On the 31^st of October 2012 Responsible Care and the Responsible Care Haulier trophies were awarded by the Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association during the AGM of the Association. The Responsible Care Awards recognise and encourage member companies in the chemical industry that have made the most significant improvements in their safety, health and environmental (SHE) performance.

This year’s winner of the Responsible Care Award was GOLD REEF SPECIALITY CHEMICALS.  The company manufactures polymer emulsion and employs 70 people and was selected from 102 companies that submitted quantitative indicators of performance (QIPs).

BIDVEST PANALPINA LOGISTICS, TRANSPORT DIVISION in Durban was awarded the Responsible Care Haulier Award.The Haulier Award, a new award instituted in 2011 by the Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association, recognises the best performing haulier signatory that transports dangerous goods on behalf of the chemical sector.

BIDVEST PANALPINA LOGISTICS was selected from 25 hauliers that submitted QIP’s. The company has a complement of 164 employees and transports a wide variety of chemicals.

The companies selected as winners performed exceptionally well in all criteria for evaluation which includes:

• Improvement in Health and Safety of Persons, including reduction in the number of disabling injuries per 200 000 hours worked.  A fatality disqualifies a company.
• Improvement in Storage, Distribution and Transportation, including number of incidents involving chemical release per one hundred thousand tonnes handled and delivered, and number of accidents causing public disruption per one hundred thousand tonnes delivered.
• Improvement in Resource Use and Waste Management, in terms of Kl of water used, GJ of energy used, tonnes of hazardous waste produced and kg of emissions produced.
• Existence of community awareness and emergency response (CAER) communication structure.
• Third-party verification of Responsible Care is up to date.
  • Excellence, in terms of zero reportable injuries for the year, zero transport incidents involving chemical release or causing public disruption and zero prosecutions for the year.

Three companies were shortlisted for the Responsible Care award and two companies for the Haulier Award on the basis of most significant improvement as well as a consistent and excellent SHE performance.  Impala Platinum Refineries, Air Products Vanderbijlpark and Central African Road Services were runners-up for the awards. Judges visited the five companies to assess first-hand how each company shaped up to their QIP performance and Responsible Care in general.

Both winners received trophies made of recycled glass. The Responsible Care Haulier Award has a truck engraved into the glass while The Responsible Care Award shows the Responsible Care hands, also engraved into the recycled glass.