Overview

"Provide our members in the Rubber and Polyurethane Industries the expertise required for responsible management of Health, Safety and Environment in order to compete successfully in the global market"

Management of Health Safety & Environment

Over the years businesses have come under ever increasing pressure from EU and UK health, safety and environment (HS&E) legislation. The effective management of health, safety and environment aspects is key to ensuring the continued viability and reputation of companies.

The cost of accidents and ill-health in the workforce compounded with enforcement actions by the Health and Safety Executive, Environment Agency and Local Authorities can be detrimental to business growth. UK HS&E legislation requires companies to ensure that persons appointed to manage HS&E aspects are competent and have the necessary experience and expertise to carry out their duties.

Given the pace of change in the legislation and the diversity of technical skills required in the effective management of HS&E issues, very few organisations can afford to employ the necessary personnel to ensure legislative compliance. Furthermore, it has now become more crucial than ever for any business sector to successfully influence new legislation being formulated in European Directives in order to ensure that undue and burdensome proposals are dealt with in time.

In the absence of effective representation and lobbying at both the EU and UK level, the competitiveness of UK rubber industry can be significantly affected in the global market.

BRPPA's Background in HSE

The BRPPA (previously the Rubber Manufacturers' Employers Association - RMEA) established the Health Research Unit in Birmingham in 1957.

The Unit had three main functions:

• first to look at health problems in the rubber industry;
• second to provide general advice on all matters relating to occupational health;
• and third to provide a urine screening programme for rubber workers who, up to 1949, might unknowingly have been exposed to bladder carcinogens.

In recent years the needs of members in relation to management of Health, Safety and Environment aspects of business have grown considerably. In response, BRPPA's HS&E services have evolved, providing cost-effective solutions for the immediate and long-term business interests of members.

In brief, BRPPA's HS&E services are focused on members' needs and our aim is to: "provide our members in the Rubber and Polyurethane Industries the expertise required for responsible management of Health, Safety and Environment in order to compete successfully in the global market."

BRPPA's Expertise in Health, Safety and Environment

BRPPA provides its member companies extensive services on Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) by employing experts with previous hands-on experience of managing HS&E in the private and public sectors and specialist knowledge of the industry. This body of HS&E expertise allows BRPPA to respond cost-effectively to the day-to-day needs of its members' concerns in managing HS&E.

In addition, BRPPA's HS&E experts play a proactive role in representing the interest of Rubber and Polyurethane Products Sectors in consultative industry forums in the UK and the EU. Identifying emerging issues, influencing legislative proposals and negotiating agreements that are likely to impact on the management of HS&E in these sectors are key areas of BRPPA's routine activity.

BRPPA's Experts
All health, safety and environment support is provided by the Health, Safety and Environment Director, Dr. Abid Dost, who is based in BTMA's London office. Abid's experience in HS&E as well as his wide network of contacts in HSE & EA mean that BRPPA members receive valuable advice and information not only on HS&E management but also in terms of assistance in dealing with enforcement issues, advice on litigation cases, accident investigations, visits in emergency situations etc.

Dr. Abid Dost - Prior to joining BTMA, Abid, a Physical Chemist by training (EurChem, CChem, MRSC), worked in both the areas of occupational health and safety and environment. As a senior member of Health and Safety Executive's staff he obtained extensive experience of the rubber industry through his work with the National Rubber Industry Group. He is a member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (MIOSH) and is a Registered Health and Safety Specialist. He is a member of the British Institute of Occupational Hygiene (MBIOH) and a member of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Dr. Ken Straughan, Medical Consultant -provides advice on all medical matters. In addition he also oversees the BTMA Health Research Project. The screening of ex-rubber workers for bladder cancer is also provided for members by Ken through his independent company - Occupational Health and Screening Services (OHSS).

Details of External Representation Role

The BRPPA is represented by the Health, Safety and Environment Director, or other experts where more appropriate, on a number of external health and safety committees and working parties. Through BRPPA's presence on these committees, many of which are involved in formulating national and European health and safety legislation, the views of the membership can be made known directly to the legislators and timely action can be taken to prevent any future adverse impact on the rubber industry.

Rubber Industry Advisory Committee (RUBIAC)

This is a tripartite committee of the Health and Safety Commission. It is made up of Health and Safety Executive officials from the Rubber National Interest Group (NIG), eight TUC and eight CBI nominees (seven of which are BRPPA members). This committee advises the Commission on all aspects of health and safety policy specifically related to the rubber industry. Through RUBIAC and its Working Parties the BRPPA provides a very direct and significant input and influences HSE policy at the most senior level on health and safety matters.

Confederation of British Industry (CBI)

The H,S&E Director is a member of several CBI health and safety committees and working parties and once again has an opportunity to influence health and safety policy and legislation.

British Plastics Federation (BPF) & Chemical Industries Association (CIA)

The HS&E Director represents BRPPA on both BPF and CIA health committees and working parties. British Standards Institute (BSI)The HS&E Director is a member of the BSI Committee that oversees all relevant standards relating to the rubber industry.

ADVICE & ASSISTANCE
Advice is available on all matters relating to health, safety, the environment and occupational hygiene on a daily basis. Members' queries are usually dealt with by telephone, fax or e-mail but, where necessary, arrangements are made for visits to the factory.  The site visits provide members with high added value input to their HS&E management in general, as well as in dealing with specific issues of concern such as HSE enforcement notices. 

SITE VISITS
The site visits may be concerned with particular health and safety problems, such as, dermatitis, repetitive strain injury, manual handling, risk assessments, COSHH compliance, Noise assessments, accident prevention, authorisations under the Environmental Protection Regulations or on occasions to speak to union representatives about particular concerns which they may have on health matters.

BRPPA is also very much involved in advising members on industrial injury compensation claims and has in-depth expertise in matters relating to bladder cancer claims.

REGULATORY RISK ASSESSMENTS
BRPPA is proactive in dealing with regulatory matters such as the re-classification of rubber chemicals or new limit setting initiatives for these materials. BRPPA experts have in the last few years been involved in risk assessments relating to carbon black, toluene, aromatic oils, crystalline silica, MbOCA and isocyanates.

PUBLICATIONS
Where matters of particular importance are concerned, information is disseminated via BRPPA publications. Members are kept up to date on emerging legislation and relevant matters by an ongoing series of Health, Safety and Environment News Circulars.

SEMINARS
Briefing Seminars are also held to keep the members aware of new and proposed developments so that they are prepared for any new regulatory proposals well in advance of their implementation. Seminars are also held on topics such as the Environmental Protection Regulations, VDUs, manual handling, occupational asthma etc.

BULLETINS
Bulletins are produced from time to time on matters of particular importance such as, for example, the toxic hazards of rubber chemicals, legionnaires' disease and the requirements of new legislation.

Details of Some Health Research Activities

BRPPA is active in a great many different fields of health, safety and the environment and a high level of expertise is provided to both large and very small companies.

All of these normal services are available to BRPPA members free of charge.

BRMA Health Research Project
Following the discovery in the 1940s of a risk to rubber workers developing bladder tumours, the BRMA asked the Institute of Occupational Health at Birmingham University to carry out an epidemiological study looking at the causes of death among rubber workers. Since then the study has looked at some 38,000 rubber workers employed by BRMA members in the industry between 1946 and 1960 and has followed up their health experience for nearly forty years.

This is almost certainly the largest study of any industry group carried out anywhere in the world.

The results showed not only that the bladder cancer problem had been eliminated but it also provided a great deal more helpful information about the health of rubber workers. It is important for the rubber industry to be able to demonstrate this clearly and to this end BRMA's new study involves over 10,000 current day rubber workers from over forty factories.

The preliminary findings are extremely encouraging and will increase in significance as time goes on and more results become available as the working population gets older. The first analysis of the findings of this study have recently been published and confirm the encouraging findings of the HSE study.

Respiratory Study of Isocyanate Workers
In conjunction with the Medical Research Council, the Health and Safety Executive and the International Isocyanates Institute, BRMA has completed a study into the respiratory effects of isocyanate exposure. A summary and full report of the study has been published and shows that concerns about the long term effects of isocyanate exposure were largely unfounded. Although it shows that sensitivity does take place at very low exposure levels, there appear to be no other significant long-term effects of handling these chemicals.

Cytology Screening
Following the old bladder cancer problems now known to have been associated with exposure to contaminated rubber compounding chemicals, BRPPA has been screening exposed workers for this condition since 1957. Although the contaminated materials were withdrawn from manufacture in 1949, because of the delay between exposure and the possibility of developing a bladder tumour, urine screening has to continue through the life of the individual.

Nearly 600,000 samples have been tested and this has resulted in many bladder tumours being diagnosed at a very early stage when medical intervention can be at its most effective.

Major Publications

BRPPA's wide role and scope of activities gives it the authority to represent the industry to customers, the media, government, the EU and other international organisations.

Toxicity and Safe Handling of Rubber Chemicals: Code of Practice ref: Fourth Edition

• Foreword
• PART I General Information & Code of Practice
• PART II Control of Workplace Exposure, Bibliography, Initials and Acronyms
• PART III Information for individual Product Groups and Rubber Chemical Data Sheets
• Index of Rubber Chemical Suppliers
• Index of CAS Registry Numbers
• Index of EINECS Numbers
• General Index

Toxicity and Safe Handling of Di-isocyanates and Ancillary Chemicals: ref: Second Edition

• Section1: Purpose, Regulations and Definitions
• Section 2: Di-Isocyanates: Description, Handling and Storage
  
• Section 3: Ancillary Chemicals
• Section 4: Production Equipment and Processing Precautions
• Section 5: Visitors to Isocyanates Areas
• Section 6: Personnel and Welfare
• Section 7: Occupational Health
• Section 8: Code of Practice for the use of MbOCA in the Manufacture of Polyurethane Elastomers
• Section 9: Control of Airborne Contamination
• Section 10: Respirators
• List of Abbreviations
• Index