Pollution Prevention seems to hold great promise, not only in reducing environmental degradation, but also in improving workplace health and safety. Pollution prevention/cleaner production can be a source of preventive industrial hygiene, reducing or changing the chemicals used or modifying processes to eliminate sources of occupational disease, rather than simply ventilating or enclosing the hazard or piling layers of protective equipment on the worker. In the past, cleaner production/pollution prevention has been viewed almost exclusively as an environmental solution and is often handled as a management initiative, yet actions taken in the production process will necessarily also affect workers.
Acushnet Rubber, of Massachusetts, has implemented a Design for the Environment (DfE)Environmental Management System (EMS) that includes reducing the risk to workers and the environment as one of its main concepts. Acushnet’s policy of including worker health and safety considerations in targeting chemicals for reduction or elimination and of encouraging active worker participation in developing solutions will be discussed. Worker participation in Acushnet’s DfE EMS has resulted in reducing risk by replacing traditional processes, technologies, and practices with "cleaner" alternatives. Presenters will discuss significant reduction of high VOC waste adhesive through new worker-designed systems, as well as the elimination of trichloroethylene use, due to environmental and worker health and safety considerations.
Learning Objectives: see session overview (2582)
Keywords: Occupational Health, Environmental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.