Introduction to

Chemicals Management
What is a CHEMICAL?
WHAT IS A HAZARDOUS
CHEMICAL?

• Any chemical or material in a quantity

or form that poses risk to health,
safety, or the environment when
transported, used, stored, or
released.
• Chemicals that are flammable, explosive,
toxic, corrosive or radioactive,
combustion-supporting, etc.
Chemicals impact…
Employees

Environment
& Consumers

Community
Cost of Poor Chemicals Management …

Direct Costs ($) Productivity ($) Trust

Loss of material (i.e. Lost time for worker Loss of customers’

from improper handling, injury or illnesses & workers’ trust
application or storage)
Events such as spills or
Damage to the environment
Compensation for injury accidents causing closure
where you work and where
or illnesses associated or production stoppages
the families of you and your
with chemical exposures employees / co-workers live
Product quality and and work
Lawsuits or legal fines compliance

Loss of orders
Benefits of Good Chemical Management &
Safety
• Decreases hazards to workers, community & environment
• Meet increasing regulatory, industry & NGO pressure
• Good for business
Reduce Costs

 Chemicals may present a major part of

the production cost for companies.
 Any actions that can be taken to reduce
use, loss, waste, contamination, and
expiry of these substances will bring
cost savings to companies
 Reducing the amount of expired
chemical disposal will also reduce
environmental impact.
Increase Competitiveness

• Brands and consumers do not want

to see harmful chemicals put into
products or the environment.
• By identifying and reducing the use
of banned chemicals and
hazardous substances, companies
can improve their competitive
position and social or
environmental responsibility
reputation.
Improve Worker Health & Safety

• Accidents involving chemicals

create additional costs for
companies in terms of lost
materials, damaged equipment
and facilities and workers’ injury.
• Reducing health and safety risks
for employees improves their
motivation and productivity and
lessens absenteeism due to
worker injury and illness.
Activity - Chemicals Management
Challenges
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.