scholarly journals Microplastic regulation should be more precise to incentivize both innovation and environmental safety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Mitrano ◽  
Wendel Wohlleben
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Solid Polymer ◽  
Environmental Health And Safety ◽  
Quality Cost ◽  
Environmentally Conscious ◽  
Safety Regulations ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Significant Performance ◽  
Remote Sites

<p>Numerous studies have made the ubiquitous presence of plastic in the environment undeniable, and thus it no longer comes as a surprise when scientists monitor the accumulation of macroplastic litter and microplastic fragments in both urban and remote sites. The presence of plastic in the environment has sparked considerable discussion amongst scientists, regulators and the general public as to how industrialization and consumerism is shaping our world. Restrictions on the intentional use of primary microplastics, small solid polymer particles in applications ranging from agriculture to cosmetics, are under discussion globally, despite uncertain microplastic hazards and prioritization amongst options for action. In some instances, replacements are technically simple and easily justified, but in others substitutions may come with more uncertainty such as significant performance questions and monetary costs. Scientific impact assessment of primary microplastics compared to their alternatives relies on a number of factors including, but not limited to, microplastic harm, existence of replacement materials, and the quality, cost and hazards of alternate materials. Here we assess the scope, effectiveness and utility of microplastic regulations with specific emphasis on the new definitions proposed by ECHA for restriction of primary microplastics under REACH. To this end, we aim to 1) provide a systematic orientation of the polymer universe, to appreciate which (micro)plastic characteristics are relevant, measurable and enforceable, 2) cluster specific uses of solid plastic to highlight how primary microplastic can add to issues of environmental pollution and human health, 3) evaluate drivers leading to regulations and their potential for enforceability and impact and 4) suggest priority cases where regulations should be focused and precision increased to incentivize innovation of sustainable materials and promote environmental health and safety. Regulations need a precise focus and must be enforceable by measurements. Policy must carefully evaluate under which contexts microplastic use may be warranted and where incentives to replace certain microplastics can stimulate innovation of new, more competitive and environmentally conscious materials. </p>

scholarly journals Microplastic regulation should be more precise to incentivize both innovation and environmental safety

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise M. Mitrano ◽  
Wendel Wohlleben
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
General Public ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Solid Polymer ◽  
Polymer Particles ◽  
Quality Cost ◽  
Environmentally Conscious ◽  
Scientific Impact ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Alternative Materials

Abstract The presence of plastic in the environment has sparked discussion amongst scientists, regulators and the general public as to how industrialization and consumerism is shaping our world. Here we discuss restrictions on the intentional use of primary microplastics: small solid polymer particles in applications ranging from agriculture to cosmetics. Microplastic hazards are uncertain, and actions are not similarly prioritized by all actors. In some instances, replacement is technically simple and easily justified, but in others substitutions may come with more uncertainty, performance questions and costs. Scientific impact assessment of primary microplastics compared to their alternatives relies on a number of factors, such as microplastic harm, existence of replacement materials and the quality, cost and hazards of alternative materials. Regulations need a precise focus and must be enforceable by these measurements. Policymakers must carefully evaluate under which contexts incentives to replace certain microplastics can stimulate innovation of new, more competitive and environmentally conscious materials.

scholarly journals Towards a High Reliable Enforcement of Safety Regulations - A Workflow Meta Data Model and Probabilistic Failure Management Approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiko Henning Thimm
Keyword(s):  
Data Model ◽  
Workflow Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Failure Detection ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Environmental Health And Safety ◽  
Meta Data ◽  
Domain Specific ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Safety Regulations

Today’s companies are able to automate the enforcement of Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) duties through the use of workflow management technology. This approach requires to specify activities that are combined to workflow models for EH&S enforcement duties. In order to meet given safety regulations these activities are to be completed correctly and within given deadlines. Otherwise, activity failures emerge which may lead to breaches against safety regulations. A novel domain-specific workflow meta data model is proposed. The model enables a system to detect and predict activity failures through the use of data about the company, failure statistics, and activity proxies. Since the detection and prediction methods are based on the evaluation of constraints specified on EH&S regulations, a system approach is proposed that builds on the integration of a Workflow Management System (WMS) with an EH&S Compliance Information System. Main principles of the failure detection and prediction are described. For EH&S managers the system shall provide insights into the current failure situation. This can help to prevent and mitigate critical situations such as safety enforcement measures that are behind their deadlines. As a result a more reliable enforcement of safety regulations can be achieved.

Santos: The process safety management journey

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 571
Author(s):  
Andrew Antony
Keyword(s):  
Safety Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Process Safety ◽  
Environmental Health And Safety ◽  
Environmentally Conscious ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Separate Identity ◽  
The Right ◽  
Key Aspects

Over the past five years Santos has introduced a new management discipline called process safety. This has been achieved through formalising existing practices, particularly around reliability and maintenance strategy, as well as benchmarking against industry leaders to introduce other aspects such as process safety awareness, design and operating philosophies. During the early 2000s Santos was focussed on establishing a company-wide environmental health and safety management system (EHSMS) and programs to build a safe and environmentally conscious culture. For the first two revisions of its operation, the EHSMS contained safety standards relating to personnel hazards such as heat, driving, heights and chemicals. A vigorous audit program was introduced to assist all operating sites and activities, improving their systems to effectively manage environment, health and safety risks. Santos now recognises that the establishment of a process safety culture involves five key aspects: the right platform to build upon; a separate identity, with specific standards defining requirements; effective integration into existing processes; audits dedicated to process safety that identify a baseline to measure against; and, monitoring processes and personnel safety performance with equal interest.

scholarly journals A definition and categorization system for advanced materials : the foundation for risk-informed environmental health and safety testing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Kennedy ◽  
Jonathon Brame ◽  
Taylor Rycroft ◽  
Matthew Wood ◽  
Valerie Zemba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Advanced Materials ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Environmental Health And Safety ◽  
Safety Testing ◽  
Risk Prioritization ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Development Technology ◽  
Categorization System

Novel materials with unique or enhanced properties relative to conventional materials are being developed at an increasing rate. These materials are often referred to as advanced materials (AdMs) and they enable technological innovations that can benefit society. Despite their benefits, however, the unique characteristics of many AdMs, including many nanomaterials, are poorly understood and may pose environmental safety and occupational health (ESOH) risks that are not readily determined by traditional risk assessment methods. To assess these risks while keeping up with the pace of development, technology developers and risk assessors frequently employ risk-screening methods that depend on a clear definition for the materials that are to be assessed (e.g., engineered nanomaterial) as well as a method for binning materials into categories for ESOH risk prioritization. In this study, we aim to establish a practitioner-driven definition for AdMs and a practitioner-validated framework for categorizing AdMs into conceptual groupings based on material characteristics. The definition and categorization framework established here serve as a first step in determining if and when there is a need for specific ESOH and regulatory screening for an AdM as well as the type and extent of risk-related information that should be collected or generated for AdMs and AdM-enabled technologies.

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