On 18th November 2014, a workshop on “Chemical Management & Safety in Footwear Factories” was successfully delivered to 50 participants in Dongguan, Guangdong Province. The workshop was organized by the Apparel Footwear Brands Collaboration Forum (AFBCF) in cooperation with Sumerra. Mr. Asia Wang, managing director of NEWAsia Solutions Limited was invited to conduct and facilitate the whole day training.
The objective of this workshop was to introduce the concept and best practice of chemical management, its risks and benefits, and to discuss the solutions of chemical management risks in the brand’s supply chain for a better performance and continuous improvement.
During the workshop, Mr. Asia Wang illustrated the basic principles of chemical management, MRSL, chemical life cycle, case studies, costs and lessons, also discussed with participants on the issues of chemical hazards and workers health, hazard communications (HAZCOM) system, occupational hygiene, controls of chemical (substitute), engineering, PPE, as well as the worker health surveillance programme. It was also emphasized by the brands representatives that it’s very important that through the platform of brands collaborative training, the suppliers could meet or go beyond the local law and regulation or clients' requirements at least costs.
This training incorporated diverse exercises including group competition, questions and answers, voting, peering learning, which encouraged interaction between participants, and made the training more active and effective.
Through this one-day event, all participants from brands and suppliers had a deep understanding on the effective chemical management, all participants enjoyed the immersive atmosphere and the engagement & alignment opportunity among the brands and suppliers.