Information about the GLASS Charter - this initiative aims to improve health and safety performance in all sectors of the glass industry by providing best practice guidelines, advice and actively encourages members of industry to exchange ideas with each other to continually improve their health and safety practices.

1. About the Initiative

2. Contents
Contents
⇒ Introduction to the UK Glass Industry ........ 2
⇒ About the GLASS Charter ................................ 3
⇒ Member Benefits ................................................ 4
⇒ Safety Meetings & Events ................................ 5
⇒ GLASS Charter Awards ..................................... 6
⇒ GLASS Charter Merit Scheme ........................ 7
⇒ Codes of Practice ................................................ 8
⇒ Contact Details .................................................... 9
Introduction to the UK Glass
Industry
The UK glass industry employs over 108,000 people, with 8,000 in direct
manufacturing and more than 100,000 in up- and down-stream activities.
3.3m tonnes of glass are produced annually with an estimated turnover
of £1.8 billion. By volume, two-thirds of production is container glass; one
quarter glazing and architectural products and the remainder for use in other
applications, for instance, artificial bone, fibre optics and ultra thin computers
to name a few.
Although an energy-intensive industry, great strides have been made in
energy reduction: flat glass producers have reduced energy usage to only 10% of
what it was a century ago; container manufacturers have halved energy consumption
over the past 20 years.
Glass is a unique material which can be recycled infinitely without any loss of
quality or purity. It can also lower the UK’s carbon footprint:
Closed-loop recycled jars and bottles saves 215g of CO2 per tonne of glass;
windows and insulation reduces energy bills and CO2, eg, low-E double glazing
saves 13kg CO2/sq metre of glazing each year; lightweighting cars aids fuel efficiency
and reduces fuel costs; wind turbines produce renewable energy, using more solar
glass panels could reduce CO2 emissions by 6.6% by 2020 and energy-saving light
bulbs use up to four times less electricity to generate the same light as a standard
lightbulb.
Glass has a long and proud heritage, its adaptability will ensure it continues to
play a major role in the future: if glass did not exist, neither would the world as we
know it.
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3. About the GLASS Charter
About the GLASS Charter
In 2001, the glass industry took up the government’s Revitalising Health
and Safety Initiative. In partnership with both industry and the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE), British Glass and the Glass and Glazing Federation
launched the GLASS Charter (Goal: Less Accidents, Safer Sites). In line with the
Revitalising Health and Safety Initiative, the UK Glass Industry adopted the
following target:
“Organisations within the UK glass industry will contribute
towards a 30% or equivalent reduction in lost time accidents.”
This initiative aims to improve health and safety
performance in all sectors of the glass industry by
providing best practice guidelines, advice and actively
encourages members of industry to exchange ideas with
each other to continually improve their health and safety
practices.
The charter also provides a medium through which you
can air your views and raise concerns, input into consultations on legislation
at both UK and EU level; share best-practice, case-studies and initiatives and
access to a wide range of information, guidance and other publications.
“A key element of the charter is senior
level management commitment”
A key element of the charter is senior level management commitment to
continuous health and safety improvement, tying in with recently published
Institute of Directors (IoD)/Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on
Health & Safety leadership for all industries.
In addition to the commitment made by a senior representative, members of the
scheme also submit annual safety action plans and bi-annual accident statistics –
allowing central monitoring and analysis of industry performance and also providing
members with benchmarking of their own figures against sector and industry.
As well as benefiting employees within the industry, there has also been a
significant financial benefit for the industry as a whole. Using HSE figures, the
estimated benefit to industry could be £1.5 million each year.
“estimated benefit to industry could be £1.5 million each year”
In 2005, a Health and Safety Executive evaluation of schemes like the GLASS
Charter found that there was a dramatic health and safety improvement in companies
participating in such schemes; this was confirmed by the recent Greenstreet Bernam
report (commissioned recently by the Health and Safety Executive) which associated
significant reductions in injury rates and improvements in health and safety to
targeted industry initiatives, such as the GLASS Charter.
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4. Member Benefits
Member Benefits
9 Quarterly Health & Safety Committee Meetings, providing members with
the latest Health and Safety updates and information. This forum also provides
members with a unique opportunity to share best practice guidance without
competition or rivalry between organisations. Our close relationship with the HSE
also gives us our minerals & manufacturing sector HSE links on-hand to feed into
and from the HSE.
9 Published Approved Codes of Practice, agreed
through working groups with members and the
direct involvement of the HSE;
9 GLASS Charter Guidelines – provided
to members free of charge within the
GLASS Charter Guidelines CD-ROM
Toolkit, the guidelines cover a whole
range of topics relevant to your sector
and include a full audit tool to help
identify areas of improvement within
your organisation;
9 Safety Newsletters, focusing on topics relevant
to your industry;
9 Legislation Updates, providing information on changes to
legislation, inspection campaigns and publications affecting glass industry
activities;
9 Annual Glass Industry Health & Safety Conference, the annual conference
has run for the last 14 years and is today recognised as an essential lifeline to
the whole industry growing in strength year by year. The annual conference has
become one of the key conferences in the safety calendar. With expert speakers
and engaging, relevant agendas the cofnerence is a great opportunity to learn,
share and network with like-minded professionals, share best practice or simply
enjoy the day.
9 Accident Statistics - central collection of industry accident statistics allows us to
provide reports for your site or entire organisation, with the ability to benchmark
your performance against sector or industry figures;
9 GLASS Charter Awards – all members have the opportunity for recognition and
achievement in 12 categories, our prestigious awards ceremony is held each year
at the Annual Glass Industry Health & Safety Conference;
9 GLASS Charter CD-ROM Toolkit - giving members quick and easy access to
our Charter Guidelines, Codes of Practice, Tool-kits, Updates, Forms and other
Publications.
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5. Safety Meetings & Events
Safety Meetings & Events
A number of regular meetings and events operate under the
GLASS Charter initiative, each focused on the activities of those
involved:
- Annual Glass Industry Health and Safety Conference; the
annual conference has grown from a small annual affair to
become one of the key conferences in the safety calendar.
With expert speakers and engaging, relevant agendas the
Annual Glass Industry Health and Safety Conference is a great
opportunity to learn, share and network with like-minded
professionals, share best practice or simply enjoy the day.
- British Glass Health & Safety Committee; meets quarterly to
discuss upcoming legislation, review performance and discuss
any problems that may arise in the industry. The sharing
philosophy of the group allows companies from all sectors to
share their own accident experiences and exchange ideas from
organisation to organisation. This platform also provides a
unique opportunity for two-way communication between the
UK Glass Industry and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
- Glass and Glazing Federation Health and Safety Meeting;
meets quarterly to review all Health and Safety matters which
affect the industry sector. This meeting provides an excellent
opportunity to network with a host of safety professionals from
across the industry whilst sharing solutions and best practice
on safety management issues which are industry specific. This
meeting also addresses any changes to existing legislation and
potential new legislation to be implemented. This meeting is
attended by the Health and Safety Executive and provides
the opportunity for a two-way communication between our
industry and the HSE.
- Container Safety Advisors; this group meets four times
each year, delivering up-to-date legislation updates and
discussing issues specific to the container manufacturing side
of the industry. The ongoing success of the I S Machines (Glass
Forming Machines) Code of Practice can be attributed to this
group and its working group, which has set into place Health
& Safety standards for the use of these machines and made
provisions for machinery guarding.
- Additional Working Groups; additional working groups meet
on an ad hoc basis to discuss specialist activities, such as the
drafting of Codes of Practice or consultation.
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6. GLASS Charter Awards
GLASS Charter Awards
The GLASS Charter actively promotes the concept that
“good health & safety is no accident” and the importance of
organisations giving health & safety the same priority as other
business activities.
These awards seek to recognise and reward organisations
and individuals who make exceptional efforts or contributions
to improve health and safety practices and performance.
There are 12 award categories for members of the initiative
and a further two awards for companies who provide services
or products that assist in our goal of continuous improvement
in health and safety.
The prestigious awards ceremony is held at the Annual
Glass Industry Health and Safety Conference, where members
of the industry, health and safety professionals, suppliers and
associated industries meet to network, exchange ideas and
receive information on the latest changes in health and safety
affecting their activities.
GLASS Charter Award Categories:
1. GLASS Charter Globe - Best Overall Performance
2. Best Safety Performance - Less than 50 employees
3. Best Safety Performance - Up to 250 employees
4. Best Safety Performance - Over 250 employees
5. Best Improvement in Safety
6. Best Safety Initiative
7. Best Training Initiative
8. Best Health Initiative
9. Nominated Director for Health and Safety of the Year
10. Health and Safety Professional of the Year
11. Safety Representative of the Year
12. Employee Contribution to Health and Safety
13. Supplier Innovation
14. Overall Supplier
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7. GLASS Charter Merit Scheme
GLASS Charter Merit Scheme
If improvement is to be sustained, improved safety performance
must look beyond just accident rates. To help this process the
GLASS Charter Merit Scheme was introduced, with the following
key objectives:
- To enable ALL members of the GLASS Charter scheme to
improve their performance;
- To assist smaller companies to identify areas where
improvement can be made and to encourage them to join the
GLASS Charter;
- To allow sector progress to be measured - apart from accident
rates - and to celebrate success in safety management
improvement;
- To allow companies to set safety targets for the year in addition
to accident targets;
- To assist in the identification and sharing of best practice;
The GLASS Charter Merit System in split into three grades,
each with six levels, and provides opportunities for companies
to recognise and celebrate their successes (irrespective of the
current maturity of their safety performance) in a measured and
progressive manner.
Merit Scheme Entry Plan
This simple three-step-
programme takes you though
building solid foundations and
further developing your safety
systems through the analysis of
accident records, identification of
hazards, risk assessment and setting
of clear objectives in order to
improve health and safety in your
environment(s). On completion of
the Merit Scheme Entry Plan you
should have a strong foundation in
Health and Safety management.
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8. Glass Industry Codes of Practice
Glass Industry Codes of Practice
These codes of practice have been drawn up between industry
representatives and the Health and Safety Executive. Adherence
to these codes may be seen to demonstrate competence in
meeting proper safety standards.
- Use of Stillages by Glass Suppliers; this guidance is aimed
at manufacturers and suppliers of processed flat glass. Both
manufacturers and suppliers have duties under Health and
Safety law to provide information on the safe use of Stillages.
- Use of Stillages by Contractors; These guidelines are
primarily aimed at contractors who receive and distribute
glass “stillages” around construction sites. The intent of the
guidance is to enable companies to manage and work with
glass stillages safely and comply with the legal requirements
laid down under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and
the Construction Design and Management Regulations.
- Glass Forming (IS) Machines; these guidelines cover glass
forming machines (also known as ‘IS’ and press-forming
machines) used throughout the UK container glass industry
and have been formulated as a means of reference for
organisations who operate these machines and associated
ancillary equipment. This guide helps employers ensure that
glass forming machine operators, and related teams are able
to carry out their jobs as safely and efficiently as possible.
- Working at Height in the Domestic Replacement Window
Industry; these guidelines are aimed at persons working
within the replacement window sector, including the removal,
installation and trimming / sealing of windows in domestic
premises. These guidelines have been produced in conjunction
with the Health and Safety Executive and represent good
practice.
- Handling of Glass; this code of practice has been drawn up to
provide guidance on recommended best practice in the safe
handling, transport and storage of flat glass, in the warehouse,
processing shops and on sites.
- Work with Domestic Soffits and Rain Water Goods
Containing Asbestos Cement; The aim of this document is
to give practical advice and to set standards of best practice
for work with roofline and rainwater products containing
Asbestos Cement.
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9. Contact Details
Contact Details
The GLASS Charter is a joint partnership between British Glass Manufacturers’
Confederation, representing glass melters, manipulators and processors; and the
Glass and Glazing Federation, representing downstream glaziers and installers of
flat glass. The scheme has now expanded to cover a wide range of industry activities,
so to make answering your queries as efficient as possible, please contact your
relevant federation representative below:
British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation
Philip Marsh
UK Health & Safety Manger (Manufacturing Sector)
Tel: 0114 290 1850
Fax: 0114 290 1851
Email: p.marsh@britglass.co.uk
9 Churchill Way, Chapeltown, Sheffield, S35 2PY
British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation operates on behalf of the UK Glass Industry on a wide range of
topics – including Health & Safety, Environment, Recycling & Waste, Technical, Information Services and
Standards. British Glass also plays a major role both in the UK and Europe - lobbying on behalf of the industry,
its’ various sectors and our members.
Glass and Glazing Federation
Declan Moore
UK Health & Safety Manager (Glazing Sector)
Tel: 07823 335380
Fax: 0870 042 4266
Email: dmoore@ggf.org.uk
44-48 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1XB
The Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) is a trade association for all those who make, supply or fit flat glass.
Members work across the industry from emergency glazing, applied film, conservatories, windows, doors,
fire resistant glazing, glazing components, flat glass, curtain walling, mirrors, toughened glass, curved glass,
extrusions, hardware, glass merchanting, insulated glass and laminated glass.
Further Information
The following publications and websites will provide you with a useful source of
further information:
www.britglass.org.uk British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation
www.ggf.org.uk Glass and Glazing Federation
www.glasscharter.co.uk GLASS Charter
www.hse.gov.uk Health and Safety Executive
www.hsebooks.com HSE Books
- 9 -

10. In 2001, the glass industry took up the government’s Revitalising Health
and Safety Initiative. In partnership with both industry and the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE), British Glass and the Glass and Glazing Federation
launched the GLASS Charter (Goal: Less Accidents, Safer Sites). In line with
the Revitalising Health and Safety Initiative, the UK Glass Industry adopted
the following target:
“Organisations within the UK glass industry
will contribute towards a 30% or equivalent
reduction in lost time accidents.”
This initiative aims to improve health and safety performance in all sectors
of the glass industry by providing best practice guidelines, advice and
actively encourages members of industry to exchange ideas with each other
to continually improve their health and safety practices. The charter also
provides a medium through which you can air your views and raise concerns,
input into consultations on legislation at both UK and EU level.
As well as benefiting employees within the industry, there has also been a
significant financial benefit for the industry as a whole. Using HSE figures,
the estimated benefit to industry could be £1.5 million each year.
“estimated benefit to industry
could be £1.5 million each year”
To become a member of the initiative, contact us today:
info@glasscharter.co.uk
Glass and Glazing Federation British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation
44-48 Borough High Street 9 Churchill Way
London Sheffield
SE1 1XB S35 2PY
www.ggf.co.uk www.britglass.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 870 042 4255 Tel: +44 (0) 114 290 1850
Fax: +44 (0) 870 042 4266 Fax: +44 (0) 114 290 1851