RESPONSIBLE CARE®
CODES OF MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
OVERVIEW
Daniel Roczniak
Senior Director, Responsible Care
American Chemistry Council
June 2010
Presentation Topics
• Background on American Chemistry Council.
• Responsible Care in the United States.
• Responsible Care Codes
– Purpose of the Codes
– Issues addressed in the Codes
– How to use in your organization
• Using the Codes as continuous improvement
tools.
American Chemistry Council
Background
• Primary trade association representing the
chemical industry in the United States.
• Members represent approximately 85% of
chemical production in the US.
• ACC includes both SMEs and multinational
companies.
• “Owner” of Responsible Care® in US.
• Providing support to GPCA as it develops regional
Responsible Care program.
Responsible Care® in US
A Short History
• ACC adopted Responsible Care in 1988.
• Obligation of membership.
• Extended program to companies in the
transportation and storage sectors in 1993.
• Strong CEO leadership element.
• Focus on consensus-building to ensure broad
support of the program.
• Currently conducting a review, led by external
parties, to identify opportunities to improve the
program.
ACC Responsible Care® Timeline
Path to Continuous Improvement
Goals and Targets (RC 3.5)
Responsible Care 2.0
Aggregate Performance Metrics
Peer Verification Process (MSV)
Partner Program
Enhanced Mutual Assistance
2009
Responsible Care
4.0
2003
1993
1988
Responsible Care 1.0
Guiding Principles
Codes & Self-Evaluations
Public Advisory Panel
Mutual Assistance
Responsible Care 3.0
Management Systems
Transparent Metrics Reporting
Security Code
Third-Party Certification
Increased Focus on Business Value
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
The Codes of Management Practices are the
tools of Responsible Care. By putting the
codes in place, better safety and
environmental performance and greater public
openness will follow.
ACC Report, 1995
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
• Initial deliverable was a set of Guiding Principles
which identified the industry’s performance
goals and expectations.
• ACC companies needed a common roadmap
with common language to achieve these goals
and expectations.
• Collectively improve performance in agreedupon key areas.
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
• Decision was made to follow path established by
Canadian industry and develop a set of codes.
• Codes identify practices which all companies
would implement in their organizations.
• Codes are written to give companies flexibility in
how to implement.
• Companies reported implementation progress
annually to ACC.
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
• Codes address these areas of activity:
– Pollution Prevention
– Process Safety
– Distribution
– Employee Health and Safety
– Community Awareness and Emergency Response
– Product Stewardship
– Security
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
“Inside” the Facility Codes
• Pollution
Prevention
• Process Safety
• Employee Health &
Safety
• Security
“Outside” the Facility Codes
• Community Awareness
& Emergency Response
• Distribution
• Product Stewardship
• Security
The scope of the codes is not totally inside or outside the
facility. They all have elements that address issues on
both sides of the fence line.
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
• Companies were encouraged to identify a “steward”
for each code who had responsibility for code
implementation within the organization.
• Through code implementation process, stewards
would coordinate activities and break down
organizational “silos.”
• Required management to interact more directly with
line workers.
• Encouraged cooperation between EHS personnel and
business leaders in the organization.
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
• ACC developed a mandatory, annual self-assessment
process to track company code implementation.
• ACC used aggregate self-assessment results to determine
where to direct resources to assist companies.
• ACC also reported aggregate results to the public to
demonstrate industry progress.
• Within the companies, Responsible Care Coordinators
tracked progress at each facility.
• Expectation that CEOs were monitoring progress in their
companies.
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
• ACC codes were basis of mutual assistance and sharing
activities for more than a decade.
– Companies met regularly to benchmark against the codes.
– Codes gave companies a common “language” when discussing EHS
issues.
– Allowed SMEs to interact with multinationals on an even footing.
– Allowed ACC to identify “Examples of Excellence” for distribution to
all members.
– Created mechanism for “peer pressure” between individual
companies and regions.
– Created opportunities for individuals outside traditional EHS
programs to participate in the program.
– Served as the basis for workshops, seminars, etc.
Responsible Care®
Codes of Management Practices
• Codes eventually were integrated into ACC Responsible
Care management system.
• Created a strong EHS and Security foundation for members
and Partner companies.
• Codes were the glue that bonded the membership in the
early days of the program. That bond still exists today.
• Codes remain tools in the ACC Responsible Care toolbox.
• ACC Codes were adopted by many associations in Asia and
South America during the 1990s.