TAFT — The National Petrochemical and Refining Association (NPRA) recognized the Dow facility in St. Charles Parish for its excellent record of safe operations in 2004. The awards presentations took place before a record attendance at the Safety Awards Banquet held as part of the NPRA Conference recently held in New Orleans.

St. Charles Operations received four prestigious awards at this event:

Gold Award – 57% reduction in injury/illness rates

Award for Meritorious Safety Performance – 0.2 Injury/Illness Rate

Award for Safety Achievement – 1 Year from 1/1/2004 – 12/31/2004

Award for Safety Achievement – 2,253,385 safe work hours from 1/1/2004 – 12/31/2004.

As the 2,000 employees and contract employees who work at St. Charles Operations kept busy with record product shipments, management of multiple maintenance turnarounds and construction of the site’s new latex plant in 2004, they all achieved one of the site’s greatest accomplishments. Employees completed last year with the best safety record (.22) in the site’s history.

The .22 statistic means that of the approximately 2,000 employees and contractors working on the site during 2004, only five people required medical attention for on-the-job injuries. In other words, the lower number means that less people are getting hurt. The average recordable injury rate for workplaces throughout the United States is much higher. For example, all manufacturing workplaces is at a 7.2 injury rate, private industry is at a 5.30 injury rate, and  the chemical industry as a whole is at a 3.30 injury rate.

Sarah Thigpen, St. Charles Operations Environmental, Health and Safety Leader, said, “It’s important to remember that safety at our site is not about the numbers, it’s about people – our employees and contractors. Our goal is for everyone to return home the same way they come to work every day.” Thigpen continued, “We continually strive for a ‘vision of zero’ – zero injuries, zero incidents and zero environmental harm.”