New latex facility has no safety incidents in over 200,000 work hours

By MOLLY DRYMAN

Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – The new latex plant at the Dow facility in St. Charles Parish broke ground in July 2004, already bringing 200 jobs to the area and adding 150 jobs this summer.

This facility represents part of a $100 million investment of Dow’s Latex business. Dow is one of the largest petrochemical producers in Louisiana. The facility is part of Dow’s UCAR Emulsion Systems (UES), which produces and markets emulsions or polymers, better known as latexes, for paints, sealants and caulks. Latex is what makes paint stick to walls.

“This project has brought around 200 construction jobs so far, through contract employment,” said Stein. “The number will reach about 350 construction jobs during the peak of the project in the summer months and around 30 permanent jobs will be created.”

During the first year of construction activity and 200,000 work hours, the new latex facility contract employees and Dow employees had no recordable safety incidents. Last year, St. Charles Operations experienced its best safety performance since operations started in 1966, according to Dow spokesperson Jolen Stein.

“We are very proud of our safety performance at this site,” said Sarah Thigpen, St. Charles Operations responsible care leader. “Dow has the right safety programs and processes in place, along with dedicated employees that make safety their number one priority in everything they do while working in our facility. Our goal for every day is to leave work the same way we walk in. All of our employees and contract employees working on this new latex plant have shown commitment to this safety goal by working a full year without a recordable injury.”

Stein said, process technicians (operators) and other associated employees will begin months of rigorous training in April. The training will help ensure safe plant start-up and successful production of latex in the new state-of-the-art facility.

Dow is working to be a strategic, long-term partner with Louisiana by providing jobs and economic stability, according to Stein.

The facility is scheduled to start production by the end of the year.