Cement safety regs set to cause red tape hell

Contractors working on large projects face a bureaucratic headache after the EC told the cement industry to upgrade its safety advice, British Cement Association health and safety programme manager Ian Gibson told CJ.

The industry is upgrading its safety data sheets to comply with the EU Reach directive to classify hazardous chemicals.
Gibson said: “We will need to upgrade our data sheets and will have a standard sheet across Europe. That data sheet will go
to our direct customers, so contractors will receive it if they take bulk supplies of concrete.”

However, he said most contractors will not receive the information as it will only go to suppliers and bulk buyers. Gibson said: “The whole thing’s going to generate a massive amount of paper work, but the people who potentially suffer burns aren’t going to see the data sheets.”

The industry will provide advice on topics such as spillage, handling and storage, transport and toxicological and ecological information.

Cement is among the first materials to come under the Reach directive after the EC decided to prioritise chemicals by the amounts used, instead of by their potential hazards. Gibson said: “We’re in the first tranche of chemicals as cement is probably the largest tonnage material supplied in Europe.”

However, he doubts the EC has the resources to handle information on all potentially hazardous chemicals. He said:
“All the data will end up on the same data-base, but whether that will work is anybody’s guess. The Commission hasn’t even appointed anyone to look after it yet.

“It’s got the potential to turn into a massive headache and it could prove to be unworkable. It’s going to be more difficult for other chemicals and the problems are going to be much worse for the suppliers of those chemicals to put it into operation.”

Gibson said European trade association Cembureau is experiencing problems with providing advice to users in different countries. He said: “Cembureau is preparing a standard sheet, but some countries don’t use the same guides.”

Gibson said: “The Reach directive is going to generate a massive amount of paperwork, but simply telling people to wear gloves or not to kneel in concrete is a different matter.”