC’s Responsible Care® initiative and OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).

The Alliance additionally formalizes efficiencies between Responsible Care® audits and VPP evaluations.  This alliance represents the first time that OSHA has entered into an agreement with an industry-wide performance improvement program.

The industry and OSHA will work to protect employees’ health and safety by sharing information, providing training and more effectively using resources with each other, ACC members, Responsible Care® partners, health and safety professionals, and the public.

TCC/ACIT EHS Seminar
On June 8-11, the Texas Chemical Council and the Association of Chemical Industry of Texas (ACIT) will host the TCC/ACIT EHS Seminar at Moody Gardens Resort in Galveston.

The event – which is expected to attract more than 700 environment, health and safety professionals – is the premier educational seminar for the chemical and refining industry in Texas.  This seminar is designed to provide knowledge to foster personal growth of attendees and improve the performance of their organizations.

The gathering is oriented toward plant managers, production and maintenance supervisors, operators, and technicians, safety professionals and industrial hygienists, occupational health practitioners, environmental professionals, safety team members, contractors, service providers and others.

Industry Recognition
At the TCC/ACIT Awards Banquet on June 11th, the chemical industry will recognize TCC member companies who have demonstrated commitment and exemplary results toward safe operations throughout the previous year.  Awards in this category recognize Occupational Safety Distinguished Service, Zero Incident Rate, and the Best in Texas.

In addition, the A.D. Cyphers Safety Professional of the Year Award and the Gerald R. Ehrman Leadership in Safety Management Award are presented to deserving individuals demonstrating outstanding service and leadership in safety.

The chemical industry is proud of its workplace safety record and continues to strive for a zero incident rate across the industry through its education and sharing of best practices.  After all, safety doesn’t happen by accident!