News Flash

Four Huntsman sites achieve Safety Excellence Awards

26 Sep '08

2 min read

Four of Huntsman Corporation's North American sites have recently received recognition for their outstanding safety performance.

Our facilities at Port Neches, Texas and Geismar, Louisiana were recently recommended for recertification for 'Star' status in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

Companies become eligible for OSHA's Star Program through the achievement of injury and illness rates for their associates and contractors at or below the national average in their Bureau of Labor Standards (BLS) SIC category at least once in the previous three years.

Star participants are reevaluated by OSHA inspectors every three to five years for training and safety systems and their incident rates are reviewed annually.

The Geismar site, which is a joint venture with Chemtura Corporation and an OSHA Star site since 2003, has been awarded the 'Star Among Stars' Award, which was established to recognize VPP participants with total case incidence rates (TCIRs) and days away/restricted/transferred case incidence rates (DARTs) well below the BLS national average.

Our Charlotte, North Carolina facility has recently been promoted from 'Rising Star' to 'Star' status in the North Carolina Voluntary Protection Program. The Carolina Star is North Carolina's version of the Federal OSHA Voluntary Protection Program.

To qualify, employers must have three-year average injury rates and lost work day rates that are at least 50 percent below the state's most recently published figure for companies in the same industry group.

Also, they must agree to conduct outreach and education to other employers in the State on the Carolina Star program and safety and health programs in general.

The Huntsman Advanced Technology Center located in The Woodlands, Texas has recently received three awards from the Texas Chemical Council in recognition of its safety excellence.

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes sites for 'demonstrated commitment to safe operations and implemented safety programs.'

The Zero Incident Rate recognizes a site for achieving a zero incident rate as defined by OSHA guidelines. The Caring for Texas award was given '…for promoting continuous improvement in community awareness, emergency response, security and pollution prevention.'

Commenting on the Awards, Mike Kern, Senior Vice President of EHS, said “It's very gratifying to receive external recognition of our excellent safety and health management systems.

It acknowledges the effort and priority that we give to EHS in Huntsman and I'd like to thank all associates at the four sites for their contributions to these achievements.”

Huntsman Corporation

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