Campaign: Solvents at work

27 May 2005 12:52  [Source: ICB]

The European Solvents Industry Group (ESIG) has decided to press ahead with its Solvents@Work product stewardship project, which it piloted between July and November last year. During this period, ESIG and distributor Univar collaborated in delivering solvent safety information to 5000 users in Belgium, France, Italy and the UK.

Now, after a favourable response, ESIG plans to roll out the programme in all 25 European Union countries, with posters in all national languages. Member companies and their distibutors will be used to reach customers and solvent users.

The initiative is part of ESIG’s Responsible Care/product stewardship drive to reach small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that use oxygenated and hydrocarbon solvents. The Cefic-affiliated body has developed an information pack containing a poster and an information brochure, entitled Solvents@work – a guide to safeworking practices. In the trial these were sent out with a questionnaire to gauge reaction to the information.

Terry Badcock, a consultant to ESIG on the project, says the development of simplified communication tools will improve health, safety and environmental performance at SMEs. ‘The project also demonstrates that the solvent industry is proactive and involved in increasing awareness of good practice in the workplace.’

The questionnaire revealed that 90% of respondents found the poster useful and that only 9% considered it could be improved. Only 4% thought that operators would not read the brochure. Sixty-three per cent of replies were from companies employing less than 100 people, and 44% from companies employing less than 50.

Almost all companies indicated they would display the poster in the workplace and 71% said they would provide copies of the brochure to operators.

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