Chemical hazards

Beyond its compliance with regulatory requirements, Colas devotes significant research and organizational resources to achieving full control over the risks arising from the use of chemical products. Colas has pioneered the elimination of undesirable chemical components from its product manufacturing processes. Its research into alternative products is further justified by the new European regulation called REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical substances), which progressively requires control of all chemical-containing products before they are authorized for sale.
Apart from regulatory compliance, the aim of the Group is to achieve full control of the risks arising from the use of chemical products in its facilities. To this end, Colas is speeding up and strengthening its policy of requiring regular inventories of these substances using in-house methodological tools..

Four priority actions have been defined:

• solvents: scrapping the use of solvents in laboratories, except for a highly limited number of applications; scrapping the use of solvent-based degreasing fountains in favor of detergent or bacteriological-based systems; scrapping the use of toluene in paint (the Indasco and Prosign ranges are fully available in a water-borne solvent-free option)

• pigments: scrapping the use of heavy metal-based pigments in paints; research for a formulation in non-powder form

• non-stick products: scrapping the use of fuel oil by asphalt mix application teams and substitution of vegetable oil methyl esters

• bitumen vapors: encouraging independent European organizations to undertake studies. All the elements currently available make it possible to classify this risk as being “low and sufficiently reduced”, according to the terms of French workplace legislation. The industry medical authorities have ruled out the need for further medical screening (see the document by the French multidisciplinary working group on workplace health in the construction industry published on July 3, 2006)

Measuring progress

• The ICB Emulsions production plant in northern Ireland has won a Chamber of Commerce award for the elimination all its effluents
• Roughly 50% of Aximum’s entire paint production has a pro-environment label, with 47 products bearing the French environment label, NF Environnement