Introducing Ruth Walsh, EU Product Safety and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Engineering Adhesives
1) Hi Ruth, can you please give us an overview of your background and tell us how you came to be in your current role?
Ruth: I spent 14 happy years working in the Technical Department in Bostik Ireland in a variety of roles, including Quality Control, Laboratory Chemist and Technical Manager. It was a small, multifunctional department supporting the manufacturing plant in Dublin which focused mainly on cementitious products. After some time off to focus on family an opportunity arose to join an exciting new team in a regulatory role – this is where my journey with Born2Bond™ began!
2) What are your key responsibilities?
Ruth: As EU Product Safety and Regulatory Affairs (PSRA) Manager for Engineering Adhesives I author all European Safety Data Sheets and oversee the Regulatory Labels for Born2Bond™ products for the European market. Our job in PSRA is to identify and communicate the potential dangers of products and the ways in which to manage their associated risks. I support the R&D team during product development and re-formulation, and I support the business in responding to our customers’ regulatory needs. In Bostik PSRA we strive for product stewardship for the safe handling of our products. This means that we play a part throughout the entire life of the product, from conception right down to its disposal.
3) What do you enjoy about your role within the Born2Bond™ team?
Ruth: I really enjoy making a valuable contribution to the customer journey – for both individual customers but also the industry as a whole. When I started in my role over two years ago, the first wave of Born2Bond™ cyanoacrylate products had just launched. Since then, both the team and the range have grown substantially, expanding the cyanoacrylate range and introducing a variety of new products to fulfil the needs of our customers across diverse industries.
4) What initiatives or projects are you most proud of since joining the Born2Bond™ team?
Ruth: Regulations are constantly evolving to minimize health, safety and environmental risks. Shortly after I began my role in Bostik, the PSRA Team flagged that a planned update to EU Regulations meant a substance contained in many of our Born2Bond™ products would soon receive a Harmonized Classification, which included a new hazard. R&D undertook an extensive project to remove this hazard from our Born2Bond™ products. The early identification by PSRA of this update to the regulations was crucial and allowed time for the necessary adjustment and qualification. The scope of this project required collaboration between all areas of the Born2Bond™ business with communication being key. This project is ongoing and extremely challenging but ably led by our Product Line Manager, Julien Liger. On average a Bostik product contains 15 substances, so it’s imperative that we’re vigilant in monitoring new and changing regulations and I am sure our experiences with this project will prove useful again in the future.
