Companies that use and manufacture hazardous chemicals are realising the importance of having a chem- icals management system in place as a proactive rather than a reactive initiative, and implementing best-practice require-ments for the safe management of chemi-cals puts them in an advantageous position, states global voluntary initiative Responsible Care (RC).

Chemicals companies that are signat-ories to RC have the benefit of support, training, guidance and information regarding chemical safety. The RC initia-tive supports the chemicals and related industries’ contributions by providing posters, guidance documents and codes of practice for the safe management of chemicals throughout their life cycle, says RC manager Louise Lindeque.

“A good chemical safety programme is more than a file of documents; it is an integral, evolving, vital element of everyday business.” A safety programme is not just for large chemicals manufacturers, but will benefit all companies that implement it, no matter how small, she notes.

“Implementing a chemical-safety management-process system within a company is necessary for the environment and the safety of employees and communi-ties, and also makes financial sense. A chemical safety programme does not only prevent on-site accidents and injuries or damage to property, but can also save lives, save on insurance costs and [guard against] reputational damage to companies and the chemicals industry at large,” Lindeque highlights.

She

explains that the safe management of chemicals is about knowing the chemical substances that a company works with and the potential hazards that the chemicals pose, assessing the risk to employees and preventing or controlling exposure to these hazardous substances as much as possible.

For manufacturers, this entails the classification and correct labelling of hazardous substances; providing an appro-priate safety data sheet and knowing if a substance is restricted or banned, whether nationally or internationally; and whether it is on the list of substances that are of very high concern, she says.

In light of this, safety becomes a priority for companies that supply products and equipment to the chemicals industry.

Safety solutions company MSA says its expertise in providing petrochemicals companies such as BASF, Chevron, Shell South Africa and Schlumberger, with its PrimaX gas-detection transmitter has led to its market share growing, owing to the safety the product guarantees.

“MSA’s PrimaX gas-detection trans-mitter has been developed for the oil and gas, and petrochemicals and chemicals industries because it closely monitors combustible gases, toxic gases and oxygen deficiency. MSA supplies instruments that can be integrated into individually configured system solutions to meet a customer’s safety requirements,” says MSA fixed gas flame detection product manager Robbie Taitz.

PrimaX supports a 4 mA to 20 mA output and operates on an input power supply of 19.2 V direct current (dc) to 28 Vdc . It has an integral mounting plate for quick and easy installation and an easy-to-read liquid crystal display. PrimaX consists of a plug-in replacement sensor and is available with NPT three-quarter or M25 cable gland inputs.

The PrimaX has a wide operating temperature capability from –40 °C to 70 °C, and a comprehensive range of sensors to detect most of the common industry gases which need to be considered for safety reasons.

“This product holds huge potential for the middle segment of the market. It has been around for about two years and its current market share is about 3%, which we believe will continue to grow strongly,” says Taitz.

RC mentions that appropriately managing chemicals involves commit-ment from all the employees in a com-pany, both managers and workers. “Too often, information on chemical hazards is known only to a supervisor or is locked away in a cabinet where no one ever sees it,” concludes Lindeque.