PROCESS CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT Throughout 2021, the RBA reaffirmed its dedication to ensuring that all workers, regardless of location or operation, are adequately protected from potential chemical exposures. Leveraging its position to create efficient and effective resources that can be rapidly deployed throughout multiple industries, the RBA invested in a suite of guidance that covers essential practices for chemical management systems. This resource represents a significant investment from the RBA to help ensure that management systems are resilient and robust, protective controls consider the most advanced practices available, and workers are informed and empowered regarding their protection.
RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS ALLIANCE 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
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The RBA Process Chemical Management Resource Suite is targeted toward facility managers and directly to facility workers. It consists of 50 new and revised resources, more than 80 pages of technical written documents accompanied by eight new appendices and templates. All resources are available in English and Chinese, and sometimes four additional languages. Prior to designing the resource suite, the Clean Electronics Production Network (CEPN), the RBA’s primary external partner on the development of process chemical resources, provided an opportunity for the RBA and its members to engage with external stakeholders from the NGO community. Together, this multi-stakeholder group identified major challenges on adequately protecting workers to a level that respects their rights and meets the RBA Code of Conduct. The RBA received more than 50 comments on topics and materials that should be included in the resource suite – most notably, stronger recommendations for considering specific health impacts to young workers and nursing or pregnant women. The new Process Chemical Management Learning Pathway in the RBA eLearning Academy organizes all chemical management resources into eight topics that represent essential practices within every chemical management program. Core to the learning pathway
is the RBA Process Chemical Management Guide, which provides thorough written technical guidance and references for each topic. Each course within the learning pathway also features a newly developed training video that introduces essential practices and leads users to the more technical information provided in the written guide. Additionally, previously available training resources have been remodeled into 15 technical training videos that are more concise and topical and are now organized by topic alongside resource staples like the Process Chemical Data Collection (PCDC) Risk Assessment Tool and Facility Safety Fact Sheets. Included in the resources developed after the NGO engagement process, the RBA produced its first technical resources targeted specifically to workers in facilities. Three new courses on interpreting hazard information, preventing chemical exposure, and chemical first aid and emergencies are available to workers via the RBA Voices platform, which allows workers in facilities to directly access trainings and information through the Mobile Learning Library on their personal devices. The new chemical trainings, which represent over 35 minutes of new content in English and Simplified Chinese, cover topics that most directly affect workers.
