For environmental
occupational health safe
and responsible use

Industry voluntary agreement

Industry voluntary agreement on the responsible use of chrysotile asbestos

Whereas: 

  1. The signatories manufacture and market products containing chrysotile asbestos
  2. The signatories recognize and fully support the principles outlined in the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 162 and the ILO Code of Practice, Safety in the Use of Asbestos.
  3. The signatories are committed to the application of these principles in their respective chrysotile asbestos product manufacturing facilities in order to ensure the protection of public and worker health and the general environment.
  4. Signatories are legally authorized to sign the agreement.

FOR THESE REASONS:

The signatories agree to implement, on a voluntary basis, the present responsible-use policy, by the following means: 

  1. Where not already achieved, introduce appropriate preventive and control measures in their respective factories, within a period of no more than 2 years, in order to comply with a threshold limit value for chrysotile asbestos of 1 fibre/cc.
  2. Refrain from the use of amosite and crocidolite asbestos.
  3. Agree not to resell chrysotile asbestos fibre from their respective factory stocks to third parties.
  4. Encourage the government to ratify ILO Convention 162 and transpose the principles into the national regulations.
  5. Apply the Environmental Charter and Management Guide of the Asbestos International Association (AIA) on a full product life cycle basis.
  6. Provide individual company reports to appropriate government authorities on an annual basis, indicating compliance of their respective factories or progress made in coming into compliance with pertinent national regulations.
  7. To cooperate with the national chrysotile association, by making available data, on a confidential basis, to permit the preparation of a comprehensive annual report on the chrysotile asbestos industries, for submission to government authorities.

This report will provide an overview of the industry and include data related to asbestos consumption, the number of workers employed, the level of airborne concentrations of chrysotile in factories for different categories of workers, progress made in implementing appropriate preventive and control programs, etc.

This INDUSTRY VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT will be effective from the date of signing and will remain in effect until it is replaced by a new agreement by the parties signatory to this agreement.



SEE ALSO...
International Program on Chemical Safety
Rotterdam convention
Photo-reportage - Control in the manufacture and use of chrysotile cement
ILO Convention 162
ILO Recommendation 172


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