ICEM Affiliate Survey Finds Responsible Care Needs Improvements

Before the Forum, ICEM offered to survey its global chemical union affiliates to find out what workers at the plant level know about Responsible Care. ICEM shared the results of its survey with the Forum. Twenty-nine ICEM affiliates from 21 countries responded to the survey.

According to ICEM, workers at the plant level in Japan, Germany and the Scandinavian/Northern European region knew the most about the Responsible Care programs and were most involved. ICEM workers in North America reported less involvement and knowledge of the program. Responses from ICEM affiliates in the developing world showed the least worker knowledge and involvement.

Major ICEM concerns about Responsible Care programs were: lack of sufficient union knowledge and involvement at the plant level; lack of innovation; lack of independent outside verification that the Responsible Care goals were being met; and lack of an enforcement mechanism to punish companies failing to comply with the HSE goals of the programs. At worst, ICEM noted that the Responsible Care programs could be viewed as a mere public relations effort by the industry unless improvements were made. ICEM representatives said that, even if industry was making a good faith effort, Responsible Care would be much better accepted by the general public if organized labor were encouraged to participate fully. ICEM said that the Responsible Care programs had great potential for important cooperative efforts with management, provided that Stakeholder involvement were to be better developed at the plant and company levels. The ICEM felt that improvements needed to be made by individual companies cooperating with workers and their union representatives as well as the broader community. The ICEM felt that RC National Committees may act as catalysts, but they cannot do the work of individual companies and plants for them.

The ICCA representative agreed with ICEM's request that he ask the ICCA to incorporate the International Labor Office (ILO) Convention 170 on worker safety in the chemical industries into the international Responsible Care program. In addition, it was agreed that the Forum would examine and address how ICEM affiliates would participate more actively in Responsible Care programs at the plant level. The ICCA representative also noted that some regions are already making good progress toward independent verification and disciplinary actions, and that declines in chemical plant emission levels in the industrial world were good indications that Responsible Care programs are already contributing to positive changes.