Chemical safety in the works

Chemical safety in the works

JAKARTA (JP): A national committee monitoring chemical and
chemical-related industries will issue industrial guidelines to
promote pollution protection, workers' health and safety in the
industry.

Rahman Subandhi, chairman of the National Committee
Responsible Care Indonesia (KN-RCI), said on Monday that the
committee had established a work group to carry out the plan.

He said that the guidelines would serve as the Indonesian
version of the codes of management practices introduced by the
International Council of Chemical Association-Responsible Care
Leadership Group.

Rahman said the program would come in a package comprising
codes of process safety, community awareness and emergency
response, storage and distribution, employee health and safety,
pollution prevention and product usage.

He hoped all the package, which will be applied by companies
on a voluntary basis, would be completed in 2001.

"We will introduce two codes of the Responsible Care program
each year and assess each member's implementation," Rahman said,
adding that the committee would soon hold a seminar in Jakarta to
promote the use of the first two codes.

The committee was established in 1997 by the Indonesian
Chemical Industries Club (ICIC) and the Indonesian Fertilizer
Producer Association, which comprises 29 chemical companies.

Responsible Care was initially formed by the Canadian chemical
industry in 1986, and is now embraced by the International
Council of Chemical Association-Responsible Care Leadership
Group.

ICIC chairman Zaenal Soedjais said that one of the committee's
objectives was also to give input to the government in designing
regulations and laws concerning the chemical industry and
environmental issues. (01)