Coatings Care Introduction

The technological advances achieved by the industry over the past 50 years have resulted in a wide variety of durable, highly visible and long-lasting products, which meet the customer’s demand for safety, reliability, and environmental protection. Coatings manufacturers also emphasize environmental protection in new product development, seeking technologies that offer improved product performance along with safety and reduced environmental impact. Thus, awareness of health, safety and environmental requirements has become an integral part of doing business.

As new technologies and product applications emerge in the marketplace, the industry must adapt and respond quickly to effectively support its customers. Regardless of size or products specialty, all companies must effectively integrate health, safety and environmental requirements, while at the same time, implement sound business strategies that will provide for expansion and market growth. Building on this fact, Coatings Care® has been developed as a progressive health, safety and environmental initiative which also recognizes the need to enhance product integrity and quality.

As part of the coatings industry’s ongoing commitment to promoting effective health, safety and environmental practices, Coatings Care® offers the industry the means to:

• more effectively use organizational and management resources for compliance with health, safety and environmental regulations;
• integrate consideration of health, safety and environmental resource information in organizational planning and operations;
• enhance participation and direction of association activities;
• access health, safety and environmental management practices and resources being used or considered on an international basis.

Coatings Care® can best be described by detailing how it will support the industry’s efforts to manage its health, safety and environmental responsibilities. To this end, Coatings Care® anticipates opportunities for:

• expanding participation in developing health, safety and environmental standards which will govern the industry;
• operating with a uniform health, safety and environmental policy statement;
• adhering to management practices identified or developed by the industry;
• developing community outreach efforts to support public involvement; and
• identifying and evaluating areas for improvement.

Coatings Care® offers participating member companies the opportunity to pursue a common, effective management approach for their health, safety and environmental programs. In addition, participation in Coatings Care® provides a visible commitment by all levels of management to follow established practices and published policies, to account for implementation, and provide sufficient resources to assure program effectiveness.

In today’s marketplace, diverse and often conflicting requirements for protecting worker health, safety and the environment may lead companies to pursue unfocused and overlapping management strategies. Participation in Coatings Care® will allow companies to address their health, safety and environmental responsibilities through a consistent set of management practices. Coatings Care® also offers the opportunity to apply this program on an international basis throughout the global marketplace.

An additional feature of Coatings Care® is that it is supportive and complementary to the Responsible Care® program of the chemical industry, and the Responsible Distribution® program for chemical distributors. Thus, companies who fulfill a commitment to Responsible Care®, Responsible Distribution® are acknowledged as having met all the requirements of Coatings Care®.

Key Benefits of Coatings Care®

• Provides a system to manage your business and deal with health, safety and environmental responsibilities
• Better run business operate more productively and profitably
• The program is applicable to companies of any size or product mix.
• The “Best Management Practices” within the program provide opportunities for any company to apply and derive benefits.
• There are at least nine sound business reasons why every company in the coatings industry should consider participating in Coatings Care®:
  1. You’ll have a system to manage important aspects of your business.
  2. Well run businesses are more profitable and more productive.
  3. You will have a system for approaching your compliance obligations.
  4. Coatings Care® helps you prepare for the challenges of ISO 14000 certification.
  5. Coatings Care® fully compliments Responsible Care® and Responsible Distribution®.
  6. The industry is changing.
  7. Those thinking of “hiding in the weeds” should think again.
  8. Coatings Care® is free.
  9. Coatings Care® gives you the industry’s 63 Best Management Practices.